IQ testing ceased early in my teaching career and I recall saying to colleagues they would come up with something to replace the IQ tests. Basic Skills Tests were introduced, evolving to today’s Naplan Tests.

The Basic Skills Tests indicated weaknesses in the children, areas needing remediation. Unfortunately, today, Naplan Tests are being used to evaluate schools, creating comparisons school against school. Students are actually being taught Naplan Test skills, students even being tutored to perform better. Many factors can result in poor test results, including socio-economic backgrounds.

We need to reverse downward trends in our education standards. Setting a balanced curriculum with high emphasis on the basics in early schooling is essential. Keep the tests, but take the pressure of expectation off and use the tests as a tool to determine student needs. School should be fun, challenging, informative and rewarding … not a pressure cooker.

                    WITS

While on education, I’ve never been a fan of homework, but have taught in schools where it was set policy. I remember a little fellow called Bruce who, at my first school, never did his homework. Coming up with another lame excuse, exasperation took over, and I told him he’d have to do better than that.

Knowing Bruce lived at the bottom of a cul-de-sac with a level thirty to forty yard walk to the school gate, I responded to his quizzical saying, “Something like I was walking to school with my homework clutched in my hand, going down through the dry creek bed, a sudden flash flood swept me off my feet. Reaching up to grab an overhanging tree branch, my homework was swept from my grasp.”

Bruce looked at me, and with a huge grin said, “That’s exactly what happened this morning Sir!” You know, Bruce never did his homework, but each morning was brightened with the most outlandish stories, excuses … almost literary gold.

                    WITS

A blonde wanted to show her husband blondes are really smart. She decided that she’d paint a couple of rooms in the house while her husband was at work. On arriving home that evening, the house smelt of fresh paint. The husband found his wife lying on the living room floor in a pool of sweat. He noticed she was wearing a heavy parka and leather jacket.

Asking her if she was okay, she replied, “Yes!”

He asked her what she was doing and she told him she wants to show him blondes weren’t dumb. The husband asked her why she had a parka over her leather jacket and she replied, “I read the directions on the paint can and it said, ’For better results, put on two coats’.”

                    WITS

Let’s be fair. One day a housework challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after stepping into the laundry he shouted. “What setting do I use on the washing machine?”

“It depends.” replied the wife. “What does it say on your shirt?”

The husband yelled back, “Brisbane Broncos!” You don’t have to be blonde.

                    WITS

This week we’ve learnt life shouldn’t be too serious, it pays to have an imagination, you hopefully can learn from your mistakes and things are not always as they seem. We never stop learning … right to the end.