Meet the Teacher Shaping Health and Equity in Rural Education
For Joshua Barden, teaching is about more than lessons and timetables; it’s about creating opportunities where they may not otherwise exist. As a Bachelor of Education graduate from the University of Newcastle, Josh has spent the past four years living and teaching in a small rural community, using health and physical education to address inequity and inspire change, guided by his belief that quality education shouldn’t be a postcode lottery.
Like many people, Josh was drawn to health and physical education through a love of sport, being active outdoors, and the positive impact it had on his own wellbeing. But the real spark came from the relationships he formed with inspiring teachers during his own schooling.
“When I was completing my initial teacher education at the University of Newcastle, I studied a unit about educational philosophy. It wasn’t a popular unit, especially among PDHPE teachers, but it was one of the most formative learning experiences I have had in my life.”
It was during this time that Josh began to think deeply about educational and social equity, which led him to pursue a rural scholarship placement program. For four years, he has been living and working on Ngoorabul Country in the New England northwest of NSW. Leaving behind everything familiar, he moved to a former mining town of just 500 people, where he serves as the single-person PDHPE faculty at Emmaville Central School. While welcomed warmly by the community, Josh has seen firsthand the challenges facing many rural students: from limited recreational options to issues of housing instability, food insecurity, and mental health concerns.
“When I started out at Emmaville, I was naive. I had no idea of the difficulties that some young people face – unstable housing, food insecurity, broken homes, mental health illness, physical inactivity, violence and addiction. The unfortunate reality is that, for many of the young people that I teach, or who live in remote areas, these are things that they live with every day.”
Josh stands with his partner beside a road sign that reads "Emmaville, Population 500, Elevation 890 M," with a sunny, tree-lined background.
Josh is standing in front of a sign that reads 'Emmaville Central School 1969'.
Josh pictured at the 2023 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards where he was named an Early Career Teacher Scholarship Awardee.
Josh is pictured at the ACEL NSW Branch awards where he received the Mary Armstrong Award for Early Career Teacher Leadership.
Initially, Josh focused on making every lesson fun to engage his students, but he quickly realised that enjoyment alone wasn’t enough. Over 18 months, he dedicated himself to truly understanding his students and their unique challenges. He came to see that simply being present in the classroom wasn’t sufficient, he needed to actively use education as a tool to address disadvantage and create meaningful opportunities for his students.
To achieve this, Josh implements trauma-informed practices to create safe and supportive learning environments, applies principles of cognitive science to strengthen learning and memory, and develops future-focused skills that equip his students for success beyond school, helping to break cycles of disadvantage.
“So much of what prevents people from living productive and prosperous lives can be attributed to poor social-emotional development, chronic lifestyle illness, or mental health problems. Each of which is a key area of content for health and physical educators.”
Josh’s dedication to equitable education and student wellbeing has been recognised nationally. In 2023, he was named an Early Career Teacher Scholarship Awardee at the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards, presented by Schools Plus, one of only ten teachers selected across Australia. In 2024, Josh was recognised on The Educator’s Rising Stars list, highlighting early-career teachers with exceptional leadership potential, innovative teaching practices, and significant contributions to the profession. Most recently, in 2025, he received the Mary Armstrong Award for Early Career Teacher Leadership at the ACEL NSW Branch awards.
Central to Josh’s approach are four guiding principles
Every community and student faces unique challenges. Josh believes teachers must deeply understand their context, identify gaps, trial solutions, and reflect on outcomes in an ongoing cycle of improvement.
Lessons must have a clear purpose. Josh connects learning to real-life examples and emphasises practical application, so students understand why what they are learning matters.
Support from colleagues and other educators is critical. For Josh, building connections inside and outside the school ensures resilience, fresh ideas, and prevents working in isolation.
Teaching health and physical education in rural communities is about more than sport, it’s about tackling health inequities, building resilience, and inspiring lifelong wellbeing.
Josh encourages teachers considering a rural placement to take the leap.
“By creating strong leaders and passionate health advocates today, we get healthier rural communities, and a more equitable health landscape, tomorrow. If you choose the ‘tree’ change, and the lifestyle doesn’t hook you in and keep you there, the feeling that you are really making a tangible impact every day, and contributing to a more equitable health landscape, certainly will.”
Inspired by Josh's story?
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.