I get asked this question a lot.
What do teachers actually want to support their wellbeing?

Over the past few years, I’ve spoken with more than a thousand educators and asked them this exact thing. Their answer is often unexpected, especially for those outside the profession.

It’s not more morning teas.
It’s not wellbeing posters or one off initiatives.
And it’s not even less work, at least not in the way people assume.

What teachers consistently ask for is something far more specific.

Teachers want support to do their work well

One of the strongest themes that continues to emerge is this. Teachers want structured, supported and guided opportunities to work together.

They want time and support to collaborate, to plan lessons, to review units of work, to deeply understand the curriculum, and to have someone walk alongside them as they do it. Someone who can model the process, ask good questions, and help them make sense of what quality practice actually looks like in their own context.

What they are really seeking is clarity.

Clarity about what matters most.
Clarity about what good looks like.
Clarity that reassures them they are on the right track.

This sits right at the top for educators because it directly affects their ability to do their job well. And that matters deeply to people who care about their work.

This is a wellbeing issue, not just a workload issue

When teachers talk about this need, they are describing something closely aligned with self determination theory.

Wellbeing is supported when people experience:

• Autonomy, the ability to make informed decisions about how they teach and support their students

• Competence, the confidence that comes from building knowledge, skill and expertise

• Relatedness, the sense of connection that grows when people work together, learn together and solve problems together

When these conditions are present, people function better. They feel more confident, more capable, and more settled in their work.

When they are missing, stress rises quickly.

Where things often break down

One of the biggest barriers teachers raise, particularly in schools focusing on explicit teaching, is uncertainty.

Many educators have attended a one day professional learning session or been given a set of expectations, but no one has slowed the process down. No one has walked them through the steps. No one has modelled the thinking, unpacked the planning process, or supported them to apply it within their own classroom and curriculum.

Without that guidance, teachers are left to figure it out alone.

The Band Aid solutions teachers are relying on

What often happens next is understandable.

Teachers turn to online platforms, paid subscriptions, downloaded lesson plans, ready made units, and pre built PowerPoints. They do this because they want to do a good job and they are trying to cope.

But while these resources might help them get through the week, they do not build capability, confidence or expertise. They don’t create shared understanding or consistent practice. And they don’t reduce the underlying stress long term.

They are a Band Aid solution to a much bigger systems problem.

So what does this mean for schools and leaders?

If we genuinely value educators and want to support their wellbeing, this is one of the most important areas to get right.

Wellbeing does not sit separately from curriculum, planning, and teaching practice. It is shaped by how clear the work is, how supported people feel to do it well, and whether they are developing confidence rather than constantly second guessing themselves.

When schools invest in structured collaboration, guided planning processes, and capability building, wellbeing becomes a natural outcome. Not another thing to add to the list, but something embedded in the way work is designed.

Across all of the conversations I’ve had with educators, this finding continues to stand out the most.

Teachers want to do their work well.
They want to feel confident and capable.
And they want to do it together, with support.

When we get this right, we don’t just improve wellbeing. We strengthen practice, culture, and sustainability across the whole school.

If this resonates, this is exactly the space my work sits in. Through Curriculum for Excellence, Staff Wellbeing by Design, and longer term Thriving Schools partnerships, I support schools to build clarity, strengthen systems, and design ways of working that genuinely support both wellbeing and high quality practice.

You can explore these services and resources at
https://thewellnessstrategy.com.au/