Ripple Effects

I’ve always loved people who think differently. And here’s a bank that’s doing it. They recently encouraged me to sign up for a new credit card, and the self-addressed envelope just made me laugh. Their office address? ANZ Centralised Fulfilment Centre.

And you know, it’s that time of the year when we need to do this type of thing. Otherwise, the relentless workload (and sometimes, the tedium) can wear us down.

November is an interesting time, is it not? Close to a holiday; but not close enough. And the heat builds up (at least where I’m living!), and small issues just seem to magnify out of all proportion. Yet, it’s one of the best times to find out more about your resilience and deep character.

It’s my contention that you aren’t tested when everything is going well. It’s not an issue to be happy, well-adjusted, and to generally treat everyone else superbly when you’re relaxed. We’re all fairly pleasant when we’re not being stretched.

Your character is tested when you’re overwhelmed with stuff in your life, and when you’re spending just a bit too long on your sleep deprivation studies. That’s often when the real person comes to the fore. Like, about now. And it’s now that we need some of that sparkle and creativity in everyday events.

Especially so in schools. I’m seeing some interesting dynamics in some classrooms lately. And it’s pretty obvious that not everyone is coping with the pressures of this time of the year. A rank understatement, I can tell you.

I’m starting to feel that way myself. As well as working on a 30-day project for a group called ISQ (Independent Schools Q’land), I’m doing lots of other consultancy work, I’m negotiating all sorts of exciting work in 2010 (which takes ages), I’ve been overhauling 3 different websites (more on that below), I’m off to Singapore this week for some super-interesting new work, and I’ve just released a new version of my Thinkers Keys.

And that’s just during the daytime!!

So, given all of that, some quick things here:

* If you previously signed up for an email subscription to my blog, that will finish with this email. If you’d like to continue to receive my blogs, you’ll just need to sign up again at www.tonyryan.com.au (that’s my new site); or to use the RSS Feed.

* Although I’m not totally into twitter, I usually mention something there if I think that it’s a worthwhile issue for teachers. If you like, have a look at http://twitter.com/aussietony and even sign up if you’d like more of those type of ideas.

* And yes, I’ve just released my latest version of Thinkers Keys. Absolutely my best yet. A set of twenty A5 cards for use in classrooms, with a cool little booklet to go with it all. If I’ve worked with you in the past year or so, I’ll send out a Thinkers Keys Pack over the next couple of weeks.

I also intend to develop two further electronic versions: one will be a free site that encourages kids to create solutions; and the other will be a fully-fledged Thinkers Keys, with all sorts of powerful processes for enhancing student thinking.

Lastly, I intend to keep my Latest Joke section on the new blog updated pretty regularly. For most jokes, I’ll restrict them to ones that could be used in classrooms. Laughter and creativity often go together, and it’s the perfect time of the year for both!