Although she found her almost 40-year career as a primary school teacher constantly rewarding, she believed more needed to be done to encourage young graduates to pursue jobs in education.

Ms Glover, 61, retired from her permanent part-time role at Albion Park Public School last year and said her fellow teachers had been flagging for years that there were not enough young teachers to replace the retiring baby boomers.

Concerns over coastal teacher shortage

She said increasing salaries would be the most effective way to attract new teachers.

‘‘It’s not as well paid as it should be, not as well paid for the training that you do and for the amount of jobs you do within that one job and the responsibility that you have.’’

Ms Glover had always planned to be a stay-at-home mother, while her husband, also a teacher, worked. But, as the cost of living increased over the years faster than teaching wages, the Glovers found two incomes were necessary.

‘‘My husband’s wage was initially enough for the family to live on, but that changed, so I went back so we could have the kind of lifestyle we wanted, which was not extravagant – we just wanted the odd holiday and the kids to be able to do some activities.’’

She said there was a need for younger teachers in schools to inspire the students.

‘‘It’s a job that requires young people and it should have young people being an inspiration to the kids,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s a great profession, a very rewarding profession. You have to be a lot of things for the children, but you can be a lot of things for yourself too.’’