529 - Learning and July 4th
July 4, 2008 Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - July 4, 2008.
#529 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
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A July 4th Edition - Learning & Independence By Elliott Masie
July 4th is one of my favorite holidays. We’ll celebrate the Independence Day here in Saratoga Springs, NY with a music festival, a Re-enactment of the Revolutionary War, friends on our porch and wonderful fireworks at dusk. It is also a day to think about freedom and independence.
Learning is a key pillar for freedom and independence. The ability of a society and an economy to make learning a prime and core value - from elementary school through high school, on to college and into our work and vocational lives - is essential. Some would assert that Learning is actually a fundamental element of national security. It keeps us wise, vigilant and competitive.
As the challenges of the world get more complex, the need for a focus on learning becomes more and more critical. We need the culture, habits and tools that enable constant and life-long learning. Learning is a key to our personal and community freedom and independence.
So, on July 4th, in addition to the celebrations, I take a few minutes to think and honor the people who have supported learning in my life:
* Hans and Dorothy Masie, my parents, for asking me to read a newspaper before coming to dinner every night.
* Mrs. Ham - PS 173 3rd Grade, for posing questions that pushed my creativity.
* Mr. Jensen - Stuyvesant High School English Teacher, for tapping the emotional intelligence with a love of fiction.
* Rabbi Chavel - Hebrew School Teacher, for posing value clarification questions that had no easy answers.
* Weekly Reader Newspaper - arriving every week in the summer - to continue my learning year round.
* Dick Rehberg, Statistics Prof, for flunking me in Statistics - “the most dangerous thing is a C in statistics”.
* Dick Rehberg, Statistics Prof, who gave me an A when I took his class the second time.
* Malcolm Knowles, Mentor and Hero, for positioning learning as a process that could be designed.
* John Abele, Colleague and President of FIRST, for pushing collaboration as an essential learning tool.
* Cathy Masie, Wife and Life Partner, for adding learning to our lives on a daily basis.
* And, Learning TRENDS Readers, for taking a learning journey together.
Freedom and Independence is, in part, the memory of important battles fought. But, it is also a living process - one that has learning at its core. Here in the U.S., over 7,000 high school students will drop out of school every day. Each drop out challenges our independence and significantly reduces their freedom of choice for the rest of their lives. Consider the incredible role that Learning can play in all of our lives on this July 4th.
Respectfully,
Elliott
Contact Elliott Masie: emasie@masie.com
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