Speed Dating in Cert IV

As creatures of habit, we seem to seek out comfort zones in our every day lives, even in the protective environment of the classroom. We have a habit of looking around for familiar faces, securing our study or work area for the day.

If you watch students enter the room, you see them almost instinctively sit next to someone they have bonded with who offers no threat.

Imagine taking a risk and sitting next to someone you know very little about? you would be amazed at the abundance of knowledge and insight you can gain from someone new, especially someone you are unlikely to associate with in your 'regular' world.

Choice was taken away from me today, as a result of computer malfunction. I was already comfortable next to my 'study buddies' and was in for a settled regular day. My screen began to flicker and spurt, signifying yet another computer deciding to die on me, a phenomenon that has created much amusement in the classroom.

Much to my dismay, the only available functioning computer was at the back of the room. Even back in my high school days it was never a favoured spot. I really like to be in the thick of things and feel like I am missing out, if sitting away from all the action.

We have been together for 6 weeks as a group. Cert IV is a fairly small and intimate class. Most of us meet frequently for lunch breaks and coffee, but there was one student I really did not know at all. This student also happened to be the youngest in the class, in contrast to me being ...*cough*...the oldest in the class.

We exchanged a couple of polite greetings and discussed what we were expected to carry out today. We compared ideas on a Word 2.0 task that has been presented to us.

What an amazing wealth of creative ideas came out of this new personality. I had heard she was 'good at art', but as I shared some of my ideas for my assignment, I was impressed by her enthusiasm, imagination, and her unselfish willingness to help me expand what I was working on. "Perhaps you could do it like this? maybe have this? change it like that?"

We exchanged ideas on a future blog, helped each other research, enjoyed each other's experience and opinions. I was able to assist her with my spelling and editing skills, which were appreciated from her perspective.

Sometimes you need to get out of your chair and speed date the room. You should never make assumptions or label a person, and begin to appreciate that we all have special gifts to offer. If you stay in that comfort zone, you may never really grab what exists so close to you.

There's a vast range of ages and backgrounds in Cert IV, different dreams, experience, personalities and talents: it's up to us to find the treasures.