One third of teaching time lost to student misbehaviour, crisis report finds

The survey, conducted by the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), polled hundreds of teachers across the country. Blaise Joseph, a former teacher and education director at the CIS, said the term ‘crisis’ should not be used lightly, but the scale and urgency of the data warranted it.

According to Mr Joseph, the misbehaviour was typically ‘low level’ — defined as anything that disrupted learning and prevented teachers from teaching. Over time, he said, this behaviour was ‘exhausting’ for educators and had a significant impact on their wellbeing. One in 10 teachers reported that misbehaviour had a significant negative effect on their health and wellbeing in the past week.

Female teachers were more likely to report losing teaching time to student misbehaviour and were twice as likely to report a significant impact on their health and wellbeing. Mr Joseph noted anecdotal evidence of misogynistic conduct from students, particularly linked to influencers such as Andrew Tate. An anonymous male teacher who spoke to the ABC backed those concerns, saying: ‘I definitely think there’s more misogyny… as a teacher you overhear things [students say] about female teachers and Andrew Tate and that dialogue being regurgitated.’

The findings come shortly after national NAPLAN results revealed one third of Australian students are not meeting expectations in literacy and numeracy. A separate Monash University survey released last week found that 78 per cent of teachers reported observing or experiencing sexism or misogyny in school, with one in three observing or experiencing it frequently.

Why This Matters

Lost teaching time directly compounds Australia’s literacy and numeracy gaps, as one third of students already fail to meet NAPLAN benchmarks.
Teacher wellbeing is under severe strain, with one in ten reporting significant health impacts in the past week — potentially accelerating attrition from the profession.
The disproportionate burden on female teachers raises concerns about systemic misogyny in school environments and its effect on staff retention.

Background

Australia has been grappling with declining classroom discipline and rising student behavioural issues for several years. Recent NAPLAN data showed one third of students below expected standards, feeding into a broader debate about school quality and teacher shortages. The CIS survey provides the first quantified measure of how much lesson time behaviour consumes, while the Monash survey highlights the gender dimension of the problem.

Key Perspectives

Teachers and their unions: They report an exhausting, low-level disruption that erodes teaching time and personal wellbeing. Female teachers bear the brunt and face misogynistic student conduct. Education departments and school leaders: They have restricted teachers from speaking publicly, making independent surveys the main window into classroom realities. Some may argue the problem is localised or exacerbated by broader social factors. Critics/Skeptics: Some may question whether ‘low-level’ disruption truly constitutes a crisis, or argue that the data reflects only teacher perception. Others could say it is a symptom of inadequate student support or outdated disciplinary policies.

What to Watch

Whether state education departments respond with formal inquiries or new behavioural guidelines.
Subsequent surveys tracking teacher wellbeing and retention rates, especially for female educators.
Any link drawn between online misogyny (Andrew Tate content) and classroom behaviour in future research.

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