A Lesson in Learning Leadership at JJL University

In this weekend’s USA Weekend (in many Sunday papers as a weekend magazine type supplement) there was a Back-To-School feature which asked, What if George Washington were your teacher? Or Teddy Roosevelt? Or John F. Kennedy? It was called A Lesson in Leadership (thus my title.)

Presidential historian Richard Norton Smith explained why Washington would’ve made a great geography teacher, why Roosevelt would have been his pick for gym class, and why Kennedy (or Lyndon Johnson) would have been a fine debate coach.

I thought this would also be a fun exercise for us here at JJL in creating a modern-day dream team from the ranks of our JJL contributing authors.

Tell me if you agree: I started by using the same “faculty positions” but then added a few for our illustrious group … in parenthesis are Smith’s presidential mentors for us.

~School administrator: Dean Boyer, for he has the most experience with this, and is that rare educator brave enough to suggest unlearning too.

~World history teacher (James Madison): Dwayne Melancon, because he seems to put in the most miles, and can most likely navigate a global map better than the rest of us. I’m also guessing his bookshelf is the most globally biographical and surprising one: He learns something wherever he goes.

~Gym teacher (Theodore Roosevelt): Terry Starbucker. Another one of our road warriors, Terry has to be in great shape with all the moving around he does, and have you seen the man dance?

~English teacher (James Garfield): No contest here. Joanna Young, our confident writing coach! Creative writing, grammar-busting bravery … the woman can teach us all of it!

~School newspaper advisor (Warren Harding): Benjamin Bach, our very own interview editor for our Jubilant Learners Speak Up! series. I betcha Benjamin would be a terrific editor/advisor for the financial section too.

~Speech teacher (Woodrow Wilson): EM Sky, for the dialog she has been sharing with us in her very creative writing. I can “hear” EM in each email she writes me.

~Foreign language teacher (John Quincy Adams): Guess that would be me, as the one getting us all to aloha, think ho‘ohana, and say mahalo generously and enthusiastically!

~Football coach (Gerald Ford): John Richardson. I don’t know if John has ever played football, but I think he’d be a terrific coach at it. No dips, just winning seasons.

~Science teacher (Jimmy Carter): My pick would be Chris Owen for the focus  we have on this campus with human sciences, for Chris knows all the secrets we have to learn in cultivating successful relationships.

~Mathematics teacher: Ariane Benefit. Ariane can tell us what is too much, and what is just right, and math is supposed to be neat and simple. We never seem to be dealing with any negative amounts here :)

~American history teacher (Franklin D. Roosevelt): Phil Gerbyshak, for his skillful navigation of up-to-the-moment living of relationship building as history happens before our very eyes. (Because he was in the Navy, Phil also has tenure with this one.)

~Drama and the Performing Arts: We scored with David Zinger. David would know exactly who to cast in what role from a strengths perspective, and he likes to get people up on stage.

~Band director (Bill Clinton): Definitely Steve Sherlock, remembering Steve’s book review, and his way of getting us all to sing along with him.

~Home economics teacher: April Groves, for the way she makes beautiful homes happen personally and in the real estate market.

~Debate coach (John F. Kennedy): I’d have to give this one to Greg Balanko-Dickson, for he consistently teaches us that things are “a matter of perspective.”

~Geography teacher (George Washington): Dave Rothacker, for the journeys we take with him on his Road Well Traveled. I have never enjoyed geography as much as now with Dave teaching it.

~Philosophy teacher: Karen Wallace. Thanks to Karen we have already learned about discovering the hidden power of giving in, and we all can benefit from her serenity coaching!

~Student government teacher: Tim Milburn, for there is none better when it comes to coaching student leaders! Tim can also take the complicated and get it to make so much sense with his pictures (we definitely do need him in government.)

School is now in session … and lucky us, for these are people who Make A Difference.

Make sure you make it to class for our visiting professors this month too: Pete Aldin, Adam Kayce, Robyn McMaster, and Reg Adkins are in the faculty lounge and they brought donuts! Be good boys and girls and they might apply for residency with us!

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Post author Rosa Say teaches at real universities occasionally, but on management and not foreign language. (she is the one who brings the donuts).

She coaches online within her Value your Month, Value your Life program at Managing with Aloha Coaching. Add it to your feed reader!

Comments

[Phil Gerbyshak]

How fun is this: to be the history teacher of this great team of learners?!? WOW!

You didn't know this when you wrote it Rosa, but I went to school to be a history teacher, but found it was, well, too historical, and not current enough. Interesting how life runs full circle.

To you, and the rest of our learning leaders, I say thank you, for the opportunity to engage with each of you on very different levels at very different times in very different ways. It is your history that makes this journey one worth taking.

[tim]

Okay...as student government teacher I nominate ROSA for Student Body President.

All in favor say "I"!

(IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII)

Any "no's"?

(a pin drops)

The "I's" have it!

[Rosa Say]

Tim, I would have given you the chocolate donut if you just asked for it.

[Rosa Say]

Cool Phil! I would think the easiest history to teach is the history you make, and far as I know there was never a Relationship Geek before you Phil!

We are thrilled to make history with you, and I'm saving up for the field trip when we can take some pictures for the illustrated version (whew, what a history book this will be!)

[Greg Balanko-Dickson]

2 funny, me a debate coach? rofl

I love it. In school I was the quiet kid in the corner, thinking but not speaking. It proves people improve with age!

President Kennedy was an amazing leader and visionary.

Very creative Rosa!

I was thinking that we need to hold a faculty party, what if we all met in Hawaii for a faculty party in April 2009? Or another date in 2008?

Live Large!

[David Zinger]

Ah, instead of losing my faculites I am know on a faculty and this is after deciding not to teach very much anymore for the University of Manitoba - of course there I taught counseling psychology and educational psychology.

I am not sure about drama teacher but I'll do the improv courses and anything to do with performance because performance in my vocabulary means "anything worthy of your attention" and this is very much worthy of my attention.

Now back to class everyone!

[David Zinger]

And please don't make me do anything with spelling or composition.

[dave]

Tim-n-Rosa - "Tim, I would have given you the chocolate donut if you just asked for it." ROTFLMAO!!!!

Rosa - wildly creative and the most perfect elixir for a Monday morn.

Man! I wish I had George's hair :-)

[Steve Sherlock]

Rosa, very cool...

let's strike up those keyboards (our virtual musical instruments) and keep this show rolling!

Honk! Honk!

[Reg Adkins]

Absolutely Delightful List.
If you ever add a Colloquial Studies department, I'm interested in the job.
:)

[Robyn]

I'll brew some coffee... Fact is I just learned recently that coffee's actually good for us! Hmmm... what's your favorite, Rosa?

[Joanna Young]

Hmm... English teacher - well okay, but only if you promise to break all the rules :-)

It's funny Rosa this exercise made me smile because I've always thought of us as being the students here, not the teachers. Perhaps the lunatics have taken over the asylum...?

Joanna

[April Groves]

Too much fun - and awfully creative too!

I feel the same way Joanna does...rule breaking and lunaticy :)

[Karen Wallace]

Oh boy... I go away for a few days and look what happens! Did you save me any donuts?

Philosophy, huh? Cool, neat and wow... here's to making a difference each and every one.

Joanna, you have always thought of us as the students (yup, me too) but what is it they say about teaching what we most need to learn? I think maybe that's what we (well, I'll just speak for myself and say I) I am doing here... learning by teaching. Giving by writing.

What a campus this is!!!

[EM Sky]

Thank you so much, Rosa. I'm honored. :)

[EM Sky]

Oh, and I second the nomination for the faculty party in HI. :)

[Dwayne Melancon]

You know, I've often thought about being a history teacher... thank you for the compliment! Of course, I've also thought about being about 1,000 other things, too, but that's another problem all together!

As for reading maps, here's a funny video about maps:

http://www.fedex.com/us/about/unitedstates/advertising/tvads/player1.html

>>Go to the page and click on the video called "Map" - I laughed out loud.

[Rosa Say]

Great idea on the faculty party in Hawaii Greg – we can have Kona Coffee and Leonard’s malasadas! Robyn, I am such the addict that any kind of good, rich coffee is fine (but don’t get your feelings hurt if Starbucker goes to the next street corner for his café latte... some habits are hard to break!) I had heard about coffee being good for us too, and I’ve been having a third cup every morning now to celebrate.

Karen, I saved the donuts with the red and green sprinkles for you and Chris … they reminded me that SOXS will come around again soon.
http://www.joyfuljubilantlearning.com/joyful_jubilant_learning/2006/11/holiday_learnin_1.html

No composition David? But you do so well with it! And speaking of spelling, I had to look up "colloquial" Reg … I think we call it pidgin English in the islands! The position is all yours (funding is not a problem when all positions are unpaid... we work for passion here, and I know you have tons of that.)

Joanna, I was going to change the “English” to something else for you, but I left it because I kept thinking about how much I would’ve loved it if YOU had been my English teacher instead of a few I did have. But no worries, we will keep breaking rules with a flourish, right April?

Dwayne, I had never seen that ad before, and I laughed out loud too! Even if we end up going the long way, I figure the trip will be enjoyable since you have the Seat Guru thing down pat.