IC News

Teachers rarely step into the classroom for the glamor or fame. They do it because they believe in the power of education, the joy of discovery, and the chance to shape lives in ways that ripple far beyond a single lesson. At Ithaca College, the Graduate Education Teaching program has been nurturing that passion since 2007, preparing more than 300 teachers to step confidently into classrooms and change the future.

Because teaching isn’t just about test scores or lesson plans—it’s about people. The right teacher can shift the course of a life. 

Amber Krisch MAT ’24 captured it best: “Teaching may not be glamorous, but the joy, wonder, and sense of belonging that I get to spark in kids every day is priceless, and it’s a reflection of the way my own teachers changed me. Everyday I leave work feeling like I did something productive and positive, which I feel like can be hard to find in other careers. It’s also a job I will never get bored in, as every day, week, and year is different and full of new learning opportunities.” 

We all remember the teachers who left a mark. Some stay with us for decades. For me, it was my fourth-grade teacher, Miss Naughton. While most of my classmates were focused on winning the lead role in the school play, she noticed that my interest was in bringing it all together. She named me the play’s director. In that moment, she saw a gift in me that I hadn’t yet recognized: I loved to lead and make ideas happen. That one decision shaped who I am today. 

But in recent years, teachers like Miss Naughton have been leaving the profession at alarming rates.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 270,000 teachers leave the classroom every year, citing emotional demands, shifting curricula, crushing workloads, and insufficient pay. Many describe a common outcome: burnout.

The result? More than 411,000 teaching positions across the United States are unfulfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their position. And yet, despite the challenges, the calling to teach remains strong. 

Which raises a critical question: Can teachers actually be happy in this work?
 

Dr. Peter Martin, co-chair of IC’s Graduate Education Program, has been searching for that answer over the last year through the Happy Teachers Project. His mission is to understand why some teachers thrive when so many others burn out—and to learn what keeps their passion alive. 

As Martin puts it, “I think the burnout just diminishes the flame of their passion. I think they're still passionate.” 

The good news: his research shows that yes, teachers can be happy. 

Martin interviewed 64 teachers with at least five years in the classroom. These teachers are considered established versus “new”—that is, they have learned the job and have experience. Two-thirds were in the U.S., with the rest in France, Germany, Belgium, Israel, and the Netherlands. They represented a wide spectrum of schools, communities, and teaching environments. From these conversations, a pattern of sustained happiness emerged.
 

Two forces, he found, consistently are linked a teacher’s happiness:

The first is Impact. Teachers are fueled by their students. The lightbulb moments, the breakthroughs, the ripple effects on families and communities—these are what make the long hours and hard work worth it. 

The second is Personal Learning. Teaching is a constant exercise in creativity and problem-solving. Teachers in the study described how the classroom pushes them to grow—intellectually, emotionally, and personally. As Martin puts it, “There’s a joy in giving something to children and to the world, and there’s a joy in receiving something back because I keep growing.”

The teachers who described themselves as happy also revealed the strategies that keep them connected to their happiness:

Educators achieved work-life balance when they created intentional boundaries around their time. One uses a combination of three smart phones—one for work, one for school communication, and one for personal life—and powers down the first two at night. Others rely on a system of alarms or routines. Some, by choice, weave teaching into their daily rhythm. The common thread is deliberate balance.

They release the need for perfection. Instead, they view teaching as an iterative process, focusing on what they can control and finding meaning in progress rather than chasing an unattainable ideal.

Above all, colleagues matter. Every teacher interviewed cited the power of relationships—whether it’s one trusted lunch companion or a circle of peers. Supportive connections are the lifeline of happiness in the profession.So, what’s next? 

At Ithaca College, these findings are already reshaping the Graduate Education Teaching program. Dr. Martin and his colleagues are weaving lessons on well-being and professional identity into the curriculum. Students don’t just learn how to teach; they also explore what they need as individuals to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

This work also challenges a cultural narrative that teaching is nothing but hardship. Nearly every teacher in the study welcomed the chance to talk about what they love about their jobs. Changing that narrative—from struggle alone to a balance of challenge and joy—can be transformative.

And the conversation won’t stop here. Dr. Martin was invited to contribute a concluding chapter to a forthcoming book on the realities teachers face, and he will present his findings at the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education conference. A book of his own is also in the works describing the research and how curriculum of educators can change to include competencies that address career fulfillment over time.

The takeaway is clear: if we want strong schools and thriving students, we must create systems that help teachers flourish. When we equip teachers with skills and, just as importantly, with the tools to sustain joy, we change the profession. And when teachers thrive, their impact lasts for generations.