World Teachers Day, celebrating is fine. Valuing and recognising is better.
On October 26 Australia celebrated World Teachers Day. Celebrating is fine. Valuing and recognising is better. World Teachers Day is a time for celebrating the role of teachers and all those who make our schools great. Those in the business and those close to them, know it is a demanding gig, essential for preparing the next generation of citizens to take their places in society.
The sad thing is that the professional voice of teachers is rarely sought or recognised. Politicians, business leaders and the general public generally operate from a deficit model of teachers all being in need of “improvement”. There is little thought to providing the space for the profession to take control. Society is all too ready to regulate and make increasing demands without recognising the voice of the profession.
So on World Teachers Day, let us indeed celebrate, but also demand that our professional voice is sought, respected and valued.
