When we say teachers matter
There is a moment that repeats itself in schools across Australia. A staff meeting ends, someone thanks the team for their dedication and hard work, heads nod, and there is a quiet sense of shared understanding. Then everyone walks back to classrooms, to planning, to emails, to the work that never quite finishes.
It is a familiar rhythm; appreciation is offered and the work continues. But something about that gap has stayed with me.
Recently, I read a piece that gave language to a feeling I have carried for some time . It explored the way we speak about teachers with deep admiration, while the systems around them often communicate something quite different. The phrase that lingered was this idea that praise can replace genuine value. It is not that the praise is insincere, it is that it is not enough.
The tension between words and reality
In education, we often say that teachers shape the future. We describe the profession as critical, complex and deeply important, yet at the same time, there are signals that sit uneasily beside those words.
Conversations about entry scores into teaching, public narratives about workload. and the ongoing concern of shortages. Each of these tells its own story but together, they form a pattern that young people, teachers and the broader community cannot ignore.
After more than thirty years working in schools, I have seen how complex teaching really is; it is intellectual work, it is emotional work, and it is relational work. it requires judgement, adaptability and an ability to hold multiple demands at once.
A teacher might move from teaching a child to read, to de escalating behaviour, to supporting a student with additional needs, to responding to a parent concern, all within the same morning. Beneath that sits the invisible work; planning, assessment, reflection and the thinking that continues long after the classroom is empty.
We often talk about switching off, but in reality, many teachers carry their students with them. The child who is not safe at home, the student whose behaviour tells a story that has not yet been heard and these are not things that simply disappear at the end of the day.
Discovering the idea of mattering
This is where the concept of mattering has begun to make sense of so much for me. Mattering is about more than being appreciated, it is about feeling seen. Feeling valued, feeling needed and feeling that what you do makes a difference.
When I think about schools through this lens, it raises important questions. We say teachers matter, but do they consistently experience that in their daily work? Do the structures around them reflect it? Do policies, expectations and conditions align with that belief? Because mattering is not built through statements. It is built through experience.
A teacher who feels they matter is more likely to feel a sense of belonging within their school, they are more likely to remain engaged in the profession. and they are more likely to have the emotional capacity to support the students in front of them.
The opposite is also true; when mattering is absent, the impact is not just professional. It becomes personal.
Behaviour, belonging and the ripple effect
Over the years, much of my work has focused on behaviour and wellbeing. What continues to stand out is how closely these are tied to belonging. Students who feel that they matter behave differently, they engage differently and they respond to challenge in different ways. The same can be said for adults.
If a teacher feels unseen or undervalued, it becomes harder to sustain the level of emotional presence that the role demands. Not because they do not care, but because the conditions make it difficult to keep giving without replenishment.
There is also a broader ripple effect. When teachers feel that their work is not genuinely valued, it influences how the profession is perceived. It shapes the choices of future educators. It affects the sustainability of the system itself.
This is not simply about individual wellbeing. It is about the health of education as a whole.
Praise is not the same as value
One of the most confronting ideas in the article I mentioned earlier was the suggestion that gratitude can sometimes soften the edges of deeper issues . That it can become a substitute for more meaningful change.
It is an uncomfortable thought, yet it resonates.
We see moments of public appreciation, celebrations, messages of thanks and these matter. They should not be dismissed, but they cannot stand alone. When praise is not matched by conditions, support and professional recognition, a subtle message can emerge over time. Your work is important, but not important enough.
That is a difficult message to carry, especially in a profession that asks so much.
A Personal Reflection
I find myself sitting with a sense of both hope and responsibility as I believe deeply in public education. I have seen the difference that great teaching can make in the lives of young people and I have worked alongside extraordinary educators who give far more than is ever visible.
At the same time, I think we need to be more honest in our conversations; not in a way that diminishes the profession, but in a way that strengthens it.
If we continue to speak about teaching as vital, then our systems need to reflect that in tangible ways. In how we support teachers, in how we attract and retain them and in how we acknowledge the complexity of their work.
Because ultimately, this is not only about teachers. It is about the students who rely on them every day.
Where Do We Go From Here
Perhaps the starting point is alignment. Ensuring that what we say about teaching matches what we show through our actions. If mattering is as fundamental as the research suggests, then it deserves more attention in how we think about schools. Not only for students, but for the adults who lead and teach within them.
So I am left with a question that continues to sit with me. If we truly believe that teachers matter, what would it look like for them to feel that, consistently, in the reality of their everyday work?
Want to bring more mattering into your classroom today? I’ve created something just for you. Download my FREE Classroom Mattering Toolkit, it’s filled with mindfulness visuals, emotional regulation prompts, and practical strategies to help you and your students thrive together.
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