America's Life Changing Teachers

In 2018, 3.2 million teachers stood in front of grade school classrooms and another half million in private schools. From kindergarten to higher education, teachers lay the foundation for every student's success. For decades, however, the people who dedicate their lives to education have struggled to make ends meet. Low pay has led many teachers and their supporters to walk out of classrooms and flood the streets, going on strike until change is seen in their paychecks.

Teacher Quote I Can Only Pray My Kids Have a Teacher Like Her One Day

Despite fighting for adequate pay, ask any teacher why they chose their field, and it won't be met with monetary reasoning. Most teachers don't choose to teach for the money; they choose to teach because they want to make an impact. And make an impact, they do.

Every student has had that one teacher – one teacher that changed his or her life for the better. Whether it was supporting them academically or being a confidante when there was no one else to turn to, teachers often make a lasting impression on their students. We know how important teachers are inside the classroom, but what about their impact outside of it? We surveyed over 1,000 people and asked them about the educator who most positively impacted their life. Keep reading to see what they had to say.

Influential Educators

In What Grade Did You Have Your Most Influential Teacher

Some view high school as the best days of their lives, while others view them as the worst. Regardless, it's no question that high school shapes students. In some of the most impressionable years, teachers can be a lifeline. For most respondents, freshman year was when they came across their most influential teacher. Overall, though, 41% of people said they met that special teacher sometime during their high school career.

Teacher Quote I Owe it All to You

English teachers were the most likely to have a significant impact on their students, but the subject differed when looking at the gender of the student. Men were most likely to say their science teacher was the most impactful, while English teachers most influenced women.

Because of Them

Percentage Who'd Attribute the Following to a Teacher

Connecting over subject material may also contribute to the impact teachers have on their students. Ninety-six percent of people attributed their educational success to the teacher who had the most significant impact. But aside from academics, teachers also had a significant impact on students' emotional well-being.

With the American school system putting so much pressure on students, there is often a gap in emotional education and support in the classroom. Even though they're not often spoken about, emotions are always present in classrooms and can significantly impact learning. When teachers understand this and help students regulate their emotions, emotional well-being and academic success are both promoted.

Teacher Quote You Were a Huge Reason I Believed That I Was Wanted

Teachers were also more likely to inspire students in a personal way – 65% said their teacher inspired them to achieve greater self-worth, and 63% said they inspired them to discover a personal passion or interest. The impact that teachers have on personal growth doesn't discount the impact they have on education or careers, though. In fact, it may help shape students' goals.

While 45% of people said their teacher inspired them to seek higher education, 41% also said their teacher inspired their chosen career path. By encouraging and guiding students to explore their passions and interests, it likely leads them to gain a greater understanding of what they want to do with the rest of their life.

Student Becomes Teacher

Career Satisfaction by Whether Teacher Inspired Career

Those who had a teacher who inspired their career were more than twice as likely to say they were extremely satisfied with their career. They were also more likely to work in a career related to their field of study.

Teacher Quote Thank You for All You Did For Me

The idea of "the student becoming the teacher" may be a little cliche, but in terms of career inspiration, it seems to happen a lot. Fifty-nine percent of people who were inspired by their teacher ended up working in education, likely becoming teachers themselves. Experiencing the impact of a great teacher can lead students to want to be the creator of that impact – forming a cycle of inspiration and positivity in the education system.

Those in the scientific field were also likely to have a teacher who inspired their career path. The role of teachers is to provide information, but encouraging curiosity is a huge part of learning, and in classrooms where curiosity is valued, students seem to find an affinity for science, often going on to join the field. It makes sense, then, that of those whose careers were inspired by a teacher, 58% ended up in the scientific industry.

Earn More When Inspired

People Earn More When a Teacher Inspired Their Career

Not only are people more satisfied with their career when it inspired by their teacher, but they also earn higher salaries. Almost 30% of those who were inspired by a teacher made between $50,001 and $75,000 annually, compared to 24% of those whose career path wasn't inspired by a teacher. Lucky for them, it seems those inspired can make the money they need while doing the job they love – a combination that is often difficult to find.

Not Just Teachers, Lifesavers

Percentage Who Would Say a Teacher Saved Their Life

Arguably, the most important impact teachers have is completely priceless. No academic nor financial success can measure up to the emotional payoff of "my teacher saved my life." Suicide rates have increased exponentially in high school-aged students, and while teachers usually aren't psychologists or counselors, they're often the ones saving lives. Overall, more than 1 in 5 people surveyed would say a teacher "saved their life," with women being slightly more likely to say so.

Teacher Quote You Saved my Life

For students struggling emotionally, it can be difficult to open up to friends or family; instead, fake smiles are plastered on faces and difficulties are faced alone. But when grades begin to slip and attention becomes difficult to grab, teachers can see the small signs of emotional turmoil and address it. By simply asking a student how they feel and taking on the role of a safe confidante, teachers become a much-needed lifeline, supporting students through emotional and physical hardships. Fifty percent of people who were inspired by their teacher to overcome physical hardships also credited their teacher for saving their life, while 32% of those inspired to overcome mental health hardships said the same.

This influence was even greater among individuals identifying with the LGBTQ community – 38% of those who said their teacher saved their life identified as bisexual, while 27 percent identified as gay. With countless stories of children being kicked out of their house or disowned for coming out as gay, it can be a difficult subject to broach with parents. But when there is a teacher who students feel comfortable talking to, the struggle can be worked through. While straight teachers certainly can be strong allies, LGBTQ teachers have found sharing their personal lives and stories with students to have a significant impact on their emotional well-being.

Nowadays, however, teachers don't just save lives by supporting students emotionally. Active shooters are an ever-present threat, and teachers are continuously making headlines for saving students. While this type of security is not in a teacher's job description, parents send their children to school trusting that they will be kept safe. From the first school bell to the last, teachers are caretakers, ensuring students are safe, happy, and healthy. Their impact is so strong that over 30% of people remained in contact with their teachers even after their time at school had finished.

Worthy of More

Parents send their children to school day after day, entrusting teachers to provide knowledge, open their eyes to new ideas and perspectives, and to look after them with care. Sadly, many teachers feel underappreciated, disrespected, or not valued. So they've taken to the streets in protest – not only for themselves but also for their students. Even in a time when paychecks are low and stagnant, health care costs are increasing, and pension plans are diminishing, teachers continue to put students first and fight for more school funding.

While the government may not always recognize the role of teachers in each student's life, students do. Whether it's inspiring a student to achieve greater self-worth, influencing their career choice, or making such an impact that a student can earnestly say they "saved my life," teachers bring so much more to the table than increased knowledge and passing grades. It's well past time for their paychecks to reflect that.

While these changes may take a while to come to fruition, there are still ways to repay a teacher. At Typing.com, we provide teachers the tools to teach foundational keyboarding and tech literacy in an easy-to-use platform. From setting up classes to downloading progress reports and managing student data, Typing.com is a simple and intuitive tool designed to make teachers' lives easier. Visit us online today to see which services work best for you.

Methodology

We conducted a survey of 1,370 Americans. Of those, 1,006 people indicated they could identify at least one educator who made a significantly positive impact on their life. Respondents were then asked questions about the individual educator who made the most significant positive impact.

Fifty-one percent of our respondents identified as male, 49% identified as female, and less than 1% identified as a gender not listed on our survey. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 73 with a mean of 34 and a standard deviation of 10.9.

Limitations

Industries were limited to those with a sample size of 26 or more. It is possible that with more respondents from each industry, we could have gained better insight into this demographic. The data we are presenting rely on self-reporting and, as such, is susceptible to exaggeration or selective memory. No statistical testing was performed. The claims listed above are based on means alone and are presented for informational purposes.

Sources

Fair Use Statement

Did you have a teacher that changed your life for the better? Feel free to pass along this article as a way of saying thank you. This project's graphics and content can be used for noncommercial purposes. Just remember to link back to this page to give the authors proper credit.