Over my career I worked in many different schools, and in a quest to find new ways to improve student performances, I visited schools in numerous countries. Good teachers add so much value to communities.

The role is not universally given the status it deserves, and where it is (as in Finland) there is a correlation with higher levels of student achievement. In Australia the autonomy and competence of teachers is often not recognised by politicians or through the media.

What I continue to see in our schools are teachers who work very hard to nurture and support the children in their care. The expectations placed on teachers seem to increase all the time as our communities become more complex.

With the approach of World Teachers’ Day (Friday 25 October), Bank First celebrates the important work carried out in our schools.

Our children deserve the very best. Teaching requires empathy, kindness, intelligence, hard work, knowledge and skill. Our community will be stronger if the teaching profession flourishes and continues to attract the right talent.

We congratulate our Members who work in schools and encourage other Members to find a way to acknowledge their important work.