Beyond the Degree: Building and Sustaining Great Teachers

Walter McKenzie
Oct 8
5 min read

October is Higher Education Month at The Worthy Educator!

Shellon Samuels-White is a passionate voice for teacher preparation and a Worthy Educator Leader. She is the Student Assessment Officer at The Mico University College in Kingston, Jamaica with a vision for transforming education. Be sure to read her article in the current issue of our journal. We are honored to celebrate Shellon as our higher ed Leader of the month!

Think Bigger

What if the future of an entire generation depended on how well universities and teacher-training colleges prepare today’s teachers? In many ways, it does. Teachers influence not only academic achievement but also students’ aspirations, resilience, and their capacity to navigate life’s challenges and contribute as engaged, productive citizens.

As the saying goes: “Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.”

Yet, great teaching does not emerge by chance, it is the product of responsive preparation and a sustained commitment to growth. Ironically, in today’s political climate teachers are often among the least respected and remain chronically underpaid, despite the central role they play in shaping the future. At the same time, society is experiencing a troubling rise in anti-intellectualism, with universities facing declining enrollment. In some circles, social media influencers even dismiss the value of higher education altogether, portraying it as unnecessary or financially unwise. Such critiques, however, overlook the long-term returns of university study and the broader civic and personal benefits it provides.

Building Stronger Foundations

Data from the OECD show that individuals with tertiary education earn substantially more over their lifetimes than those with only secondary schooling (OECD, 2020). The World Bank likewise confirms that returns to higher education remain strong globally, even in low- and middle-income countries (Patrinos, 2020). A recent study found that across OECD nations, individuals with tertiary education earn on average 55% more per hour than those without (Janzen et al., 2022).

A university degree is more than a credential. It opens doors, develops habits of discipline, critical inquiry, and builds reflective thinkers. These are skills that extend far beyond the paper itself. A degree signals not only subject mastery but also the ability to persevere through challenges, engage with complex ideas, and adapt to new knowledge. Employers consistently value these transferable skills such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, that are cultivated through higher education (OECD, 2020).

Nowhere is this more important than in preparing teachers, whose work supports the future of all other professions. Teachers draw on their university preparation not simply to deliver content, but to model curiosity, resilience, and lifelong learning for their students. When educators embody these habits, they encourage the same qualities in the young people they teach. In this way, the value of a university degree multiplies: it empowers individual teachers while shaping generations of learners who will carry these skills into every sector of society.

High-quality teacher preparation is where it all begins. Research consistently shows that strong preparation improves teacher confidence, instructional effectiveness, and student outcomes (Arviv Elyashiv & Rozenberg, 2024; Kaufman, 2025). At the university level, teacher-trainees gain more than subject knowledge. They learn how to design equitable assessments, manage diverse classrooms, and develop reflective habits that are essential for lifelong practice. In addition, the practicum experience is especially powerful, bridging theory and practice. For example, a trainee may enter a classroom with a differentiated lesson plan. But when a student challenges instructions or the technology fails, theory is put to the test. These moments build adaptability, problem-solving skills, and professional confidence which are the hallmarks of effective teaching.

Think Bigger About Postgraduate Professional Learning, Too

Any veteran professional will tell you that workplace preparation does not end with a degree at graduation. Education is a dynamic field and is shaped by emerging technologies, evolving curricula, and increasingly diverse classrooms. To remain effective, teachers must continually deepen their practice. Ongoing professional learning, including postgraduate study, enables teachers to:

- expand subject expertise and teaching strategies.

- stay current with research-based, evidence-informed practices.

- develop leadership skills to support schools and communities.

- model lifelong learning for their students.

Scholars emphasize that professional learning is most impactful when it is continuous, collaborative, and connected to classroom realities. Research also shows that teachers who actively engage in professional development contribute to higher student achievement and more equitable outcomes (Hendrickx et al., 2025; OECD, 2020). This process transforms teaching from a one-time qualification into a dynamic and evolving career.

My own postgraduate journey has affirmed this reality. After completing both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, I pursued additional postgraduate study and professional certificates in areas such as instructional design, blended learning, and artificial intelligence in education. Each experience broadened my perspective, whether by deepening my understanding of assessment, enhancing my capacity to design holistic curricula, or challenging me to rethink how technology can be used to strengthen teaching and learning. More importantly, these opportunities nurtured habits of reflective practice and adaptability that have become central to my professional identity. For me, postgraduate learning has not been about accumulating credentials, but about cultivating the discipline to engage with new research, question long-held assumptions, and continually grow in response to evolving educational demands.

Epilogue

The point is that universities and colleges are more than training grounds for beginning teachers and other professionals; they serve as long-term partners in professional growth. Through postgraduate programs, research opportunities, and collaborations, universities help ensure that professionals are supported throughout their careers. Importantly, this ongoing connection bridges theory and practice: research conducted within universities can inform classroom teaching, while the lived experiences of teachers can shape future research and policy. This reciprocity strengthens the entire educational ecosystem.

When teachers are well-prepared and continually supported, students thrive, schools flourish, and societies prosper. Investing in teacher preparation and professional learning is, at its core, an investment in the future, because when teachers keep learning, everyone keeps learning.

References

Arviv Elyashiv, R., & Rozenberg, K. (2024). Fostering early career teachers’ preparedness, self-efficacy and professional commitment: The role of teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 148, Article 104691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104691

Hendrickx, M. M. H. G., Thurlings, M. C. G., & Den Brok, P. (2025). Teachers’ collaborative knowledge building in professional learning communities: connecting interaction patterns to learning gains: Teachers’ collaborative knowledge building in professional learning communities: connecting interaction patterns to learning gains. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 40(1), Article 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-024-00938-y

Janzen, K., Panitz, R., & Glückler, J. (2022). Education premium and the compound impact of universities on their regional economy. Research Policy, 51(1), Article 104402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2021.104402

Kaufman, J. H. (2025, February 28). Teacher preparation needs to catch up with school reform. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2025/02/teacher-preparation-needs-to-catch-up-with-school-reform.html

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2020, December 4). Professional growth in times of change: Supporting teachers’ continuing professional learning and collaboration (OECD Education Policy Perspectives, Policy Paper). OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/professional-growth-in-times-of-change_753eaa89-en.html

Patrinos, H. A. (2023, May 03). Fifty years after a landmark study, the returns to education remain high. World Bank Blogs. https://blogs.worldbank.org/education/50-years-after-landmark-study-returns-education-remain-strong