As part of Climate Action Week Sydney 2025, the Australian Museum invites students in Years 7-10 to the Student Climate Leadership Forum—a FREE full-day program of talks and hands-on workshops to kick-start student-led climate initiatives.
 
Date: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Time: 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Location: Australian Museum, Sydney
Cost: Free
 
Your students will:
- Hear from experts on practical, realistic steps to build climate resilience.
- Be inspired by real-world examples of local climate action.
- Participate in interactive workshops to develop school sustainability initiatives.
- Receive guidance from Museum educators to create a tailored, actionable climate plan for your school.
 
Gather a team of up to eight students and one teacher and join us in shaping a sustainable future. Students will leave with a structured climate action plan to implement back at school.
 
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to empower young leaders and drive meaningful change.
 
Register now to secure your free spot - places are limited: 
​https://australian.museum/event/climate-action-week-student-leaders/
 
Brought to you by the Sydney Science Trail and the Australian Museum's Climate Solutions Centre, with the support of Climate Action Week Sydney.
#youthforclimate #climatechangeaction #climateaction #climateactivist

Note: This post is at the request, and on behalf of the Australian Museum, Sydney.

I have chosen to step away from my role as Deputy Principal until the end of 2025 to explore a range of passion projects and programs. In the past couple of weeks I have been reflecting on various leadership roles within schools and this is the first of a number of posts on the theme of leadership.

.One of the first lessons I was taught in my role was about the power of visible leadership. A visible leader is someone who has presence, is involved, is impactful, and guides the school. Visible leadership is not about a central figure getting attention or boosting their ego, It is about a person or small team being obvious leaders that motivate, engage and embody the culture of the school.

Here are a few practical ideas for visible leadership:

Regular communication
Senior leaders should know what is happening in their school and communicate with staff about key projects, initiatives, events and organisation regularly. There may be other staff members who provide the specific details, but the principal needs to be across what is happening and at least provide basic detail. Staff need to see that you know what's happening in your school and that there is some sort of overarching understanding of the school. This could be in the form of a regular email or post in the school software. If you don't know what is going on and can't communicate it clearly and succinctly,  you can't expect your staff to.

Attend whole school team meetings regularly
In most schools, whole school teams meetings are used to achieve the strategic directions of a school, by dividing up larger objectives into smaller achievable milestones. It is important that teams have clear objectives for the year and term and are not just meeting to report back on operational matters. Meetings between Senior Executive members and team leaders should happen early in the year to work develop goals and align them with the school plan.

Team meetings like whole school literacy, wellbeing, etc take up a lot of time for teachers involved. It is important that staff see leaders at some of these team meetings, not only to get guidance on the desired whole school direction that the Senior Executive wants a team to take, but also to demonstrate and model that the team is important and that school leaders value the activities enough to give up their time too. At the same time, it is important to provide some space for team leaders to ensure they have the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership of the team, have some autonomy and feel like they have your trust. It's a bit of a fine balance.

Open door policy
Principals and deputies are required to undertake some work related to very delicate and sensitive issues, and sometimes need to work on very detailed and important documents. That said, the period from 9-3 is not likely to be the right time to work on those things, if possible. Ideally the most intense, heavy thinking work should be done before or after school when there are less interruptions, and in the time when school is operating, you should be accessible for your staff. Expect many and varied interruptions for a whole range of reasons, be open to prioritising other peoples' needs, and understand that other people may not be able to do their work without your input. This is not always going to be possible. There will be times when you need to concentrate and work on things in isolation during school hours, and there are also times when you need to close the door to get a moment to yourself, This is fine, but the overall principle should be that you are there for your staff to support them in addressing their needs so they can do their work.

Be a lifelong learner
School leaders that demonstrate that they are always seeking knowledge, updating their skills and taking risks in their learning, will develop a culture in their staff that values professional learning and sees its purpose in the school's progress. Principals can shape whole staff discussions and learning by integrating professional readings and latest research as part of normal practice, Personally leading aspects of whole staff learning rather than relying on other staff to do it, also demonstrates to staff that they still know how to teach after being out of the classroom for a while, and that they are involved in direction of staff training in a hands-on way. 

Event attendance
Senior Executive members should attend all school events (or as many as possible). If staff are expected to attend events, school leaders should be there, should do some of the leg work setting up and should help with lock up. Again, this is all about modelling expected behaviours to staff, ensuring they know that you understand  and appreciate their efforts and hard work, that you know about and are involved in the activities that are happening within the school, It is about modelling the culture that you want to see in your staff - don't expect others to do something you aren't willing to do. 

Walk around the playground at recess and lunch
At recess and lunch, get away from your computer and your desk and walk around to each playground. This seems like a low-order, repetitive, time-consuming task, but is really important. This means that every student will see you everyday. They will know who you are, they might have a conversation with you, and they will hear you talking to students about your expectations. They will know that at any time you could just walk by. This is not intended to be a disciplinarian walking around like a Sargeant Major, just an extra person out and about talking to students and teachers and being present. It builds students' familiarity with you, and helps staff feel supported.

Being in the playground allows you to have general, friendly conversations with members of staff on duty and get to know them better. Ask them about their weekend, their holiday plans, how their day is going....whatever. Ideally, the conversation should be non-work related - it is lunchtime afterall.  However, if teachers have had a difficult lesson, they might want to talk to you about it. You can give them ideas for classroom management, provide a bit of extra information about a student, talk through behaviour processes, or just listen.

Most faculties are engaged in some way with curriculum reform. Some have syllabuses currently being implemented, some are familiarising and getting ready for implementation, and some are engaging with drafts and providing feedback. There are a range of professional learning resources available for staff in management positions regarding change management in relation to implementing curriculum reform and managing staff through this period. This post will take a look at this issue from a perspective of managing interpersonal relationships, different management styles, stages in career and levels of motivation.

Head Teachers
Head Teachers are tasked with the job of motivating and coordinating staff in developing quality teaching and learning programs, incorporating school and system objectives and building staff capacity. Some Head Teachers will be really enthusiastic about the idea of curriculum reform, some may be less so. For most head teachers that have been in the role for more the 6 or 7 years, chances are they have already led curriculum reform before (the last round of syllabus changes began implementation in 2015, with the final subjects still being implemented when the current curriculum reform was announced). Whether you are a Head Teacher or a teacher it is important to get an understanding of the role of the Head Teacher and how their approach can influence this process. 

Explore the perspectives of the three hypothetical Head Teachers below. None of these is ideal -
Head Teacher 1 wants to keep everything as is and just make a few tweaks to existing programs. He probably isn't going to engage all that much and will only encourage the most necessary changes to existing programs. He will validate longer-term teachers in the faculty by not "reinventing the wheel" and recognising hard work of the past, but may miss opportunities to incorporate new and engaging case studies or projects, or innovative practices. 
Head Teacher 2 is super keen, he's looking closely at the syllabus changes, his new programs are probably going to be good, but he is not bringing his staff on the journey with him, and they probably aren't going to enjoy teaching with the new programs because there is no buy in. As a new Head Teacher, he also hasn't tried to draw on the existing expertise in his faculty, and it appears that he is disregarding past work of the faculty.
Head Teacher 3 has a collaborative approach, is engaged in the proces of curriculum reform and has a strong understanding of all the things needed in a quality teaching and learning program. She is wanting to ensure the teaching and learning programs are rigorous and address the needs of the students. However, she may be trying to do too much early on in the process and may burn out her staff. She risks making her staff feel overwhelmed by the scope of the project.

As Head Teacher, how do you ensure that you are positive, collaborative, value the opinions your staff, respect past work, encourage rigour, but don't overwhelm the faculty?


Teachers and Head Teachers
Building Staff Capacity
In any faculty, there are staff with a range of expertise and skills. Curriculum Reform provides an excellent opportunity for staff of all stages to gain professional experience that is of benefit for them. 

Experienced staff may be in a position to mentor other teachers in programming. They may be tempted to go ahead and do a lot of the programming themselves, but they should be looking to expand their leadership, collaboration and mentoring skills in the process. This may involve teaching other staff about school-specific programming conventions, sharing expertise about syllabus interpretation or content knowledge, or guiding staff to existing faculty resources that may be useful.

Out of subject teachers may be keen to expand their knowledge and experiences by engaging in programming for new subjects within the faculty - e.g. a Commerce/Business Studies teacher programming for Legal Studies. This helps to create a faculty with a broader skill set, and keeps the staff member engaged and interested because they have the opportunity to try something new. It can also build stronger relationships between staff working together and learning from each other.

Beginning teachers may bring new ideas and perspectives to programming, and may have a skillset that the more experienced staff member doesn't have - e.g. technology skills or relevant industry experience. The beginning teacher will benefit from engaging with the more experienced staff members to learn about the process of programming within the school including programming scaffolds, school priorities (e.g. there might be particular approaches to literacy, or a conceptual framework that the school incorporates in their programs) and school resources.

What do each of these people bring to the faculty? How can we facilitate them working together?

It is important that the staff can work together as a team, and it might be useful to find a way to add some social aspects to the programming sessions so that it feels less like a chore, and to continue to build strong interpersonal relationships in the faculty - afternoon tea, dinner or a a faculty social event afterwards.

​Self reflection: How do you see yourself? What do you bring to the table? What is your view of collaborative programming?

Honestly, I find collaborative planning hard. I know what I like, I know what I think works well, and I just want to sit down and get the job done. However, I also know that people won't want to teach a program that they've had no say in, or mostly represents one person's cultural perspective or interests. "Easy" does not always mean "best" - for you, the faculty or the students. The best programs incorporate a range of different perspectives.

Decisions to consider early:
- What resources are you going to draw on? Digital platforms? New text books? Resources from professional associations? Videos and documentaries? Existing resources?
- How will programming be divided up in your faculty? How will you ensure that the load is shared but the workload is manageable?
- How will the faculty both make use of existing expertise in the faculty and develop the knowledge and skills of more junior staff?
- How will you find the time? 
- Do you have a timeline that you are working to? Does it provide flexibility to take into account busy periods - exams, reports, school events, etc. ?

Staff wellbeing
A key consideration in this process is going to be looking after staff wellbeing - ensuring faculty relationships are stable and professional, ensuring some people aren't taking on too much of the load, ensuring people feel their opinion is valued, and managing the overall workload of the faculty is manageable. During periods where the faculty has multiple subjects requiring new programs, some meetings or extra initiatives may need to be cut back to accomodate. Keep in mind that keeping the faculty functioning well is more important than a series of perfect documents with no one to teach them.

I had decided with absolute certainty that I was leaving teaching and education all together. I was tired, deflated, done. Overburdened by the struggles with the system, the structures, the administration, trying to do everything with nothing, and the politics. Just done. I have been contemplating this for a while, but the idea was cemented in the past 6 months. However, this last week was a revelation. I found a purpose again. I'm writing this for the many teachers that I have spoken to that are tired, that are thinking of leaving the profession, that have had enough. Hold on.

The last few years have seen all of us pushed to the absolute edge of what we can achieve, of what we are willing to put up with, how much criticism we can take in the media, or how much support we can provide for our students (which is gladly given, but can sometimes be hard). Teachers are taking huge numbers of extra lessons to keep schools running. While this is amazing that they are willing to do this, each extra that a teacher takes results in further fatigue. Executive staff have spent all their energy trying to keep their schools safe and operational. On top of this, the general population has found this period difficult - managing acute health issues with stretched services, supporting friends and extended family through COVID, and for those in rural areas - floods, fires and plagues. Literally biblical stuff. The cumulative burden of managing the last few years has seen huge numbers of teachers leave the profession, and morale at an all time low. 

Finding your purpose
This week I attended an event with teachers across the state that was really inspiring,  helped me to reset my thinking and find my purpose again. So much of my energy and thinking has been stuck in the day-to-day - the activities, the admin, the operational stuff. Drudgery. There really is so much of it that it can be hard to step away and maintain a view on the bigger picture - to see the forest for the trees - the purpose. And without purpose it can be hard to maintain momentum.

Strategic plans 
​Your purpose can't be just anything. Have a look at your system strategic goals, (for DoE teachers it can be found here - DoE Strategic Plan) and your school plan as a starting point. If you're lucky there might be something that immediately jumps out at you.

Passion
Think about the things that matter to you - what do you care about? What do you most value? Is there any relationship between this and what is already happening in your school or region? Or is there a link between this and the school plan?

Strengths
What are your strengths and weaknesses? You can make a personal goal about improving yourself, but for actually finding a purpose, a reason for getting out of bed in the morning, it is probably easier to centre it around something you are already good at. Your purpose should involve applying what you are good at to bring about positive change for students and/or teachers. 

Timeframe
I'm a pretty changeable person and for me I will usually have a purpose for a few years, achieve what I wanted and then do a reset. A purpose can be something long-term that will shape your career over a long period, or it can be something  that is guiding you for a few years. If it is a short term goal, it might be better using this as a PDP goal for a year.

In short, find a reason to love your job. We spend a lot of time at work. If you don't love it, or at least something about it, you won't be able to continually meet the demands and keep your head above water.

Read more:
Finding your purpose in Education

The next thing is finding time to fulfil your purpose...

Getting out of the weeds
We are all leaders - whether you lead a faculty, a subject, an extra-curricular activity or a school. One conversation I had this week stuck with me regarding the idea of getting out of the weeds. I love a good garden metaphor, but I am always very sceptical of "business speak" and some elements of leadership theory making its way onto the educational landscape. However, this has some merit. My philosophy of leadership has always incorporated a strong element of service - not in the customer service sense, but rather in the sense of service to others - helping, supporting, and meeting responsibilities. Of course, I'm a believer in having a vision and driving things forward. I also understand that I need to know the staff and read their cues, and know when to ease on the brakes for a while - pulling the work back to keep people in the game long-term. The risk of pulling work back off people is that the workload becomes overwhelming and sometimes I end up with jobs that should be delegated.
 
Getting out of the weeds basically means maintaining focus on the parts of the job that add value, reducing micromanaging, maintaining staff energy, and trusting and leveraging existing leadership in the faculty, team, school, etc.

How can you do this as a teacher, faculty head teacher or team leader?
​- prioritise big-picture thinking to drive decisions
- hold working meetings. Meetings where everyone sits around and listens to one person talk, or even where everyone is talking are often not productive at all. Set an agenda, and use meeting times to actually get something done. A quick meeting is a good meeting.
- Lock in time on your calendar to do tasks. Prioritise the important items at the beginning of the week and leave the to do list for brain-dead time at the end of the week
- Find something that inspires you and your team to keep the momentum going.
- Find your tribe - surround yourself with people with a similar vision or purpose.

5 strategies leaders can use to stay out of the weeds
Get out of the Weeds