Test takers get sample of school life today

Just saying the word "test" is enough to cause many a brow to furrow and hand to tremble. By design, a test is not an easy thing. No one in his right mind would take one just for fun.

But 12 gluttons for punishment long removed from school desks and chalk boards did just that recently when they took a sample Missouri Assessment Program test, a test normally used by the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to judge student performance in this state.

The test takers -- including the Chamber of Commerce's Jeff Glenn, IRS agent Steve Rickard and school board member Sharon Mueller -- compared it to pulling teeth, saying it was challenging and that it really made them think. They all did reasonable well, with the lowest score being 82 percent and the highest was 100 percent.

The men and women who participated should be congratulated for both their courage and mental aptitude. But let it also serve as a gentle reminder that you never know when life is going to provide a little test. And we can appreciate the challenges our children face in school every day.

So go do your homework.