Please enjoy this week's

Leader Wellbeing Thought August 15, 2025, Done thing

by APPA President Angela Falkenburg

Howdy guardians of goodness.

I love the show Bluey. The stories and characters have away of capturing life’s small moments, the ones that, when you step back, are actually the building blocks for children learning how to think, be connected and feel seen.

In the episode, Turtleboy, Bingo and her dad, Bandit, find a toy turtle at the playground. They play with it for a while, but Bandit reminds Bingo that "it’s not the done thing" to take him home, his owner might return.

Later, a puppy named Dougie arrives. He too plays with Turtleboyand, like Bingo, wishes he could take him home. Both children try hidingTurtleboy over several visits, hoping to keep him. But guilt creeps in.Eventually, Bingo realises that hiding him isn’t right and leaves him in thepark for everyone to enjoy.

It’s a gentle, layered story about empathy, boundaries, and doing the right thing. But what caught my ear was Bandit’s phrase: "It’s not the done thing."

It’s such a simple way to name behaviour that falls short of the values of a group or community, a phrase that says:
It’s not right.
It’s not proper.
It’s not how we behave here.

In schools, short, shared language is useful to guide our  interactions. "Not the done thing" works because it’s easy to understand and is tied to belonging. It reframes correction away from punishment and towards shared expectations.

We all know examples:

• Jumping a queue instead of waiting your turn.
• Talking loudly in a quiet library.
• Not holding to shared agreements.
• Interrupting when someone is speaking.
• Not saying thank you when given a favour.

None of these are illegal. But they’re discourteous, unfair, or out of step with the values that keep communities safe and harmonious.

As leaders, we hold and model these invisible guardrails. Sometimes, our job is simply to name them; calmly, clearly, and in a way that connects behaviour to community identity.

Because when we protect the done thing, we nurture the culture that fosters belonging.

Angela    

Angela Falkenburg

APPA President