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Ask anyone to name a teacher who shaped them and most people can do it without pausing. We sat down with Gemma Broderick, Teach For Australia (TFA) Leadership Development Program (LDP) alum, to find out what the job actually involves and why it matters.
Key takeaways
Teaching involves far more than classroom instruction, encompassing planning, pastoral care, family communication, and professional learning, most of which happens outside of lesson time.
The relationships teachers build with students are often the most significant factor in whether a student engages, persists, and succeeds.
Teaching skills develop over time, through experience, mentoring, and reflective practice. They aren’t natural or fully formed on day one.
When people think about what teachers do, they are likely to picture the front of a classroom: a teacher explaining a concept or fielding questions. That only captures a fraction of the role. The rest is unseen. Hours of effort shaping whether a young person learns, belongs, and keeps coming back often happen before the bell rings, between classes, or long after students have gone home.
The way that a high impact teacher builds influence, day by day and relationship by relationship, is what this article explores.
A full-time teacher’s working week extends well beyond the times students are present. AITSL’s 2023 data on teacher duties shows that 40 per cent of full-time classroom teachers reported spending 10 or more hours per week on lesson planning, on average, and over 50 per cent reported spending five or more hours per week on administrative work.
Gemma Broderick, an LDP Alumni, describes her day as follows:
“I start my day by making my welcome slides, printing resources and having a coffee,” Gemma says.
“I’ll typically teach 4-5 lessons a day, with some playground duties in-between.
“When I’m not teaching during the day I will usually spend that time lesson planning or making parent phone calls.
“Two afternoons each week we have professional learning to learn processes and collaborate with other teachers,” she explained.
“This gives us time to plan and assess student learning and helps us develop our practice.”
Before school there is preparation, communication, and the informal check-ins that set the tone for a student’s day.
During class, teachers are simultaneously explaining, differentiating instruction, managing behaviour, and making real-time decisions about when to adjust or try a different approach.
Between lessons, relationships are built and social problems are anticipated and addressed early. After school, marking, documentation, parent contact, and professional development fill the hours.
Gemma describes teaching as “so much more than just presenting a lesson”.
The regular responsibilities that happen away from students include lesson planning and resource development, marking and feedback, reporting and documentation, parent and carer communication, wellbeing support and follow-up, professional development, and collaboration with learning support and leadership teams.
This work creates consistency, fairness, and the conditions for growth. For LDP Associates, this runs alongside working towards their Master of Teaching (Secondary) (Leading Learning) through Australian Catholic University (ACU).
Teachers often play several roles for their students in single day. As an educator, they build skills and knowledge through carefully sequenced, accessible lessons. As a mentor, they recognise student strengths and communicate genuine belief in what a student can do. As a role model, they shape the norms students absorb through how they handle difficulty and lead the room. As the cultural head of the class, they set standards about work ethic and behaviour that is safe and acceptable. As a wellbeing supporter, they are often the safe, consistent adult a student turns to first.
“For some students, I am an adult they trust to talk to about their family, friendship and relationship issues,” Gemma explains.
“Because I know they look up to me, I need to be a positive role model. In this sense, they encourage me to be a better version of myself, which is really cool.”
Teachers also function as collaborators, working with colleagues and families toward shared goals for each student, and as advocates, identifying when a student needs additional support and making sure the right people know about it.
Excellent teaching is about a practice built through intention, reflection, and a willingness to keep improving.
“When I first started out, it felt a bit like trial and error,” Gemma says, candidly.
What distinguished her development as the reflective practice her mentor encouraged, plus the routines she built over time.
They plan with purpose
Strong teachers design lessons that build skills progressively, anticipate where students are likely to struggle, and make learning accessible for students with different starting points.
They build strong relationships
In Gemma’s first year, a student in her Year 9 Science class had produced no work across the entire second term, despite working well for other teachers. Rather than escalating, she tried something different.
“I told her I had seen the work she produced in English and was proud of the effort she put into it,” Gemma said.
“I asked if she could show me how she formatted her PowerPoint slides.”
The next morning, the student arrived with an entire booklet of science work – completed overnight.
“It taught me the importance of recognising people’s strengths and telling them you’re proud,” Gemma explained.
Through creating safety and building trust, Gemma was able to engage the student effectively in her learning – even across subject areas.
They adapt in the moment
Reading the room is a skill, as is knowing when to slow down, try a different explanation, or offer a student a moment to reset. Great teachers make these adjustments without drawing unnecessary attention to them.
They use data thoughtfully
Checking for understanding during a lesson, reviewing work to identify who has and has not grasped a concept, and tracking growth over time rather than only grading final products, all inform better teaching decisions.
They reflect and improve
“My mentor teacher told me that self-reflection really helps in your first year,” Gemma recalls. “Building these routines took time and practice, but now they’re in place four years on, my job feels a lot easier.”
Teaching skills develop through supported practice, feedback, and sustained time in the classroom. The key supports that make a difference include structured coaching and observation, mentoring from experienced colleagues, peer learning, and professional development tied directly to student needs.
Gemma’s answer to this question begins with a memory.
“Ask anyone and they will be able to tell you about a teacher who shaped them, for better or for worse,” she says.
“The impact a teacher can have on a person doesn’t just last the year that you teach them, it lasts a lifetime.”
She remembers her Year 11 teacher, Mrs Shead.
“She always made us feel like we belonged and I could tell she genuinely cared about everyone in the room.
“She believed in me even when I didn’t believe in me.”
That is the standard Gemma works to hold herself to.
“Everyone deserves to have someone in their corner,” she said.
When students have access to great teaching, they gain more than knowledge. They gain options.
For those considering teaching, we offer a supported pathway to turn everyday classroom practice into long-term change for students and communities.
Learn more about the Leadership Development Program.
What are the duties of a teacher?
A teacher’s duties span seven core areas: teaching and learning design, assessment and feedback, classroom management, student wellbeing support, communication with families, collaboration with colleagues, and ongoing professional learning. Teach For Australia’s LDP develops all of these capabilities through coaching, mentoring, and a concurrent Masters of Teaching. Find out more.
What are 5 things a teacher does?
Teaching is built on five core practices. The first is planning: designing lessons and learning activities so that skills build progressively and content is accessible to students with different starting points. Secondly, instruction, the ability to explain concepts clearly and in multiple ways until understanding is reached. The third is assessment, which involves checking student progress regularly and providing feedback that helps students know where they are and what to work on next. The fourth is wellbeing support, which involves maintenance of a classroom environment where students feel safe and engaged, and responding when they do not. Fifth and final is reflection, including reviewing what worked, seeking feedback from colleagues and mentors, and improving practice over time.
These five practices site at the core of our Leadership Development Program, where Associates develop each of them in real classrooms from day one, supported by coaching, mentoring, and study towards their Master of Teaching through ACU.
