When we think about education, we often focus on learners: their outcomes, opportunities, and futures.
But none of these things exist without teachers.
Teachers do more than help people learn. They inspire curiosity, build confidence and help learners discover what they’re capable of. They shape experiences that can influence lives long after a lesson has ended.
Yet, while expectations of teachers continue to grow, the support available to them doesn’t always grow with them.
Teachers are expected to adapt to new technologies, respond to changing learner needs, and keep up with evolving approaches to education. They’re preparing learners for a future that’s constantly changing, while managing increasing demands inside and outside the classroom. And through it all, they’re still expected to inspire.
This World Teachers’ Day, we’re celebrating not just what teachers give, but what they need to keep thriving.
Supporting teachers isn’t simply about saying thank you. It’s about giving them the time and resources to continue learning and developing throughout their careers. It’s about protecting their wellbeing, recognising their expertise, and ensuring teaching remains a profession people are proud to enter and able to sustain.
Because great education needs great teachers, and great teachers need support.
Teaching is changing. Teachers are expected to keep up.
Teachers aren’t just expected to teach what they know. They’re increasingly expected to keep learning what comes next.
In a rapidly changing world, teaching is becoming more complex than ever. New technologies such as AI are changing how we work and learn, while evolving educational approaches are changing how teachers plan, teach, and assess. In a FutureLearn survey, over 20% of our learners said they’re worried their skills may become outdated due to AI and automation. Teachers are facing the same rapidly changing landscape while also being responsible for helping the next generation navigate it.
What’s more, greater awareness of wellbeing, mental health, and diverse learning needs means teachers are supporting learners in increasingly complex ways.
The challenge isn’t that teachers aren’t willing to adapt. It’s whether they’re being given the time, resources, and support they need to do so.
Supporting teachers means supporting their professional growth
In an already demanding role, teachers can’t be asked to do more. Instead, they should be given meaningful opportunities to develop throughout their careers. Professional development can help teachers:
- build confidence using new technologies
- respond to changing learner needs
- explore new approaches to teaching and assessment
- develop specialist knowledge
- progress into leadership or other areas of education
- stay engaged and motivated throughout their careers
However, professional development should be one part of a wider culture of support – giving teachers the time, resources, and encouragement to keep developing while creating the conditions they need to thrive.
That means making professional development accessible and flexible enough to fit around teachers’ working lives. It also means giving teachers a voice in the development they undertake, so learning responds to the challenges they actually face.
Teachers need more than appreciation
World Teachers’ Day is a chance to celebrate teachers and recognise the vital role they play in society.
But appreciation alone doesn’t address the pressures affecting the profession.
If we want to protect and strengthen the status of teaching, we need to think about what teachers need to build sustainable, rewarding careers.
Time to learn and develop
Teachers need time to invest in their own development. Professional learning shouldn’t come at the expense of an already demanding workload.
Flexible online learning can give teachers more choice over when and where they develop their skills, helping them fit learning around their professional and personal commitments.
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Access to meaningful development
Professional development needs to reflect the realities of teaching today and prepare teachers for what’s coming next.
Whether it’s developing digital and AI skills, exploring new approaches to teaching, supporting diverse learners or developing leadership expertise, teachers should have opportunities to build the skills that matter to them and their learners.
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Trust and professional autonomy
Teachers are highly skilled professionals, with expertise built through training and experience.
Supporting the profession means recognising that expertise and giving teachers the trust and autonomy to use their professional judgement.
It also means involving teachers in conversations about how education needs to evolve, rather than simply asking them to adapt to change.
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Career progression
A teaching career doesn’t have to follow one path.
Opportunities to develop new specialisms, take on leadership responsibilities or explore different areas of education can help teachers continue to grow while building fulfilling, sustainable careers.
Supporting progression can also help retain experienced educators and demonstrate that teaching offers opportunities to develop at every stage of a career.
Wellbeing and manageable workloads
Teachers can’t be expected to continuously give more without the support and resources they need to thrive themselves.
Professional development can play a role in supporting confidence and capability, but it can’t replace the wider changes needed to create healthy, sustainable working environments.
Supporting teachers means recognising the whole picture: their workload, wellbeing, development and professional value.
Supporting teachers strengthens education
The future of education depends on the future of teaching. Education will continue to change, but teachers will remain central to it.
AI might change how people access information. Digital tools might transform the classroom. New approaches might change how we teach and learn. But technology doesn’t replace the need for great teachers.
If anything, a rapidly changing world makes their role even more important.
Teachers need to be equipped to use new technology thoughtfully. They need opportunities to develop their expertise. They need to feel valued and supported in their profession.
And that’s not just good for teachers. It’s good for learners, too.
When teachers have the skills and support they need to thrive, they’re better positioned to create meaningful learning experiences, respond to their learners’ needs, and help them prepare for the future.
That’s why supporting teachers isn’t an optional extra, it’s an investment in the quality of education itself.
Great teachers never stop learning
This World Teachers’ Day, we’re celebrating the teachers who support learners every day but we’re also recognising that the future of education depends on supporting the people at its heart.
When we surveyed our learners, over 36% said they were able to apply their learning immediately. That’s why we’ve created our collection of online teaching courses – to give teachers the flexibility to keep learning throughout their busy careers, and put that learning into practice where it matters most.
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