<em><strong>When Australia fell well short of its expected medal tally during the last Olympic games in London, commentators throughout the country worked themselves into a frenzy.</strong></em>
The future of the nation was seemingly at stake.
<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-300" src="https://redtickeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/04/happy-primary-school-kids.jpg" alt="happy-primary-school-kids" width="400" height="266" />Recently, an international education report revealed that Australian children ranked 27th out of a possible 48 nations (and far lower among English-speaking countries), in areas of language, mathematics and science.
Barely a murmur was heard.  (Loading tumbleweed to blow through the newsroom).
The federal government's pledge to put Australia's school system in the top five globally by 2025 looks more distant as a result.
"The results are, of course, disappointing", said John Maher from the Australian Council for Educational Research, which performed the testing in Australia.  "If we continue on our current path, it will be very difficult to see how we will rate in the top five countries by 2025."
But then, what path should we be on?
The Gonski report initiated more discussions about funding and state vs federal and while the country sits and debates where and how funding should be delivered, our teachers and our children are continuing their walk down their ol' familiar path.
Change starts in your own backyard doesn't it?
I read somewhere that Anne Frank said, "Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."  The same can be said for teachers too they can't take the tests for their students.
"Sadly, for many students the realisation they are responsible for their own results comes all too late," says Jo Lovett from Redtick Education.  "Taking responsibility for setting their own goals, establishing a plan and successfully working with their skills and tools to achieve those goals is such an empowering thing for students."
"These are valuable life skills that can be applied way beyond the classroom," Jo believes.
Developing good habits and routine is something that Red Tick Education is passionate about.  They have developed tools and resources assisting students to manage their time well, remain focused on their goals and maintain a healthy balance in an engaging and activity-based format.  Available in hard copy or digital format, more information is available from their website.