As a single mum of two and education support worker, a day's pay means a lot to Luisa Thiedeman. Ms Thiedeman was among an estimated 20,000 Victorian teachers, support staff and school leaders who took to the streets of Melbourne's city centre on Thursday. The statewide teachers strike, the second since March, brought major disruptions to public school classes but all sites remained open. "This deal would have made Victorian teachers and education support staff the best paid in the country together with the best conditions." While the pay offer was significant, Ms Thiedeman said most specialist education staff like her would still struggle to get by.