When Change Feels Like A Weight

When Change Feels Like a Weight 

Trying to Prove a Point – But Missing the Heart

Right now, we are facing a government intent on proving something—determined to make sweeping changes in the name of a “world class education system”. Yet, there seems to be little understanding that true, lasting change requires teachers to be at the very heart of the process. Instead, change is being thrust upon us, as if to say, “Look what I’ve done!” without considering the people who will actually make it happen or even realising that this should be about the needs of the children.

Replicating, Not Respecting

It appears that our Minister has seen other education systems she wishes to emulate. Rather than recognising that real change takes time, she is intent on pushing these changes onto an already change-weary system—all to be able to declare, “See, I did it!” But simply flooding us with pages of fancy rubrics and polished reporting templates, bundled with a curriculum that feels like overpacked luggage—just in case—doesn’t mean anything meaningful has changed.

Change Fatigue: Still Waiting for the Main Course

Teachers have already stomached so much change. If these shifts in literacy and mathematics were a meal, most of us are still struggling through the entrée, unsure if we will ever reach the main course before we walk out of the restaurant altogether, order takeaways, and collapse in front of Netflix.

We gaze at the mountains of curriculum content, trying to figure out how this could possibly work within arbitrary year levels. We know, perhaps better than anyone, that just because a child is in a certain year, it doesn’t mean the learning they need can be found in the overstuffed content laid before them.

Moving Goalposts and Missing Voices

We are trying our best. But this storm of change has been relentless. Information arrives just before it’s needed—then is revised, again and again. The goalposts keep shifting. Just as we think we’ve got a handle on things, the expectations change, the definition of “compliant” changes, and all of this happens without any real input from those of us expected to make it work on the ground.

Gobbledygook and Impossible Reports

Then come the rubrics, followed by reporting examples that read like a thesis. To be put out on the last Friday of our non-contact time and expect these to be used for mid-term reports is beyond absurd. The rubrics are gobbledygook, the reports are mortifying. Most of us use plain language, in real time, because it allows us to celebrate progress and work smarter. There are no exemplars—how could there be, when it feels like all of this is being made up on the fly by AI?

Would This Be Acceptable Anywhere Else?

If this was any other workforce, would it be okay? Would it be acceptable to demand this level of change, this pace, without genuine consultation or respect for the expertise of the people who must deliver it?

Change for Appearances, Not for Impact

These changes seem to exist just so a Minister can stand up and list all the “amazing” things this government has achieved. Yet what is being claimed is completely at odds with what is happening at the coalface. Is this really something to celebrate? When changes are made without listening to the very people expected to enact them, is that okay?

Overstretched, Overwhelmed, and Overlooked

Our system is overstretched. The needs of our children are growing every day. Teachers are giving their all, but they are not getting the support they need for these children. The reality is, change needs to start there—at the needs of the children and the support for teachers—not with money wasted on assessment artefacts that, quite frankly, we hope we never have to use.

There Is Only So Much We Can Take

There is only so much we can take. Teachers are tired, change-weary, and desperate for real, meaningful support. If change is to matter, it must start by listening to the voices of those who know our students best—and by valuing our expertise, not ignoring it.