Like many of us, I carry the memory of a teacher who helped me believe in myself and sparked a lifelong interest in what I do today. That is the lasting power of teachers.
Today, more than ever, teachers hold the key to a better future—for our children and for entire nation. At a time when student engagement in school is in decline and wellbeing concerns are rising, the role of teachers must be seen not only as essential, but as transformative.
Yet too many experienced teachers are leaving the profession early, and fewer young people see teaching as a lifelong career they want to pursue. It’s not because they don’t care about working with children. It’s because teaching is getting harder, and the support they need isn’t always there.
For too long, public debate about school reform has been dominated by test scores in reading and maths. But behind those slipping numbers lies a deeper issue. Many young people no longer feel that school is a place where they belong, are curious, or learn meaningful things.
The truth is, the less students are engaged in school, the less they learn there.
Ask any teacher today and they’ll tell you that is so. They know the solution isn’t doubling down on classroom discipline or increasing pressure to teachers to “teach them more.” In fact, those responses often make students even more bored and disconnected in school.
There is a better way. It starts with teachers who spark curiosity, inspire young minds, and build strong relationships with their students. What we need to do is support teachers to work in these ways.
Many teachers already do. They create learning environments where students feel safe to express themselves, where curiosity is valued over compliance, and where relationships matter just as much as academic results. These teachers know their students as people—not just as performers.
I recently visited a primary school where a teacher had transformed her classroom into a space for co-operative, active learning. Students led their own inquiry projects, collaborated on real problems they had identified in their community, and supported each other’s learning.
“When I let go a bit of control,” she said, “they stepped up. They surprised me and themselves with what they were capable of doing.”
The Age of Achievement where school’s success was judged by test scores, rankings, and data-driven teaching is fading. We are now entering what is called the Age of Agency, where trust, professional autonomy, and collaboration are becoming the cornerstones of the teaching profession.
As we celebrate teachers, let’s also commit to supporting them. That means giving them time to plan and develop engaging ways of learning and respect them for their expertise as teachers.
It’s time to recognise teachers as creative designers of learning and as frontline leaders for a better world. We need to trust them with the work they’re best placed to do – teaching first-class humans, not preparing second-class robots.
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Slightly shorter version was published in the Herald Sun and other NewsCorp media platforms on 20th May 2025 where the original version is available.