Remind Yourself of the Importance of the Work on World Teachers' Day

This year’s theme, for World Teachers’ Day “Valuing Teacher’s Voices - A New Social Contract for Education,” encourages us to reflect on what it takes to create a society that values teachers and education.

Teaching is transformative, disruptive, human and built on trust. It is about trusting oneself to do something worthwhile and, in that process, trusting others to do the same.

"It is much easier to institutionalise boredom - to teach to a test or move through scripted curricula, avoiding noble or disruptive thinking by sticking to mandated lesson plans and behaviour management protocols,” says Dr Sally Lamping from Curtin University.

"Unsurprisingly, people don’t become teachers to teach someone else’s script. They become teachers because somewhere along the way somebody important to them was a teacher or some subject fascinated them and made them feel like they could do something worthwhile.

"So, the ‘new’ social contract is about sidestepping the mandates, slogans, and quick fixes to get in front of what matters: the humans in the classroom, what they bring with them, and how they relate to a world in crisis.”

Education happens long before a child enters a classroom and keeps going each time they leave, but the work of a teacher has always been to see and connect that unbounded education with what happens in school - to build from it.

"To do that, to build new knowledge, we have to be vulnerable and trusted to work carefully with that vulnerability.

"It is about knowing that the centre of real learning and teaching, as Bell Hooks once said, is in the “substance of something rather than the shadow. There is no master key for this." 

Scientia Associate Professor Rebecca Collie UNSW Sydney, thinks, "Supporting teacher wellbeing is also critical for many other outcomes. Our research shows time and time again just how critical teachers are for thriving students and schools. Teachers help students develop academically, socially, and emotionally.

"Efforts to recognise and support teachers are critical, particularly given the nation faces high-level teacher shortages.

"Our research shows that stronger efforts are needed to provide teachers with adequate resources to undertake their work effectively, along with more time to complete their tasks and develop their skills. Such efforts will assist in keeping teachers in the profession and are also vital for student and school success."

The work involves looking out for the mental health of the students and that has effects on the teachers themselves, teachers are showing signs of secondary traumatic stress, due to their work with students' wellbeing.

Mariel Lombard a PhD candidate in Western Sydney University’s School of Education, says “Teachers can have a significant and long-lasting impact on the students in their care; however, in the face of a growing youth mental health crisis, teachers need support to keep doing their best work.

"Our study conducted among teachers with wellbeing responsibilities has found that more than two-thirds of educators are experiencing symptoms of secondary traumatic stress.

“With one in four young Australians reporting high levels of psychological distress, teachers are increasingly exposed to students’ trauma and mental health distress. “The lack of essential resources, including access to adequate counselling services in many school communities, is leading educators to act as accidental counsellors without the necessary training nor time to do so.

"Rates of burnout among teachers are further diminishing teachers’ ability to engage in protective strategies. Teachers need time to engage in self-care, access social supports and take up training opportunities to protect both their wellbeing and that of their students.

“The wellbeing of teachers has critical importance for the wellbeing of their students. Reducing teachers’ job demands and increasing their access to resources is essential in safeguarding our teaching workforce”.