I was lucky enough to work with a Mr Paul Prindle in my earlier days of educational publishing. He was a gentle, patient spirit—interested in everything and everyone—and always had a moment to spare to shoot the breeze or talk strategy. He worked with a Mr Donald Jones (Snr), of whom I shall write at a later date, to build an amazing company that made amazing products. Paul cared deeply about education and was a great businessman, but he also cared deeply about life, and a life that was worth living. I fondly remember being asked to pull up a chair and have a small (or large!) glass of wine on Friday afternoons and discussing the latest products my team was working on. You could argue that this type of discourse is now a luxury in the publishing business, and that there was perhaps a myopia or willful denial that the winds were changing in educational publishing, and that the development of the world wide web and ebooks, and amazon are only hastening a reckoning. I’d prefer to think they represent an opportunity to create even richer learning experiences and options for non-traditional leaners.
But this isn’t about pedagogy and learning technology. This is about one man’s generosity of spirit and willingness to take us all along on a wonderful ride.
As Paul often said, “we’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time.”
Careers are your life’s work. Make sure you have a good time.
