Dear Community,
Today, Victoria marks World Teachers’ Day. This is an occasion to celebrate the extraordinary impact that teachers play in the lives of young people and in the betterment of society at large.
I have the unique privilege of witnessing firsthand the incredible skill, dedication and care shown by our teachers every day. I can see the way that they can lift students up, help shape their character, infuse their interest and passion and inspire them to be their best selves.
Yet, sadly, teachers are not shown the love that they deserve and this is having a significant impact on the profession.
According to data presented by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership up to 30% of teachers are considering leaving the profession before retirement age. Additionally, the profession continues to be plagued by poor levels of retention of early career educators, with 40-50% of new graduates not continuing as teachers beyond five years.
The reasons for this are multi factorial. They include high job demands, burdensome administrative requirements, increasingly complex classroom environments and a persistent devaluing of the profession within society.
Indeed, in a recent article in The Educator, Professor Martin Mills from the University of New South Wales states that society must respect teachers and should value their exploits in a manner akin to other professionals such as an engineer, a lawyer or a doctor.
Professor Mills says that
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