Laura Frogley considers herself a teacher and a lifelong student.
The classroom support teacher at St Monica's Primary School in Evatt didn't stop with the standard teaching degree but went back to university to complete a masters of inclusive education in 2016.
She then went on to be certified as a highly accomplished teacher, a rigorous process where educators gather evidence they are excelling in the professional standards.
"I would encourage anyone to do it in terms of it's the best professional development you'll ever do," she said.
"I think we owe it to the kids, really, to be the best version of ourselves in the classroom that we can be."
Miss Frogley was able to show her impact beyond her classroom through mentoring early career teachers and teaching students on work placements.
Getting this certification helped her move from being a classroom teacher to her current specialist role where she works with children with additional needs and their parents and teachers to get the best learning outcomes.
"You can see that I'm in a wheelchair. I've got cerebral palsy. So I was born with that so I know no different and I think definitely that has had an impact on my path in my career and probably why I've now in the role that I'm in," she said.
The Australian government has set an ambitious target of having 10,000 highly accomplished and lead teachers, known as HALTs, by 2025, which is roughly 10 times the current number.
Separately, the NSW government pledged to have 2500 HALT-certified teachers by 2025.
The system is seen as one way for teachers to progress in their careers - and their salaries - without going down the path of becoming a principal and while maintaining their connection to the classroom.
The National Teacher Workforce Action Plan includes a commitment to streamline the accreditation process to make it less burdensome for teachers.
It is hoped better recognition of high-achieving teachers will enhance their careers and keep them in the profession as Australia grapples with a teacher shortage.
The ACT government has paved the way in the HALT accreditation process and boasts a large portion of the nation's certified teachers.
The Teacher Quality Institute's 2021-22 annual report showed 53 schools in the ACT (36 per cent) had at least one HALT.
There had been 108 teachers certified in the ACT since 2012, which was 10 per cent of the national total of 1025 teachers.
The territory introduced a new process for certification which broke it down into three modules, rather than requiring an entire portfolio at once.
Other states have looked at this as an example of how to encourage more teachers to aspire to be a HALT.
In ACT public schools, HALT teachers get to go up a level on the classroom teacher pay scale or get an additional payment if they have reached the top of the scale.
University of Canberra associate professor Chris Morrissey convenes a unit for the master of education intensive course which helps Canberra region teachers and school leaders prepare for a HALT accreditation.
"It provides them an opportunity to explore their own current practices, teaching practices, leadership practices, and in great detail ... and then to prepare a portfolio in order to apply for the whole process," he said.
"I guess the thinking from the the jurisdiction's point of view is to develop better teachers and better school leaders [and] then for those people to make an impact within their schools."
He said the strong uptake in the ACT could be because of the compact nature of the jurisdiction with strong advocates in school systems, as well as the new three-stage approach to accreditation.
Amaroo School acting deputy principal Prue Gill has two masters in education as well as being certified as a lead teacher.
She went through the initial process in 2016 when she was leading a project on how to interpret data and went through a renewal process in 2021.
Ms Gill found it an excellent way to reflect on her practice amid the ups and downs of school life.
"It wasn't about me furthering in my career but it was about reflecting and seeing where we are as a teacher, what was working, what wasn't working, what I would like to focus on, where the strengths were," Ms Gill said.
Teachers don't have to be a highly accomplished teacher before applying for lead teacher certification.
Ms Gill said teachers who had been teaching at least five years and have progressed from provisional to full registration could consider starting the HALT process.
She said once teachers were certified, it was important for education systems to consider how to best use their skills.
"When we consider our leading teachers, we absolutely need them in the classroom. We need to be working side by side.
"If you go and work with these highly accomplished and lead teachers who have so much experience, that's where the amazing benefit is."
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