Australia’s Best Teachers: Recognition will help attract and retain educators

There must be a place to celebrate great teaching and schools that are making a difference to their communities, writes Professor Carolyn Evans.

There are few professions that play such a central role to our future than teachers.

In order to flourish, children need high quality of education, strong role models, and people who can help them use their talents. Great teachers provide all those things.

It is therefore wonderful to see a strong interest in Australians enrolling in teaching courses this year. At Griffith University we have seen a 24 per cent increase in enrolments in our initial teacher education compared to the same time last year and other universities are also seeing strong growth.

Follow our Australia’s Best Teachers advocacy series – in partnership with Officeworks, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, Education Perfect and Big Ass Fans – via this link.

Given the importance of bringing committed people into teaching, we need to consider what settings help to provide incentives for people to take on this rewarding but challenging career.

Long term financial security is one important element. The knowledge that there are jobs available in teaching and that wages in the profession are growing has helped attract new education students.

We know that, with our growing population, teaching should provide stable and secure employment opportunities for a long time to come. This includes an ongoing and critical need for secondary teachers with expertise in sciences and maths who can prepare students for jobs in the changing economy.

Short term financial security while studying is another important factor, particularly as teachers need to undertake hundreds of hours of placements in schools while studying.

The Commonwealth’s Prac Payments, which commence from the middle of this year, have reassured students that the hundreds of placement hours will be manageable financially.

In Queensland, we are fortunate that the State Government also provides financial support of various kinds to teachers on placement.

The media also plays a role in influencing career choices. It is important that the media highlights some of the serious problems faced by those who work in schools – nothing will change otherwise.

Professor Carolyn Evans.

However, a relentlessly negative stream of stories can leave an unbalanced picture in the minds of those considering teaching. We know, anecdotally, that such stories can be off-putting.

Therefore, there must also be a place to celebrate great teaching, the impact of teachers on the lives of students, and schools that are making a difference to their communities. There is no end of such stories as the annual Australia’s Best Teachers series shows us.

Finally, there is an onus on all of us to ensure that schools are safe places for both students and teachers and that teachers feel respected and supported.

It should go without saying that no one deserves to be abused, threatened or insulted in their workplace. Yet there are a small minority of parents whose behaviour creates an unsafe environment; schools must be supported to be clear that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

The rest of us can play our part by making sure that the great teachers who are out there and who make such a difference in the lives of our children know how much we appreciate them.

Professor Carolyn Evans is Vice Chancellor and President of Griffith University in Queensland.

Originally published as Australia’s Best Teachers: Recognition will help attract and retain educators