This can start in any classroom in the world and it could happen in one somewhere in the Highlands at any moment.

More than 450 Kindergarten students are starting their primary school education this week. They're sponges waiting to absorb all the knowledge and inspiration they can find.

In the Highlands we're fortunate to have many gifted and passionate teachers who embrace the fact that they're in the unique position of shaping a generation.

While most students have started back at school today and Kindergarteners will start over the coming week, our teachers have been back for some time.

They've been thinking about their students, decorating their classrooms and planning the year to come.

Many teachers have been thinking about this for weeks.

Good teachers invest a lot emotionally in their students' successes and know the kids in their classrooms incredibly well.

They will spend the year celebrating your child's strengths and working with them on their weaknesses.

It is widely accepted that a great teacher can change the course of a child's life and it is important to remember this as the school year unfolds.

Get to know your child's teacher and celebrate them.

They could be the teacher that ignites your child's imagination and spurs them on to achieve greatness. Somewhere in the midst of this year's Kindergarten class could be the person who will cure cancer or end world hunger. Only time will tell.