Give 36,000 students access to specialist teachers

As World Teachers' Day is upon us, it's a great time to reflect on the unwavering commitment to educational equity which Teach For Australia techers demonstrate - every single day. 

These exceptional humans choose to relocate - sometimes across the breadth of this large nation - to work in disadvantaged schools, connecting with, motivating and educating students. Without the Teach For Australia program, many of these students would simply not have access to a specialist teacher. Instead, the already overworked english teacher would also have to try their best to teach the science curriculum. In other cases, specialist subjects like music or computer science can simply not be taught, meaning those students miss out on the chance to discover their passion and skill in these areas. 

Teach For Australia is celebrating 15 years of operation this year, and we're grateful to YOU for enabling the work we do to continue. Without you and your generous support, students in disadvantaged schools would lack access to life changing opportunities.

Meet Sam

It’s said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and Teach For Australia (TFA) teacher Sam (not his real name) is making sure every student at his school has theirs.

Sam started teaching Biology, Human Biology and Science through TFA’s Leadership Development Program in 2023 and noticed that many students would arrive at their first class complaining of being hungry.

Sam presented his idea for a breakfast club at a “pitch night” hosted by TFA and was successful in receiving funds to get it up and running. 

“The response from the students has been overwhelmingly positive,” Sam said.

“Many students have come up to me during the week sharing comments like ‘I loved my toastie this morning’, ‘I’m really looking forward to breakfast club tomorrow’ and ‘Good thing this is here, I haven’t had breakfast yet’.

“The response from the staff has also been great, with the number of volunteers slowly increasing, with new faces most weeks.”

Sam's Journey

Sam joined TFA’s employment-based pathway last year because he wanted to have an impact on students’ education and lives through teaching in the classroom.

Before joining the program, he gained a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science, Exercise and Health and completed a PhD looking at the effects of nutritional supplements on female athletes’ sporting performance.

He then worked as a member of the student equity team, which engaged with students from low socio-economic schools in Western Australia, about university and education after secondary school.

“Whilst I loved this job, after six years I began feeling I could have a bigger impact on students’ education and lives by being in the classroom as a teacher, which is why I applied for the Teach For Australia program,” he said.

“The program has been a perfect fit for me. It is the right level of challenge that I was looking for in life and has allowed me to follow my aspirations of having a positive impact in the lives of young people.”

Your Impact

It's only through the financial support of our valued corporate partners, and wonderful individuals like you, that Sam's students are now attending class with a full belly, able to concentrate and achieve their potential. 

THANK YOU for helping #MakeItHappen for these young students!