Myra Karantzas schools

Jo Ferrara schools

Free test popular with parents and teachers

Our free online test for potential giftedness has proven a popular tool for parents who suspect their child is more than bright.  Children from the following schools have used it.

Victoria- Clayton North, Tintern, St Gregory the Great Doncaster, Overport, Laburnum, Camberwell, Sacre Coeur, Viewbank, Brighton, St Thomas Blackburn, Brighton Beach, Mentone, Blackburn Lake, Bentleigh Secondary, Gembrook, Our Lady of the Pines Donvale, Glen Huntly, Parkmore, Livingstone, Lilydale West, Broadmeadows, Bonbeach, Doncaster, OGOC Oakleigh, Ruskin Park, Lighthouse Christian College, Mt Evelyn Christian College, Kerrimuir, Mill Park, Lalor East, Wonga Park, Greythorn,  Rangeview, ICA Casey College, Dingley, Laburnum – several from each school and Christnas Hills Principal used it to check what he thought about some of the students at the school. There are many who used it from Langwarrin PS

NSW- John Colet at Belrose, Home school at Mullion Creek, Dubbo School of Distance Education, St Thomas Drummoyne, Hassal Grove, Bennett Rd Colyton.

South Australia- Samaritan College Whyalla

Queensland- Middle Ridge

USA – Phoenix Arizona

Seychelles- Bel Eau

What it has proved is that parents are more accurate than anyone else.   Those very experienced and learned in gifted education would be next.

Learning from Gerry Ryan at Breakfast

In 2011 we went to a business network breakfast where Gerry Ryan,  owner of Jayco Caravans and joint owner of the horse Americain, the winner of a recent Melbourne Cup, was the guest speaker. I wondered what he could say that might add to what we are seeking for the children in the way of wisdom.

Mr Ryan called himself ” the little boy from Bendigo”. I asked what signs there might have been when he was young that he might one day have an Order of Australia and a huge business. His answer was, “ Well, I was kicked out of boarding school.”  Interesting to think he may have been rather entrepreneurial then.  He also held a very low level job picking apples for several years reliably and honestly and was promoted quite quickly in whatever he was doing.  He set out to be an accountant  and one thing led to another.

Mr Ryan  seized opportunities when they presented, endured the hardships, worked hard, accepted advice of good mentors, followed his hunches, changed rapidly when he needed to, took reasonable risks, accepted that he would make mistakes but had a go at things and worked for continual improvement.  He built a good team and trusted them, delegated the day to day operations and spent time on the big picture.  He called it the helicopter approach, hovering overhead and dropping in where needed.  He said you need to dare to dream, to set goals and plan to achieve them, play the business game properly and make money.  He has about 900 employees here and those jobs depend on his business making money. The money also allowed him to be involved in creating ” Walk with the Dinosaurs”, which cost many millions before it made a cent.

Mr. Ryan’s major point of the morning was the absolute importance of the people in your team and your suppliers. He said business is a team game. We need to lead by example, be responsible, have courage, stick to our guns, know when to change, be passionate, persistent, courageous, intuitive, and do the perspiring part too. With planning and a bit of luck we can be successful.  That’s how they set about winning the 150th Melbourne Cup.

Well,  in WiseOnes we encourage the gifted children to have a  go, to argue their case, to accept advice of a wise mentor(WiseOnes teacher), to accept that to improve you will make mistakes, to persist, to plan, to face challenges, to be responsible, to respect people, to work in fair partnerships and as a team. They gain a deep sense of achievement and so do we. The end idea is to make a difference for your people, for your society for the world.  WiseOnes is not just an advanced academic program but a movement of the gifted children from being unusually clever to greater wisdom. Mr Ryan’s talk gave us a succinct summary of how to be wise in business and in life. WiseOnes teachers apply it through the academic, intellectual, moral and social development of the people who will one day lead our society in business, trades, professions, parenting, politics, health, religion, social services, exploration and education too.  We want wise leaders in all the fields that are not much more than a decade into the future. Some of the first pupils to be in the WiseOnes program  in 1998 are now nearly 25 years old, making their own difference in the world.