By Becca Pipitone

A career in teaching is a labor of love in any state in this country, but here in North Carolina the sacrifices that teachers make to continue showing up for their students is starkly different. North Carolina is ranked 50th out of 50 states in funding for public education, and, without the commitment of incredible teachers like Stephanie Wallace, our students are often the ones who suffer the consequences.

“I’ve always believed that teaching is a calling,” said Wallace, who has taught English and various AP courses at East Forsyth High School for 26 years. “I like chasing down that kid that other people seem to have forgotten or given up on a little bit. Because if you can build a relationship with them — just give them one solid adult on campus, it can make all the difference for a kid.”

Wallace, who has watched the state slowly dismantle the few benefits and resources that still exist in today’s public schools, supplements her teaching income with a job at Chili’s on the weekends and relies on her husband’s health insurance for affordable medication.

Still, she shows up year after year to give students at her school a chance they might not otherwise get.

“I had a kid this year … his mom and I were emailing, daily, over him,” Wallace said. “He’s like, why are you all in my business? I was like, ‘because you’re gonna get this piece of paper, kid.’”

For Wallace, teaching is more than just a job. It touches every part of her life, from mentoring the next generation of teachers through the North Carolina Teacher Cadet program, to helping former students and their families move into their first home. She’s never off the clock.

But for many teachers, there’s very little incentive to flock to or remain in the North Carolina public school system.

“They don’t make it easy here,” explained Kimberly Specht, who — much like Wallace — found meaning in supporting the system’s most vulnerable students as a special educator and academic intervention specialist for 20 years.

Specht worked at one of the largest schools in the Texas public school system for 11 years prior to moving to Sylva, NC. But the transition wasn’t smooth. Because North Carolina is a no reciprocity state, despite her 11-year teaching pedigree, Specht was required to take three different tests to gain teaching certification in the state. The process took about a year and cost her around $400.

And she was in for a rude awakening after leaving Texas payroll.

“It’s ridiculous. They don’t even give us a cost of living raise here. In Texas, we did get at least a cost of living every single year. But here, that’s not a thing.”

Both Specht and Wallace have noted that they have worked with plenty of teachers who ultimately decided to jump the state border — to South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia — for better teacher pay and benefits.

But for the teachers that stay, it’s clear that their motivations go well beyond pay and benefits. Melissa Beeh, who has taught English for 11 years in North Carolina Public High Schools, reflects on why she was drawn to this career path.

“I remember this kid who I partnered with for chemistry,” Beeh said, thinking back to her own high school experience. Beeh remembers she was always fascinated by how he never tried or did any of the work but always aced the tests.

“I asked him why he never tried to do the work and he literally said, you know, at some point, people made me feel stupid and so why would I keep trying hard and asking for help, or being accused of cheating? Instead I just listen, and I pass the tests.”

That was a formative memory for Beeh, who has since committed herself to never let a student in her classroom feel that way. But, ultimately, it was the teachers that she admired as a student that drew her to pursue an education degree.

“You have these teachers, like Mr. Littman, who made you feel important and seen, and made you laugh in the classroom, instead of it just being so rigid,” said Beeh. “I try to think about them and how much they’ve inspired how I teach, and what I do in the classroom.”

Teachers like Beeh, Specht and Wallace continue to make North Carolina classrooms a welcome space for the kids that need it most. For the students that are often overlooked. And they do it, not because the state pays them the big bucks — but because they want their students to have a shot at doing something great with their lives.

“You know, I think any kid is potentially capable. But I think that gets lost in translation sometimes,” Beeh said. “I usually tear up when I see kids after a while, and they’re like, hey, I’m doing these amazing things. And you know, they say: I’m doing this and my whole life’s on track. I bought a house, and I’m having a baby.”

The teachers that keep showing up are truly transforming the lives of the next generation. And that’s why they do it.  But if the state government neglects to invest in these incredible educators — in keeping them here and attracting new talent to our system — the future for our children in North Carolina remains uncertain.

Becca Pipitone is an independent editorial consultant, with 14 years of experience in mission-driven strategic communications. She brings expertise in shaping high-impact public narratives for national and regional nonprofits. As a former investigative journalist, she brings a deep, nuanced understanding of state and federal legislative landscapes, complex research-based reporting, and human-centered storytelling. Becca’s career in advocacy and public policy has spanned issues ranging from food insecurity, housing, and income-inequality to healthcare, education, and immigration. She earned her BA at Guilford College in 2012. She lives in North Carolina with her two children, both of whom attend public schools.