Walk into a classroom and you will probably see the usual scene: students at their desks, notes on the board, a teacher explaining a lesson, and at least one student trying not to fall asleep.
It looks ordinary. But a lot happens in that room.
Teachers are not only responsible for getting through the syllabus. They help students make sense of difficult ideas, ask questions, build confidence and learn how to work with others. They also learn to recognise the things that may never appear in a lesson plan — the student who needs more encouragement, the one who is struggling to keep up, or the one who simply needs someone to believe in them.
And the demands on teachers continue to change.
Classrooms are becoming more diverse, technology is changing how we learn and the world students are preparing for looks different from the one their teachers entered. Keeping up requires teachers to keep learning too.
The need for that support is clear. The World Bank estimates that 70% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries cannot read and understand a simple text. The challenge, therefore, is not only getting children into school. It is making sure they are learning when they get there.
That puts teachers at the centre of the conversation.
At Sterling, our work in education has included supporting the people who make learning possible. Through our partnership with the Teaching Network Foundation, more than 5,000 teachers have been trained directly and indirectly, reaching more than 50,000 students taught by participating teachers.
We have also supported the One Million Teachers initiative with continuous professional development and training for more than 500 teachers in one reported programme year, as well as partnered with Opportunity International on its School Leaders Programme for teachers and school leaders, because supporting education cannot stop with the student.
The people teaching, leading and shaping the learning environment need support too.
A teacher may spend an hour explaining fractions, marking scripts after school or encouraging a child who has stopped believing they can succeed. They may never see the engineer, entrepreneur, doctor or professional that child eventually becomes.
But they were there at the beginning.
That is what World Teachers’ Day gives us a chance to recognise: not just the lessons teachers deliver, but the people they help shape long after the classroom door closes.
Happy World Teachers’ Day.
