Paige Rundle is on long service leave from the profession she loves, but admits it's unlikely she will return to teaching full time.
Ms Rundle is one of thousands of registered Australian teachers opting not to step back into the classroom, as the teacher shortage worsens.
But she says it's not a question of pay.
"The money's not that bad — it's that they've taken teaching out of our hands," she said.
"They've got to give teachers the freedom to actually teach."
Ms Rundle is studying publishing and weighing up a career change, but admits teaching will always be in her blood.
"I've started teaching horseriding, because it scratches the 'itch', but it's sad because the same joy isn't there in the classroom anymore, and it should be," she said.
A national issue
Teacher shortages are not a problem unique to Queensland, with modelling showing the demand for secondary school teachers across Australia will outstrip graduates by more than 4,100 teachers over the next three years.
A national action plan is expected to be endorsed by December to recruit and retain more teachers, with talk of better pay for more experienced staff.
Ms Rundle said she hoped any national action plan would address common concerns among teachers about the curriculum, workload and discipline.
"At the moment it's a rotating wheel where the same kids get suspended; they come back, and it's a 'reward' to be sent home again. And the kids know we can't do anything about it.
"All the while, it is disruptive to the whole class."
Ms Rundle said, in addition, teachers were now expected to do a lot of parenting – making the classroom an unappealing environment to work in.
Parents back action
Queensland's Education Minister Grace Grace has sought to reassure parents that teacher shortages are not affecting students' NAPLAN results.
"The Grattan Institute has given Queensland a gold star for growth in student outcomes so we're very proud of that," Ms Grace said.
"We are providing added incentives for teachers to teach in regional and remote Queensland, so hopefully that will really give us a boost along in terms of teacher numbers."
Parents are worried about the long-term consequences of the shortage and the impact of their children's education and future.
"Parents are concerned in … making sure that kids have appropriate supervision at school," P&C's Queensland chief executive Scott Wiseman said.
'Linchpin role'
Queensland Teachers Union vice president Leah Olsson said there needed to be a "discussion at the dinner table" about the value of teachers to society.
"We need resourcing for our state schooling, and we need respect for the linchpin role that they play in our community," she said.
Ms Olsson said better incentives were also needed, such as paid-for flights, to attract teachers to regional and rural areas of Queensland.
Back in the paddock, Ms Rundle is enjoying many more "pure teaching moments" at the horseriding school.
She said while there was no silver bullet, looking to successful countries could help make classrooms enticing for Australian teachers once again.
"There's a reason why Finland is number one for education," she said.
"They value the role of the teacher."
