Celebrating World Teachers’ Day

World Teachers’ Day is celebrated across Australia today to thank educators for their unwavering passion and dedication.

Every day, public school teachers make a significant impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people in Western Australia.

They educate, inspire and empower young learners, and show great dedication to ensure students receive the best and most rounded education possible.

The World Teachers’ Day theme is ‘Hats Off to Teachers’, encouraging us all to thank teachers for the lessons they share that are valuable not only in the classroom, but in the world beyond.

In the latest Ed Talks WA podcast, Director General Jim Bell reflected on his teaching career for World Teachers’ Day.

Mr Bell began his education career in 1989 as a teacher at Orelia Primary School.

Since then, he’s travelled WA working as a teacher, deputy principal and principal at nine different schools before joining the Department of Education’s central office.

Here, Mr Bell was dedicated to equipping educators with the best resources to empower their teaching and to ensure students achieve success.

Looking back on his career ahead of retirement, Mr Bell said teaching is an incredibly rewarding profession.

“In our job we have to remind ourselves that we actually can change people’s lives. This is a job where you can actually change the life trajectory of a kid,” he said in the podcast.

“I don't know if I did that, but to have someone’s back to support them and just believe in people to go, ‘you know what, you can actually do this’.

“You don’t get that in every job.”

Having taught and led at a range of schools including a regional primary school with only 11 families, a bustling metro school with 800 students, and three brand new schools, Mr Bell knows how important the connection between a school and the community is.

So, this World Teachers’ Day, let’s take our hats off to the dedicated teachers who serve at the heart of our community, educating, caring for, and inspiring the next generation.