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Global Mindset passed down: Children of Thunderbird professor self-publish world geography brain puzzle book

When Thunderbird School of Global Management says a global mindset is in its DNA – it means it. Not only do Thunderbird professors impart global knowledge to their students and corporate clients, one professor’s children are now getting into the act. A Global Mindset apparently passes down through the generations.

Two sons of Richard Ettenson, Ph.D., associate professor and Thelma H. Kieckhefer Research Fellow in Global Brand Marketing, 13-year-old Sam and 11-year old Brady, just released a geography brain teaser book, “Knock, Knock … Where Am I?” the culmination of several years of work.  The book is composed of puzzles that help children and adults of all ages learn about the world, its countries and its cities, and the United States too. The 69 puzzles in the book were created by Sam and Brady after living abroad and traveling around the world with their father as he lectured or went on business trips.

“It sometimes can be boring on a long international flight or a cross continent train ride, or waiting for dinner at a restaurant in some foreign city,” says 11-year old Brady.  “To pass the time, have fun, and learn more about the world, my family created these awesome brain puzzles. We have been working on these brain puzzles, on and off, for more than four years. It’s pretty cool to see it in book form.” 

“At an early age, Sam and Brady learned about the importance of a global mindset,” Ettenson says. “That ability to work successfully in diverse cultures and different social, economic, and political environments is what makes Thunderbird special and unique, and the two boys get it.” He says the boys’ book is consistent with key pillars of a Thunderbird education and help to develop global mindset, global citizenship, global entrepreneurship and global learning networks.” The boys themselves firmly believe that “better understanding of other countries and cultures can help make the world a better place.”

Ettenson says he enjoyed helping his children learn the basic principles of starting a business and marketing and says the earlier a child develops these skills, the better chances they’ll have at succeeding whatever they choose to do.

Sam is an eighth-grader at Tesseract School in Phoenix. Brady is a fifth-grader at Benchmark Charter School in Phoenix. They both were born in Australia, have lived in Australia and France, and have traveled to more than a dozen countries on five continents.  Each holds dual citizenship in the United States and Australia.

In total, the boys have created more than 300 puzzles and plan to continue releasing them in upcoming editions. For more information and to purchase the book, go to www.knockknockwhereami.com