Source: Reserve Bank of Australia
12 May 2025
Challenging classrooms are producing fresh ideas as the new school year gets underway for the four teachers we will follow throughout 2025.
Lilly Maynard
Year 5–6 teacher, Ulverstone Primary School, Tasmania
Year 5–6 teacher
Ulverstone Primary School, Tasmania
For Lilly Maynard, now in her second year as a graduate teacher at Ulverstone Primary School on Tasmania’s northwest coast, additional funding would be transformative.
Teaching a Year 5 to 6 class, Maynard says the school’s resources, particularly in technology, fall short of meeting student needs.
“We have one device for every two to three students,” she says. “I’d love to see one-to-one devices because, by the time they reach Year 5 or 6, many students still don’t know basic technology skills like saving a document or changing fonts.”
To bridge this gap, Maynard and other Year 5 and 6 teachers are rolling out a new technology unit in 2025 to cover foundational skills for Microsoft Word, Teams and Canva.
Funding impacts more than technology. She reflects on the benefits of having extra teacher aides in the classroom.
“Last year, I had a Year 6 student who struggled academically. With the limited aide time we had, we focused on intensive small-group work, going back to sentence structure and the elements of narrative writing,” she says.
“Having more support would mean not only helping those who are struggling but also extending students who are ready to be challenged.”
A legacy of safety
Maynard was inspired to teach by her kindergarten teacher, whom she describes as creating a caring and safe presence for students: “I’ve always wanted to be that person for others.”
This aspiration now shapes her classroom priorities, in which building resilience and fostering a safe learning environment are central. “We do a lot of social and emotional learning activities, teaching students how to handle conflicts or deal with challenges,” she says. “It’s amazing to watch them start resolving small issues on their own.”
A one-year part-time paid teaching internship, which she completed in the last year of her university studies, helped her segue into teaching.
Learning on Sea Country
Maynard’s school’s connection to its local environment is a highlight. Late last year, about one third of Ulverstone’s 380 students participated in the education department’s Sea Country program, which integrates Palawa perspectives into learning.
“We did pre-teaching activities about what Sea Country means and, on the excursion, it was incredible to see students reflecting on the land’s historical and cultural significance.”
This year, Maynard aims to continue refining her skills and exploring innovative assessment techniques. “I want to build on my trials of formative assessments like exit tickets I had success with last year.”
“My goal as a teacher is to nurture curiosity, foster creativity, and instil a lifelong love of learning.”
With additional funding, Maynard says these aspirations could become a reality for every student in her class.12 May 2025
Challenging classrooms are producing fresh ideas as the new school year gets underway for the four teachers we will follow throughout 2025.
Bry Knife
English teacher, Mabel Park State High School, Logan, QLD
Homeschool to high school
Bry Knife’s teaching career reflects education’s evolving landscape, where personal experience and advocacy play vital roles in meeting the diverse needs of today’s classrooms.
Knife’s school days were outside of the mainstream experience. The child of a missionary and pastor, Knife was home-schooled in Ethiopia from Years 3 to 10.
“Because I didn’t have a traditional education, I feel I can relate to the diversity of students at my school,” says Knife.
Studying at his own speed through homeschooling taught them that “everyone works at their own pace”. For Knife, that means embracing organisational strategies such as using a bullet journal and medication to manage ADHD.
Knife identifies as a non-binary, trans-masculine teacher. He prefers to use a combination of pronouns – he/him and they/them – to reflect his identity and experience of gender.
At university, Knife found themself “figuring out that I was queer in a very conservative space”. He completed an accelerated liberal arts bachelor’s and teaching master’s degrees in four-and-a-half years. After graduating, Knife was guaranteed permanency through the Teacher Education Centre of Excellence Program.
Embracing diversity
This year marks Knife’s fifth as a teacher. He joined Mabel Park High just over two years ago. The school has almost 1800 students and can be “complex”, says Knife, particularly with behaviour management issues. In 2025, Knife expects to continue teaching English to students in Years 7 to 12.
“My identity wasn’t as supported early in my teaching career,” Knife says. “Now, I’m much more myself. I’m supported and even celebrated, such as on Wear It Purple Day. I can project a steadiness to my students, who won’t feel safe or comfortable if the adult in the room is anxious and jittery.”
Knife credits the Queensland Teachers’ Union with the support provided to facilitate their transfer. Knife now holds multiple union roles, including QTU activist and Pride Committee member, and has helped advocate for solutions to address the teacher shortage.
“Offering permanency is no longer an incentive because the shortage makes that easy to get,” Knife says.
Bridging gaps
Proper funding for resources remains a major challenge, particularly as Mabel Park High works to “close the digital divide”.
“There are Year 7 students at my school who don’t know how to use computers, research on the internet, or type up an assessment. As we roll out a bring-your-own device program, we’re finding that many parents can’t afford computers and don’t have one at home. More funding would bridge that gap,” he says.
Lottie Smith
Year 7–10 teacher, Centre of Deaf Education, Adelaide, SA
Lottie Smith still feels pride over a student’s achievement in her first year of teaching.
The Year 8 student, who is deaf and has an intellectual disability, won the speech contest on the theme “black, loud and proud” during Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reconciliation Week.
Smith, who teaches a Year 7 to 10 class at Avenues College in Adelaide, thought of the student as soon as she heard about the contest.
“I sat with him and broke down the question, and we worked out a speech in sign language and practised it,” she says.
“On the day, I stood in front of him holding big cue cards. He used sign language, and an interpreter voiced his words.”
Smith grows emotional recalling the moment: “He did this in front of the Aboriginal Youth Commissioner, a panel of Elders, and young people. His competitors, the other contestants, used a microphone.”
Support that’s needed
The achievement highlights Smith’s dedication and one-on-one coaching. She teaches four other students who are deaf or hard of hearing and have complex additional needs such as autism or intellectual disabilities. Smith works with the support of one Student Learning Support Officer (SLSO).
“Extra funding would mean more support staff,” she says. “One-on-one support is critical for meeting the needs of our complex student cohort.”
Smith also believes in upskilling SLSOs, who often work closely with the students with the highest needs. “SLSOs have limited access to professional training, and that needs to change,” she says.
Out-of-pocket costs
Smith is grateful for a partial subsidy she received to pursue Certificates II and III in Auslan, a prerequisite for her master’s degree in teaching hearing-impaired students. However, the financial burden of further qualifications has been significant.
“The government offers a scholarship for one unit per semester of the Auslan course, which means doing it part-time,” she says. “But I studied my master’s full-time alongside Auslan, so I was automatically out-of-pocket by a few thousand dollars, but only just found out I could have applied for a scholarship.”
The lack of funding support is unfair and unethical, says Smith.
“I went out of my way to gain these qualifications, adding to my HECS debt for a hard-to-fill role,” she says.
Last year Smith was awarded SA Early Career Educator of the Year 2024 on World Teachers Day in recognition of her work with Australian Association of Teachers of the Deaf (SA).
Smith says developing her students’ Auslan and English language skills drives her.
“I look forward to continuing celebrating my students’ small wins that contribute to their confidence, skills and independence.”
Amelia Evans
Physical education and science teacher, University of Canberra High School Kaleen, ACT
The opportunity to take on leadership roles and make a positive community impact drew ACT teacher Amelia Evans into teaching.
Recalling her school days, the sixth-generation teacher says: “I didn’t always love school, but I enjoyed the positive relationships I had with my PE teachers, making school a bit more fun every day.”
After Year 12, Evans completed a year in the Royal Australian Navy, “squirrelling away my pay” before starting her teaching degree.
Despite juggling multiple jobs, she finished her degree in three years instead of four, without a scholarship.
Inclusive PE
Now in her third year of high-school physical education teaching at the University of Canberra High School Kaleen, Evans faces ongoing challenges.
“In each class, I have 30 young people with diverse abilities and needs, but we’re all working towards the same goal: ensuring everyone can succeed,” she says.
For example, last year, she adapted PE lessons so a blind student who loves to run could participate.
“We’d go out onto the oval and play ‘tips’. I got a whole class set of little bells for the other students to wear, so she knows they’re about to try to tag her.”
Funding wish list
Evans says more funding would improve equipment, facilities, and accessibility for schools like hers.
“Some of the gear only lasts a term. Things get thrown on the roof, then you put a fragile badminton racket in the hands of a 13-year-old who’s never used one before – one will break every couple of lessons.”
Boosting funding would also mean “extra hands to create tasks to help students who need differentiated learning”.
Limited facilities remain a problem, too.
“Our school ovals aren’t good enough for PE, so we use the public ovals 500 metres away, which takes more of our teaching time,” she says.
Wet weather brings further challenges, with up to six PE classes crammed into a gym designed for two.
Despite these hurdles, Evans’ dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. She was nominated for an ACT teaching award last year for co-founding a Year 8 and 9 girls’ empowerment group. About 20 students attend twice-weekly sessions, which include lunch, music, and resilience-building activities.
“A parent has twice run workshops on saying ‘no’ – what to do if you’re approached in the street – and how to walk and look tougher than you feel,” Evans says.
Last year, she co-ordinated the transition of Year 6 students into high school. Additionally, she is studying a Certificate IV in mental health at her own expense to upskill in wellbeing support.
“It will help me have an input in decision-making for the benefit of all students and staff. I want to help lead my school in a positive direction,” Evans says.
By Margaret Paton
This article was originally published in the Australian Educator, Autumn 2024
