We Are All Teachers

The theme, ‘Hats off to Teachers’, always makes me smile. In more than a decade working in Independent schools across Victoria, I’ve worn plenty of hats myself: teacher, learning aide, receptionist, timetabler, nurse, IT support, executive assistant, registrar and marketer. Like so many in our sector, I’ve learned that teaching takes many forms – often before the students have even walked into the classroom.

Beyond the classroom walls, there is a network of people, seen and unseen, who make learning possible. When we talk about teachers, I wonder if we’re really talking about something broader – a shared human act: the passing on of knowledge, skills and character.

Inside every Independent school, big and small, the work of education is a collective effort. The receptionist who welcomes a worried parent or soothes a nervous student is teaching empathy and sharing a sense of calm. The IT technician who helps a teacher get a presentation working on a frantic morning is modelling problem-solving and perseverance. The finance or administration officer who ensures that every excursion, every bus and every lunch order happens on time is teaching responsibility and precision by example.

And, of course, parents, carers and community members teach in ways that don’t come with lesson plans or report cards. They teach resilience when life is hard, kindness when tempers fray, and curiosity when a question arises at the dinner table. They model how to respond when mistakes occur, or things don’t go as originally planned. They remind us that teaching isn’t confined to classrooms or defined by job titles – it’s a deeply human instinct to help others understand.

To me, World Teachers’ Day invites us to look not only outward but inward – to ask: who has taught us, and who are we teaching in turn? Having experienced schools as both a teacher and a professional staff member, I believe it’s an opportunity to recognise that the power of education lies in relationships and in the chain of learning that connects us all.

So, to every classroom teacher guiding their students with dedication and grace: thank you. To every staff member who supports behind the scenes and keeps schools running: thank you. To every parent, grandparent, mentor, coach and colleague who helps others to grow: thank you. Together, you make education happen in all its everyday brilliance.
This World Teachers’ Day, let’s celebrate the formal and the informal, the planned and the spontaneous, the big lessons and the small ones. Let’s recognise that while some of us may carry the title of ‘teacher’ and should rightly be celebrated, all of us have the ability – and the responsibility – to teach through what we do and how we do it.
We are all teachers. And that’s something worth celebrating, today and every day.