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The Conversation USA

I asked students whether they’d want to be teachers? They quickly responded, ‘Why would I?’

  • Written by Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, Clinical Assistant Professor of Education, Health and Behavior Studies, University of North Dakota
imageTeachers are often expected to juggle many competing responsibilities, fueling a sense of burnout. www.andrerucker.com/Getty Images

I spoke in January 2026 with 150 high school students about career options. After explaining my own career as a professor of education, health and behavior, I asked the students a simple question: Would you want to be...

Read more: I asked students whether they’d want to be teachers? They quickly responded, ‘Why would I?’

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