Research shows that the rate of depression, anxiety and stress experienced by Australia’s teaching workforce is three times the national norm.
One study by Deakin University found that more than two-thirds (68.8%) of teachers surveyed described their workload as “largely or completely unmanageable”, with a staggering 90% reporting “severe stress”.
Few understand that pressure more intimately than former teacher Emily Fogg, who experienced firsthand the toll that escalating behavioural crises can take on teachers at the coalface.
Fogg says there were many moments that made her realise just how unsafe a place a classroom could be, but the final straw was when she experienced a serious safety incident.
“A student became extremely violent. I recognised the warning signs early and made the decision to lock him out of the classroom when he went to his bag to retrieve something,” Fogg told The Educator.
“For the next 90 minutes, he attacked our demountable classroom with traffic cones, chairs and cricket bats, yelling threats at me and specific students.”
During this time, recalled Fogg, administration stood outside and watched but did not intervene.
“I was left alone inside the classroom, trying to keep the remaining students calm and safe. Several children were extremely distressed,” she said. “No one contacted me via the classroom phone to check on the wellbeing of the students inside.”
Fogg said she was even forced to refuse bathroom breaks because it was too dangerous.
“This incident was the final breaking point in a career marked by repeated unsafe situations.”
In a moment that demanded decisive leadership, Fogg said the school’s leadership team remained conspicuously absent, leaving her to navigate the crisis alone.
“At this time, and under that particular administration, I felt largely unsupported. The attitude was very much that I should simply ‘get on with it,’” she said.
“Following the incident, the student was suspended, but there was no support offered to me or to the children in the class. I was not spoken to afterwards, nor was I asked if I was okay.”
‘I felt that speaking up came with consequences’
Shortly after, Fogg recalled, another student from the same class threatened to punch her.
“When I sent him to the office, he returned with a lollipop, and I was asked by the principal to contact his parents because she ‘didn’t have the time’,” she said.
“Whenever I raised concerns about safety or expressed disagreement with how incidents were handled, my workload seemed to increase. I was allocated extra duties, asked to provide relief notes for other absent teachers, and made to feel that speaking up came with consequences.”
During this time, Fogg’s mental health deteriorated significantly.
“I was experiencing ongoing anxiety and depression and was prescribed antidepressants to cope,” she said. “I also began suffering from frequent migraines, which only added to the physical and emotional toll.”
Fogg said the stress of the work environment followed me home and deeply affected her family life.
“I was constantly exhausted, emotionally drained, and no longer myself,” she said. “I felt miserable most days and would often cry before and after work.”
Fogg said the thought of going into the classroom filled her with dread.
“A role I once loved became something I loathed. Instead of feeling supported, I felt worn down and isolated,” she said.
“The cumulative impact of the ongoing stress, lack of safety, and absence of support made it clear that the situation was unsustainable for both my wellbeing and my family.”
Now said that now she has left the classroom and built her own business, she cannot see herself ever returning under the current conditions. However, she believes meaningful change is possible.
“Stricter behaviour policies and clear, immediate support when serious incidents occur would make a significant difference,” Fogg said. “Violent students should not remain in mainstream classrooms until their behaviour is appropriately addressed.”
Fogg said more intensive, specialist interventions were urgently needed for students in acute distress, arguing that mainstream classrooms are ill-equipped to meet their needs at such critical moments.
“While I recognise that these students are often struggling due to undiagnosed learning difficulties, mental health challenges, home environments, or a combination of factors, a mainstream classroom is not the right setting during periods of crisis,” she said.
“Greater access to short-term alternative settings, behaviour support classrooms, or crisis intervention centres would better support both students and teachers.”
Administration must also be accountable for staff wellbeing, Fogg said.
“High staff turnover should be examined rather than normalised,” she said. “School leaders need stronger training in managing and supporting adult professionals.”