Friends,

Our Jack starts first grade tomorrow.  49 other kids and I had Sister Joan William for first grade; that was a lot of little desks, and a long time ago.  One thing remains entirely unchanged:  the enthusiasm at this wondrous beginning, the anticipation of new friends, new books, whole new worlds.  Could you forget your first day?

Great leaders love learning.  This would be a great week to think of yourself in a new first grade -- whether you're 20 or 70.  What new teachers are out there happy to teach you?  (The internet is burgeoning with information --- googles of it.)  What new fellow learners are there, with whom you can share the trail?  What class have you been thinking of taking that's probably coming soon to a community college near you?

And, if you're a supervisor (a.k.a. a teacher), are people excited about coming to your classroom this fall?  Peter Senge argues quite powerfully in The Fifth Discipline that "learning organizations" are the ones which will prosper in the future.  Take one quick glance at Iraq, and see how the simple lessons we taught 6 months ago are gone, and we must teach and learn to reach a whole new resolution.  Take a glance (now that the power's back on) at our electrical systems, distribution, sources, and usage and see that we need to learn some new ways, quickly.  "Learning organizations" are led by teacher-learners.  So, what can you do, in your classroom, to wake'em up and get'em jazzed about learning?

Have a great day (and don't forget about recess!).

Dan

"Seeing the magnificence in all people -- dedicated to their fullest success."

Copyright 2003 Daniel Mulhern.  I distribute RFL without charge to friends, clients, and others with an interest in leadership, and grant permission to these recipients to distribute copies of these works to personal contacts for non-commercial purposes only.  All other rights are reserved, and requests for copying and distribution of these works may be made to FirstGentelman@Michigan.gov.  The views in this and other RFLs reflect my personal beliefs and may or may not reflect the views of my wife, Jennifer Granholm, or any other officials of the State government.