Teachers at the heart of education recovery
Almost everybody has a favourite teacher, someone who went above and beyond to encourage you because they trusted in your potential. Today gives us a chance to reward and celebrate those who make a career out of teaching and for that they deserve to be admired and revered.
Today is the 28th anniversary of World Teachers’ Day, with celebrations taking place across the globe. In 2022, the theme is: “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”. Teachers have had a rough ride through the pandemic, with schools in every country closed at times and a steep learning curve to establish online classrooms. Now on the other side teachers are on the front line to restore educational standards, student confidence and mental health, all severely dented by over two years of disruption.
According to Unesco’s 2021 report on global education, covid has exacerbated an existing crisis in education. Teaching standards are unequal and plummeting – less than 75% of teachers in one-third of the world’s countries only meet the minimum teacher training standards. And learning proficiency is down – 6 out of 10 children worldwide—a total of 617 million—do not meet the minimum requirements for competency in mathematics and reading. Successful learning recovery will largely depend on the skills and competencies of professional teachers; they are indeed the heart of it all.
But let’s not leave it all to them. In a sense we are all teachers. We can be aware that by the life we are living we are teaching and, especially as we grow older, people around us watch us. We set an example more than we realise, within our families and communities. By the kind of life you choose to lead, what are you are teaching others around you? Are you teaching what is possible in terms of relationship, health, career, fulfilment, and kindness to the planet?
This is a day for us all to celebrate. We can change our attitude to teaching and learning in general. The word ‘education’ means to bring people out of themselves – a very expansionist way of looking at it, and a lifelong process in every aspect. In many eastern cultures teachers and elders are revered because it is through learning that we better our lives and better the world that we live in.
Tips for how to observe World Teachers’ Day:
Surprise your teacher with a gift or message
Show your appreciation to your teachers – at home, school, or college. In the present or in the past
Make your teachers feel special
Give teachers the royal treatment
Being a teacher can be stressful, exhausting and frustrating. On World Teachers’ Day, pamper your teachers. And remember to praise yourself for the teacher you are.
With love,
Sue and Jeff