Introduction:
According to Pew Research Center (2024), 51% of U.S. workers are very satisfied with their job, compared to just 33% of teachers. Ukrainian NGO Osvitoria (2024) showed that 47% of teachers are satisfied with their job, although only 12% are satisfied with the salary (similar to USA at 15%). Around one-third of American teachers consider seeking alternative employment, with 40% planning to leave education entirely. In Ukraine, 40% of teachers express readiness to leave school within 5-6 years, while only 56% of pedagogy students plan to work in schools.

Methods:
Despite similar education challenges globally, Ukrainian and American schools face dramatically different conditions. On February 24, 2022, full-scale war began in Ukraine. Daily, russian drones and missiles traverse our airspace. Teachers escort children to shelters while everyone suffers sleep deprivation and chronic stress.
We researched Ukrainian school teachers (N=166, of different gender (25 males), age categories (from 18-24 to 65 and up), of different seniority and work experience) to understand motivational factors. Based on Mertler (2001), participants evaluated 28 work motives using quantitative survey methodology. Additionally, seven teachers participated in semi-structured interviews analyzed through a grounded theory approach.

Results:
EFA revealed three factors: relationships with colleagues and administration (18.3% variance), work satisfaction with both the process and the result (16.6%), and the financial factor (8.3%). CFA supported this structure (CFI=.92, TLI=.91, RMSEA=.06).
Qualitative analysis extracted five themes: 1) intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, 2) job conditions, 3) job satisfaction, 4) emotional aspects, 5) stress and coping. The military situation permeates every theme: fostering social responsibility, creating curriculum time constraints due to air raids, and compelling teachers to assume roles as psychologists or crisis managers addressing students' fears.

Conclusions:
Research reveals unique Ukrainian teacher motivation during wartime. Despite salary dissatisfaction comparable to international standards, educators demonstrate high intrinsic motivation driven by social responsibility and supporting children during crisis. Colleague and administrative relationships emerged most significant, highlighting probable support and solidarity's critical role under extreme circumstances. War fundamentally transformed teachers' roles from traditional educators to multifunctional specialists combining psychologist, crisis manager, and social worker functions. This transformation creates challenges while strengthening professional mission sense. Research demonstrates how extreme circumstances paradoxically enhance motivation through social purpose.

References:
[1] Mertler, C. A. (2001). Job satisfaction and perception of motivation among middle and high school teachers. American Secondary Education, 31(1), 43-53.
[2] Osvitoria. (2024). Teachers of Ukraine: Human resources capacity. Osvitoria Media. https://osvitoria.media/experience/vchyteli-ukrayiny-kadrovyj-potentsial/
[3] Pew Research Center. (2024). What's it like to be a teacher in America today? Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/04/04/whats-it-like-to-be-a-teacher-in-america-today/

Keywords: Educational psychology, teacher motivation, job satisfaction, wartime education, crisis management in schools.