Australia's Best Teachers

2023-best-teacher-st-canices

Australia is full of incredible teachers who ignite a passion for learning within our children. But as challenges on families and communities intensify, the importance of teaching within our social fabric has started to erode.

A recent study by Monash University found 70 per cent of teachers do not feel respected by the public. They are stressed, overworked and lack the recognition they deserve. News Corp Australia, launched a campaign in February to celebrate our educators and start shifting public perceptions.

Care For Kids CEO says early childhood teachers deserve greater support. Teachers deserve the ‘highest training, support and respect’

In partnership with ANZ, Teachers Mutual Bank, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, Care For Kids, Griffith University and PwC, the Australia’s Best Teachers campaign has seen more than 900 teachers nominated by students, colleagues and parents across the country.

It is clear from the nominations that teaching isn’t just about getting great results, but the positive difference teachers make in a young person’s life. They care, they listen and they inspire.

Kellie Clarke St Canice's Katoomba
Kindy teacher Kellie Clarke with students at St Canice's Primary School in Katoomba, NSW. Picture: Monique Harmer

Kellie Clarke | St Canice’s Primary School in Katoomba

In her more than 25 years working as a teacher, Kellie Clarke has not met a fellow educator who entered the profession aiming to do a bad job.

“I’ve been teaching for a long time and while much has changed, what hasn’t is that the teachers around me … turn up every day with the very best of intentions and with the welfare of the kids very much front and centre,” Ms Clarke, a kindy teacher at St Canice’s Primary School in Katoomba, said.

Ms Clarke, who was nominated as one of Australia’s Best Teachers, said teachers work hard “because they really, really care about the kids”.

“Teaching has been the one enduring love in my life and every year I feel so privileged that I get parents handing their most precious thing in the world over to me to nurture and to look after,” she said.

“I think sometimes the level of care and compassion that teachers have is not represented or understood well by the general public.

“As humans, we don’t always get it right, but we’re trying really hard.”

For Ms Clarke, her philosophy is to ensure children feel safe, loved and valued so they can “learn and thrive”.

School principal Miriam Meaney said Ms Clarke had provided assistance to many children in need of additional support. “A number of children have come from a variety of different experiences, different backgrounds, and [Ms Clarke] has a great capacity to see what a child needs and how to help that child to learn."

Read the full article from the Daily Telegraph

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Daily Telegraph
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12 Nov 2025
2026 Kindergarten Orientation
You are invited to the St Canice's 2026 Kindergarten Orientation! During this time, your child will have the opportunity to meet the other students, teaching staff and explore the learning spaces. Learn more.

12 Sep 2025
Sky Country 2025 Expo
St Canice's Katoomba is hosting an expo to celebrate what students have been learning through our Indigenous Education Program’s Term 3 unit of learning, “Sky Country - Solidarity and Hope: Learning Together Then, Now and Always.” The Expo will feature a smoking ceremony, musical performances, open classrooms and more.

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27 Aug 2025
From Facebook
🌏 Sky Country Expo – Solidarity and Hope: Learning Together Then, Now and Always 🌏 📅 Friday 12th September We warmly invite our school community to join us for this special event. ✨ Check your Compass portal for all the details. We look forward to seeing you there!

26 Aug 2025
From Facebook
Jarara Aboriginal Cultural Immersion Day Last Thursday, Aunty Carol and our Jarara Aboriginal Cultural Team delivered a wonderful day of cultural immersion and grassroots connection for our students. We explored the meanings behind symbols in art and had the chance to create some of our own. Students also learnt about Aboriginal Kinship which shapes a person’s identity, relationships, and responsibilities to their family, community and Country. It is through these special bonds that strength, love, and connection are shared across generations. St Canice's Sky Country theme 'Learning Together, Then, Now and Always' is all the richer thanks to Aunty Carol and Jarara's generous support. Each child also began a weaving piece that will be proudly displayed at our Expo Day on Friday 12th September. ✨ Save the Date—we’d love for you to join us!