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 “a significant part of teaching entails intellectual work and needs to be recognised as such … It requires deep subject knowledge, but that alone is not sufficient, teachers also need to understand the contexts and backgrounds from which the people in their classrooms come from, and they need to consider the appropriate pedagogical approaches to take with both the curriculum and the students in mind.”

The result of the diminution of standing and respect in the context of rising expectations have led to the situation where current levels of teaching vacancies are at a point that Victoria has not seen since the 1970s.

While we at King David have been fortunate to rely on the unique blend of collegiality, genuine warmth and gratitude to our teachers, I call upon our broader school community to ensure that, at least within our environment, we can continue to buck the trends and can retain a happy and contented faculty.

Some ways that you can help show your love and appreciation include taking the moment to communicate the positives, closely monitoring the tone of communication when challenges occur and being mindful of the timing of your communications. The School complies with the Right to Disconnect legislation. Our staff are not expected to check or respond to emails outside of regular school hours.

When I meet principals from other schools I am regaled with horror stories of parents who have bullied and harassed teachers and even some who have become violent. I am constantly reminded how blessed I am to work in an environment where the opposite is the norm. 

That said,  I request that you mark this World Teachers’ Day by committing to continue to help build the community that you want your child to be a part of – a community where mutual respect, gratitude and support flow freely and generously.

Shabbat Shalom,
Marc Light