Mary’s story
The toxic leadership culture embedded within Victoria’s Department of Education didn’t just derail my teaching career—it dismantled it. What began as a simple, rightful, protected employment activity about a grievance against the principal at Galvin Park Secondary College spiraled into a decade-long legal battle, cloaked in bureaucracy and resistance. Instead of being met with fairness and an early resolution, in accordance with its own policies, I was thrust into a system that seemed designed to exhaust, silence, and erase me.
This wasn’t just the loss of my job. It was the slow erosion of my dignity, my identity, and at times, my very will to keep going. The profession I had once poured my heart into became the source of my deepest wounds.
Just when I thought the nightmare had ended, three years later, new documents surfaced—evidence that reignited the pain and confirmed my worst fears. As I sifted through these files, I uncovered a pattern of misconduct and institutional betrayal that had been carefully buried. The rot ran deep. The torment I had endured wasn’t an isolated incident—it was symptomatic of a culture that enabled cover-ups and punished those who dared to speak up.
What devastated me most wasn’t just the betrayal by my employer or their powerful insurers—it was the secrecy of the Australian Education Union. For over twenty years, I had stood by them, paid my dues, and believed in their mission. But when I needed them most, they turned away.
That moment changed everything. I knew I could no longer stay quiet. I wasn’t just fighting for myself anymore—I was standing for every educator who has ever been gaslit, sidelined, or broken by an employer that claims to care but too often protects power and its own reputation over its people.
As I prepared to enter the legal arena, I wrestled with what it truly means to reclaim your voice in a system built to suppress it. This wasn’t just about justice—it was about survival. About dignity. About refusing to be erased.
That’s why I chose to publish my book exactly as it is—raw, unfiltered, and unapologetically honest. Because:
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Educators deserve to have their mental health protected, especially when they are brave enough to challenge injustice.
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Self-represented litigants need real, practical guidance—not platitudes—when navigating a legal system that can feel cold and impenetrable. And because marginalised voices must be heard, especially in a system where the odds are stacked against them.
At its core, Teachers Raise Your Hand is both a record and a reckoning. It’s a warning to every employer about the cost of silence and complicity. But more than that, it’s a lifeline—for anyone who has ever felt alone in their fight for fairness.
If my story can spare even one individual from the pain I went through, then every word carries significant importance. I sincerely hope that this book will prompt a discussion that the Department of Education can no longer afford to ignore— for perhaps the elusive truth looming behind the teacher shortage may indeed be found within the Department of Education itself.
All the original documents referenced throughout the book are accessible in the Resources section of this website.
