Hats off to teachers

This coming Friday (28 October) is World Teachers’ Day, and to celebrate all our wonderful teachers, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has launched its annual campaign – ‘Hats off to Teachers’.

Teachers have a significant impact on the development and learning lives of children across the country, and should be celebrated and recognised every day – especially on World Teachers’ Day.

AITSL Campaign Ambassador Eddie Woo hopes to see as many Aussies as possible joining AITSL in celebrating what teachers mean to them.

“It’s simple. We want everyone to show that they value educators and schools by taking a “hats off” selfie and sharing their message of appreciation for our teachers. Our teachers have risen to face so many challenges over the past few years: floods, fires and a worldwide pandemic that have all turned our lives upside down and required us to reinvent the way we live and work,” Mr Woo said.

“All through that, they’ve continued to support and educate our children and students. As a teacher, I appreciate World Teachers’ Day because it’s encouraging to see the messages flow in from across the country – from students, their parents and carers, the community, and even other teachers.

“It reminds us of the positive impact that our work has on the lives of the children and their families, which is often unseen and unexpressed.”

AITSL has also launched a virtual photo booth with a variety of hats to use in selfies and then share on social media – making it easy for everyone to get involved.

Parents, carers, students, schools, and early childhood centres can download a World Teachers’ Day celebration toolkit from AITSL’s website.

AITSL CEO, Mark Grant said that it was the high-quality expertise of Australian teachers that helps our students succeed.

“World Teachers’ Day is important because, not only is the expertise of Australia’s teachers recognised and celebrated, but it positively highlights the status of the profession,” Mr Grant said.

“In Australia World Teachers’ Day is on Friday 28 October. In the lead-up, we invite everyone to start visiting the virtual photo booth and to start sharing their messages of appreciation. Just don’t forget to include #WTD2022, and tag @aitsl.”

To find out more and download the celebration toolkit, visit www.worldteachersday.edu.au.