By Beds SU
Thursday, 5 October 2023
What is World Teachers' Day?
Every year on 5th October, we celebrate World Teachers’ Day to show appreciation to people who dedicate their lives to shaping the minds of the future.
It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. The first World Teachers’ Day was in 1994.
Being a teacher provides the unique opportunity to make a transformative and lasting impact on the lives of others. However, the UK, and in general the world, faces a teacher shortage, which is worsened by a decline in their working conditions and status.
In the UK in particular, teaching unions like NASUWT and NEU have been striking to get fairer pay for teachers. According to the NEU, since 2010, teachers’ pay has fallen by “over a fifth in real terms”, and now with the cost-of-living crisis, it’s even more important teachers are getting the pay they deserve.
UNESCO’s theme for this year’s World Teachers’ Day is “The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage", which highlights the need to stop the decline in the number of teachers and try to increase it.
That’s why our QTS and PGCE students are so important! They will be our future teachers and will be playing such a vital role in society. Not only will they be helping to build up the number of teachers in the UK, but they will also be working to create safe and inclusive spaces where students can grow, explore, learn, develop vital skills, and discover their potential.
Why Is It Important To Celebrate It?
Whilst teaching can be a rewarding profession, it’s also a lot of hard work! Some people think teachers don’t have it that bad with all the holidays they get, but what they may not know is that a lot of teachers do work during these holidays to plan lessons for the next academic year. They also work for longer than the school day, staying behind to perhaps: plan lessons, call parents, mark students’ work, conduct detentions with students, hold tutoring sessions, and go to parents’ evenings – to name a few reasons!
Therefore, on this day, we express our gratitude to teachers, along with student teachers, for their tireless efforts, patience, and dedication. They invest countless hours in lesson planning, grading assignments, and providing individualised support to students. They go above and beyond to ensure that every student receives a quality education and has the opportunity to thrive.
Celebrate With Us!
To celebrate this day, we will be holding a social in the Hub in Bedford for all our student teachers on Friday 6 October from 1pm till 2pm. Come celebrate with us and grab a free hot drink and biscuit, as well as to tell us about the times you’ve appreciated the work of a teacher, and what you aim to achieve during and after your course!
If you are a student teacher, you can find out more about the teaching unions NASUWT and NEU, as well as join one of them for free! Joining a union gives you a variety of benefits, including professional support and representation, as well as the chance to professionally develop by completing training courses.
Happy World Teachers’ Day!