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I know what it feels like to give everything to teaching, and have nothing left for yourself.
For thirteen years, I did what good teachers do. I poured myself into every lesson, every student and every school that trusted me with their most important work. I grew from classroom teacher to Head of English and Literacy Learning Specialist, across both government and independent schools, and eventually to Head of Teaching and Learning in an F-12 setting.
Along the way, I became a pedagogical coach, a literacy specialist, a passionate VCE English teacher and an assessor of external examinations, marking hundreds English exams each year and learning firsthand exactly what gets students their best result. I designed and delivered programs that increased VCE scores above 40 five-fold, consistently improved NAPLAN and PAT performance and generated strong student engagement ratings, whilst keeping teacher workload front of mind. At times, that meant reaching out for the support of a knowledgeable other.
By every external measure, I was succeeding.
But the workload never became more manageable. The expectations never eased. And the harder I worked to give my students the best possible experience and outcomes, the more I found myself running on empty. Each new initiative, every additional responsibility, every well-meaning policy change added weight to a load that was already pushing me close to my breaking point. My colleagues and I were in fight or flight mode all day, every day.
The moment I knew something had to change wasn't dramatic, it was quiet. I realised I was giving everything to the job and nothing to myself. That wasn't sustainable for me, or ultimately, for the students I cared so much about. I had to make a change, but I never lost my desire to get Victorian students their best possible outcomes.
So I did something considered. I stepped back. I looked hard at what actually moves the needle in teaching and learning and what is just noise dressed up as best practice. I started asking better questions. Questions like:
What if schools could get stronger results without working longer hours?
What if the help of a knowledgeable other could give teachers more of their lives back?
How could I could be a part of that?
It's this foundational thinking that The Considered Educator is built on.
I work with teachers, English departments and school leaders who are unable to work any harder and need to start working smarter. I bring together the science of learning, thirteen years of classroom and leadership experience and the knowledge of someone who understands the VCE certificate from the inside, to help you teach better, lead better and last longer in a career that desperately needs good people to stay.
Great teaching and teacher wellbeing are not in conflict. The right professional learning, the right curriculum design and the right support systems can and do deliver stronger outcomes for all students, and a more sustainable working life for the educators who teach them.
I'm here for students and for teachers. Because you don't have to burn out to lift student outcomes, you just need a more considered approach.
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