From the Assistant Principal

Toilet Humour 

Some things we just have to learn to do.

The kinds of things we don't remember when or how we learnt them. We just did. The things we picked up from our parents, older siblings, or simply absorbed through osmosis.

One example, for boys, is how to use a urinal.

While Carly is much better known for her toilet humour, I'm happy to give it a go.

Urine for a seriously good read here.

Each year, apparently as part of my role as Assistant Principal, I find myself asking our incoming Foundation parents to teach their boys how to use a urinal (just aim for the trough lollies, boys). Recently, however, we've had a few incidents where boys aren't quite using the urinal as it was intended, leaving our cleaners with a mess that could well be avoided.

I also don't rush to tie up boys' shoelaces at lunchtime.

But it does raise a bigger question. Where does the responsibility for teaching these kinds of things begin and end?

If schools are responsible for teaching toilet etiquette, should we also be responsible for teaching children how to use cutlery? How to blow their nose? How to cover a cough? When to say "please" and "thank you"? Or how to tidy up after themselves?

Most people would probably answer, "No. Those things should be taught at home."

And I'd agree.

But what happens when they aren't?

Schools don't have the luxury of saying, "Well, someone else should have taught them that." If a child arrives not yet knowing a skill they need to be successful, safe or considerate, we teach it. Sometimes that's reading and maths. Sometimes it's how to line up, how to join a game, how to resolve a disagreement or how to repair a fractured friendship. 

This is, in many ways, the real point of school. Education has never been solely about filling children's heads with knowledge. As educator Guy Claxton argues, schools are places where young people learn how to become effective learners and thoughtful members of society. Alongside literacy and numeracy sits a whole range of life skills, habits and dispositions that help children flourish beyond the classroom.

Every day, teachers are helping children navigate what is often called the "hidden curriculum" - the unwritten rules, habits and social expectations that allow people to live, learn and work alongside others.

We don't teach these things because they're on a checklist or because we think they should replace the role of parents. We teach them because every child deserves the opportunity to feel confident, capable and included. Sometimes that means explaining fractions. Sometimes it means reminding children to wash their hands, tie their shoelaces or use the bathroom appropriately.

So if, one day, your child comes home talking about the correct way to use a school toilet rather than what they learnt in maths, know that we've probably still had a successful day. Sometimes the smallest lessons are the ones that make the biggest difference.

Mat Williamson

Assistant Principal (and The Trough Lollies feels like a pretty decent band name)