My students have learnt to write good sentences, to experiment with words and ideas, to gain confidence when negotiating with each other. Success for one was presenting comfortably in front of the class; success for another was seeing her letter to the editor published in The Age; success for a third was a Premier's Award. The effort of most students to reach beyond their grasp is so heartening. It is the reason I stay in teaching. I am a homeroom teacher, a corrector of essays, an encourager of young hearts and minds. My colleagues and I do our best each day to make learning come alive for our students. My story is just one of the myriad stories acted out daily in classrooms where teachers light the learning journey of the students in their classes. They are dedicated to passing on their knowledge, helping raise the next generation of Australian citizens to be literate and numerate, compassionate and wide thinking; teachers who are what Robert Frost called ''awakeners''. These are the professionals Frank McCourt, a teacher himself, referred to as ''the under parlourmaid of the professions''. Using a Downton Abbey analogy, we are simply scuttling around preparing the next generation to take charge, while the real business of the world goes on upstairs in the boardroom - and decisions about what we do, how we do it and how much we are paid are made by people who know little about the daily rigours of the classroom. Everyone has an opinion on education because everyone has been to school and those experiences, quite naturally, colour the views of the commentariat and the backroom bloggers.

Teacher quality is the first issue of concern for those both inside and outside the profession. That only 1 per cent of our high school achievers elect to enrol in teaching courses is surely a matter of concern. They know their pay will peak after 10 or 12 years, unless they go into administration. They know their peers in other professions will be paid handsomely. They have just come out of school and have a real appreciation of what teachers do, day in and day out. It's a lot of work juggling personalities and learning styles and trying to convey the content of their discipline area in an accessible and relevant manner to an audience of teenagers with various degrees of interest in the subject. School leavers, especially the reputedly best and brightest, know just how much their teachers put in to assist them in year 12. Perhaps they don't want to work that hard, for little reward, little recognition and even less respect. Perhaps teaching does not offer the glitz of those courses that have a perceived status or are a little indie or edgy or out there. Teaching really needs a makeover! George Bernard Shaw has a lot to answer for with his dismissive ''Those who can do, those who can't teach''. If we are to reverse the decline in quality we need to reverse the perception that teaching is for second raters. A really good brain is a start. Today, students can enrol in teaching courses with an ATAR of just over 40. For some, this is the default course or their last preference. Already there is an implied devaluation of the profession if it does not have the best and brightest of school students jostling to take up a place. Special deals for high achievers should be struck earlier rather than later so that proper immersion in the teaching experience is achieved during undergraduate courses before employment. This is not about a spurious sort of elitism; it is about setting a standard.

As a profession, we do need to be selective about entry to courses. Former education minister Peter Garrett said teachers do not need to be academically gifted. Talk about a devaluation of the profession! Are we happy to accept mediocrity? If a teacher does not know their subject well, it doesn't matter what magic tricks they have or how much technology savvy or enthusiasm they display. The classroom needs to be much more than a place for circus performers who keep kids entertained. If entry standards are not raised, we may see the ''ghettoisation of teaching''. Well-endowed schools will be able to cherry-pick the PhDs and gifted graduates, and this will then become a self-perpetuating cycle of privilege. All Australian children need to be taught by good teachers who know their subject and know their kids. This will start when entry scores to education courses are raised, remuneration is professionally realistic and community respect is revitalised. The future of Australia depends on the quality of its teachers. Let's raise the bar.

Ann Rennie is a secondary school teacher.