By the time they finish their degree, most graduate teachers can plan a unit of work, calm an unruly class and pick up on a student who is quietly struggling.
But how many teachers can recognise the same signs in themselves?
It’s a blind spot the profession can ill afford, particularly amid a nationwide teacher shortage.
A new University of Melbourne report wants that to change, proposing that teacher wellbeing be explicitly taught throughout initial teacher education, with at least one mandatory subject dedicated to it.
The report, Start. And stay: Incorporating teacher wellbeing into initial teacher education, argues that future teachers need the tools to sustain their own wellbeing, and that work should begin at university.
While examining wellbeing education across Australian teacher education programs, the University of Melbourne researchers found that while most institutions teach wellbeing, it’s almost entirely through the lens of student wellbeing.
Their report’s central recommendation is to blend theory with practical skills, so future teachers understand their own wellbeing and how relationships, school environments and the wider system shape it.
A global gap Australia is well placed to fill
Laura Dainton Smith, a PhD candidate and researcher in Melbourne University’s Faculty of Education, pointed out that there are several examples internationally where elements of teacher wellbeing have been embedded into ITE.
“In some jurisdictions, teacher wellbeing appears explicitly in professional standards, and ITE providers are expected to address wellbeing in their programs,” Dainton Smith told The Educator, adding that across different systems, wellbeing content is incorporated in a variety of ways.
“These could be through mandatory units, elective offerings, and curricular infusion, where wellbeing is woven through existing units rather than treated as a stand-alone topic.”
However, Dainton Smith noted that no system has yet gone as far as the report proposes.
“While this is a changing landscape, the evidence we have suggests that wellbeing has not yet been embedded in any system to the extent that we are proposing in this report,” she said. “There is substantial variation between institutions and practices, even in countries where wellbeing appears in the standards.”
Dainton Smith said Australia now has a rare chance to set the global benchmark.
“Whole-system cohesion is key, including alignment between policy, standards, and ITE. Australia has an opportunity to both build on existing international practice and lead the way in terms of placing teacher wellbeing education at the very centre of ITE.”
Wellbeing is everyone’s responsibility
Dainton Smith said teacher wellbeing can’t rest solely on the individual and must be a system wide priority and responsibility.
“Pre-service teachers do need to develop knowledge and skills for managing their own wellbeing through ITE, but we have to ensure they are not given the message that it is all on their shoulders,” she said. “The principles we’ve put forward state that wellbeing education for PSTs must also develop their understanding of how their wellbeing interacts with the wider education system.”
Dainton Smith said a key element is building their awareness that professional wellbeing requires shared responsibility and action by school leaders, employers and regulators.
“In practice, this might include content that makes explicit reference to professional supports, induction and workload policies, and clear pathways for raising concerns,” she said. “This concern came through very strongly from the stakeholders we spoke to: teachers need to know what their rights are and where to go for support, and not simply be expected to cope with whatever the system throws at them.”
When wellbeing slides, students feel it
Professor Jon Quach, a Senior Lecturer at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, said teacher wellbeing is closely connected to the relationships and learning environments that shape student’ experiences at school.
He said that when a teacher’s wellbeing starts to slide, the first signs tend to emerge not in what teachers teach, but in how they show up for their students.
“Students may notice changes in the way their teacher approaches their teaching. They may notice if their teacher is less patient, less welcoming and warm, less approachable or the class may feel more tense and unpredictable,” Professor Quach told The Educator. “They may also notice that a teacher who used to make them feel seen and valued, may be more focused on getting through the class or day.”
Professor Quach said this shows that teachers need to understand, before they ever set foot in a classroom, that good teaching is about much more than content knowledge, lesson planning or behaviour management.
“It is about understanding their own wellbeing, recognising their own emotional responses to their own wellbeing and how this influences their ability to engage and interact with their students and staff,” he said.
“They need to know that they don’t have to feel positive every day, but they do need to understand the impact they have on the classroom environment they provide for their students. It is also important to understand how it also impacts on their peers.”
Making the first term count
While universities can lay the groundwork, much of what graduates learn in their degree can quickly get lost in the rush of their first term. Professor Quach said this is where school leaders have a crucial role to play.
“It is important to acknowledge that it can be overwhelming the first time a graduate teacher walks into a classroom and is solely responsible for everything,” Professor Quach said. “Principals need to be deliberate in ensuring the graduate teacher is supported in their transition into the profession.”
Professor Quach said this could involve providing meaningful mentoring which enables the graduate teacher to reflect on their practices, understanding why some things have worked or not worked, and giving time for them to grow their capability.
“Also, it is important for leadership to highlight the wellbeing part of professional development from the beginning. This could be having conversations and modelling to graduate teachers the strategies and approaches that enable them to look after their own wellbeing,” he said.
“This can also be creating a culture where staff can feel comfortable asking for help as it is seen as a strength and not a weakness.”