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Brad Gaynor’s recent article, Beyond Band-Aids, lays bare a truth educators have felt in their bones for years: this is no longer a staffing issue—it's a sustainability crisis. While headlines focus on teacher shortages, those of us working closely with schools know the real challenge is keeping the experienced, passionate educators we already have from walking away.
Teachers aren’t leaving because they stopped caring. They’re leaving because they’ve been asked to care beyond their human limits—without the tools, time, or systemic support to make it work.
We’ve spent over two decades listening to school leaders, teachers, and wellbeing coordinators. And we believe there are solutions—real, practical, research-backed solutions that go deeper than cupcake Fridays and wellbeing weeks. These are solutions designed not just to manage symptoms, but to shift school culture.
Our programs directly respond to the critical issues raised in Gaynor’s piece. Here’s how:
1. Teachers need tools, not just policies
“Teachers are managing increasingly complex behaviours, often without the specialist staff or time required.”
Classrooms have changed. The challenges have intensified. But support hasn’t caught up. That’s why 1-2-3 Magic & Emotion Coaching in the Classroom exists—to give primary school teachers a clear, calm, and consistent language for managing behaviour without escalating conflict or burning themselves out.
Engaging Adolescents in High Schools shows teachers, student advisors, and heads of departments how to build trust, foster safe independence and maintain open communication with young people in a busy school environment.
Rather than another policy in a drawer, these approaches offer a practical, classroom-ready framework. They reduce emotional labour, restore calm authority, and help teachers feel back in control—something many say they’ve lost.
2. We must tackle the anxiety epidemic systemically
“The rise in students with additional needs – trauma, neurodivergence, anxiety – has been significant.”
Anxiety is now the most common mental health condition among young people—and teachers are on the frontline. But until recently, they’ve had few tools to support students without inadvertently accommodating avoidance behaviours that worsen anxiety long-term.
Our Resilience in Our Teens project and The Anxiety Project are changing that. They equip whole-school communities—teachers, principals, wellbeing staff, and parents—with a shared understanding of how anxiety works and how to respond effectively.
Rather than outsourcing wellbeing to already-stretched mental health services, this model builds capacity within the school, using a lay-led, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-informed approach that’s aligned with the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework. It’s not a box to tick—it’s a cultural shift.
3. Let’s rehumanise leadership
“Retention begins and ends with leadership... visible, relational, and grounded in the day-to-day challenges.”
When leaders aren’t equipped to handle tough conversations with staff or parents, it creates silos of stress that trickle down into every classroom. Our Tough Conversations for School Leaders training helps school leaders step into those moments with confidence, compassion, and clarity—preventing small issues from becoming system-wide morale problems.
It’s professional development designed to reduce load, not add to it. And it directly addresses the emotional toll that school leaders carry—one of the most overlooked drivers of teacher attrition.
4. Teachers deserve agency, not micromanagement
“Compliance shouldn’t come at the cost of impact.”
Every program we offer is built on the belief that teachers are professionals. Our approach respects their judgment, simplifies their decision-making, and restores their ability to act without second-guessing. Whether it’s behaviour guidance, anxiety support, or emotional coaching, we don’t just give information—we give permission for teachers to trust their instincts again.
5. Rewriting the narrative
“Too often, media coverage focuses on what's wrong, not what's working.”
We agree. And that’s why we’re committed to amplifying teacher success stories through our network. When we train schools, we don’t just walk away. We stay in touch. We celebrate progress. We connect schools across the country so they know they’re not alone—and that what’s working in one region can inspire change in another.
We believe it’s time to tell a better story. One that centres resilience, professionalism, and the belief that with the right tools, teachers don’t have to martyr themselves to make a difference.
Let’s rebuild a profession worth staying in
As Gaynor rightly says, this isn’t about just keeping teachers—it’s about rebuilding a profession worth staying in. That won’t happen with one-off PDs or wellbeing platitudes. It will happen when we invest in systemic, scalable, teacher-led solutions that honour what teachers already know: they care. They show up. And they need more than Band-Aids.
We need to help school systems stop patching cracks—and start building stronger foundations. Let’s move from burnout to balance. From crisis to confidence. From survival to sustainability.
Because if we want great teachers to stay, we need to give them more than thanks. We need to give them tools that work.
Explore Our school programs: