Ahead of World Teachers day on Oct. 30 the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) is running a campaign to encourage the community—amidst a challenging year of CCP virus restrictions—to show their appreciation for teachers and the positive impact they make on society.
AITSL kicked off the two-week campaign on Oct. 19 with a new report that highlighted that while 82 percent of the public felt teachers were respected, merely 29 percent of teachers felt that they were appreciated. Only 45 percent believe that the teaching profession is valued by society.
The report revealed that this is greatly attributed to the negative portrayal of teachers in the media. In an audit of 270 newspaper headlines (pdf) between 2017-18, over 50 percent expressed a negative attitude toward the teaching profession, while only 31 percent were positive and 14 percent were neutral.
AITSL CEO Mark Grant said in a media release (pdf) that this year has shown us just how agile, committed, and dedicated teachers can be in the face of tremendous stress and upheaval.
“Teachers serve a vital role in our society; they act as mentors, experts and role models for future generations.
“As we approach World Teachers’ Day in 2020 this report is an important reminder of the incredible value that the community sees in our teachers. In a year unlike any other let’s join together to celebrate our amazing teachers,” Grant said.
Research shows a strong positive correlation between how teachers are perceived and student achievement.
The more teachers feel respected by their community, the higher students rank among the top performers on the International Program in International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, according to data from the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.
World Teachers’ Day was introduced by UNESCO on Oct. 5, 1994, and is celebrated annually in over 100 countries in early October. As it falls during the school holidays for many parts of Australia, it is celebrated a little later.
