The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) is encouraging schools to celebrate World Teachers’ Day with their communities on 30 October. They note that despite major challenges in 2020, our teachers have ensured that the education of children has continued across the country. They recognise the significant role that teachers play in the lives of children and students, their families and communities.

World Teachers’ Day commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. This Recommendation set the benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions.

AITSL are asking teachers to celebrate being part of a remarkable profession and its bright future by posting a photo in their sunglasses on social media. They have suggested using these tags on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn: #teachersday #brightfuture @aitsl

Schools that would like to engage in this event or would like to say “thank you” to their teachers can download this AITSL ZIP file to access all of the content, including posters, gift tags, sunglass templates and thank you cards.

The New South Wales Education and Standards Authority (NESA), have stated that “2020 has been a year like no other with teachers having to adjust their teaching practices in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. There are lots of ways your school community can show its appreciation and support.”

Across the globe, other organisations also promoting World Teachers’ Day, as shown by this quote from Jagran Josh, India:

“As the common adage goes, the future of a country lies in the hands of its children, and teachers, as mentors, can mould students into future leaders who shape the destiny of India. They play an important role in our lives to become successful in career and business. They help us to become a good human being, a better member of society, and an ideal citizen of the country. Teachers’ Day is celebrated to acknowledge the challenges, hardships, and the special role that teachers play in our lives.” 

What Could Schools Do to Assist Their Teachers?

Earlier this year School Governance reported that, since the bushfires of last year and this year and the COVID-19 pandemic, our schools have been ‘picking up the pieces’ and providing vital support and care for students and their families, and helping communities to cope with the tragedies and the social fall-out. The education environment has changed in all schools across our country. Teachers are still the unsung heroes who are taking on more and more roles as working parents become busier and more time-poor and as the expectations put on them by their schools also increase. Professor Marjory Ebbeck, an early childhood education expert from the University of South Australia (UniSA), has said “Teachers are one of the most trusted, reliable and safe adult figures to a child, beyond their immediate family.”

A recent article in The Educator referred to a survey conducted by Monash University in 2019/20. The results of the survey indicated that we have overwhelmingly supported teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis of the responses found that respondents were grateful for teachers’ ability to inspire, encourage and provide kindness to students, as well as their dedication and leadership in the classroom.

Now that children have returned to school from the recent vacation break and, in Victoria, from another prolonged period of remote education, teachers have once again stepped up to care for, engage and gently ease the children back into their learning journeys. 

According to Teacher Task Force in collaboration with UNESCO, there are seven things that schools should be doing to assist teachers to return to ‘classroom normalcy’ and to support and encourage them to remain in this essential profession.

• Ensure that teachers’ voices are heard in policy and planning Dialogue is essential to develop effective strategies in schools. We include the students in relation to, for example, National Child Safe Principles - Principle No.2-so why not the teachers?

• Guarantee that the school environment is safe for the whole school community Safe and healthy working conditions in schools are fundamental to decent work and critical for ensuring that teachers are motivated and effective during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Recognise the importance of teachers’ psychological, social and emotional wellbeing This COVID-19 pandemic has most certainly resulted in psychological distress for some teachers and their families. If stress and trauma are not detected and not addressed, they may cause long-term harm to learning and overall wellbeing.

• Help teachers adapt to the ‘new normal’ as they resume classroom teaching Teachers need to be given adequate support and resources to resume life in the classroom, and in many cases, to provide remedial teaching for students who may have fallen behind their cohort this year.

• Make sure that there are enough teachers, working in the right conditions It is crucial that teachers enjoy decent working standards and salaries and are granted sick leave as and when they need it.

• Maintain or increase financial resources (professional development) Teachers’ salaries and benefits are the largest recurrent cost in the budget of every school. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, available resources may decrease if school incomes continue to contract. Schools will need to invest in teachers, not only to maintain salaries, but also to provide essential training and support.

• Monitor the situation and include teachers in the feedback (assurance) As schools reopen, it is critical to monitor and evaluate the situation and adapt as necessary. School governing bodies and school leaders need to monitor and, if need be, develop valuation frameworks for measuring and benchmarking progress as schools reopen. These frameworks should allow teachers to inform monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, as well as being kept abreast of progress and results.

Conclusion

"In this crisis, teachers have shown, as they have done so often, great leadership and innovation in ensuring that #LearningNeverStops, that no learner is left behind. Around the world, they have worked individually and collectively to find solutions and create new learning environments for their students to allow education to continue. Their role advising on school reopening plans and supporting students with the return to school is just as important.”

(Joint statement from Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization, Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF, David Edwards, General Secretary, Education International on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day 2020)

We need to remember to celebrate our teachers. They have been doing it tough and many have not had a decent break since December. They have put their students first and foremost and are helping to return them to a sense of normalcy. As we noted in 2019 and again today, please encourage the students in your school to take just a brief moment to say “thank you” to their teachers. These dedicated professionals often spend more waking hours with them than even their parents as they seek to help them to achieve their dreams and ambitions for life.