Welcome to 2008

The passage of time records
The things we have achieved, the milestones we have crossed.

The time to come heralds
The things we can yet achieve, the milestones we have yet to cross.

The past is a collage
Of moments in a lifetime, of people and places that have been

The future is a canvas
On which we get to create moments, people and places that can be.

The year gone by
Is a storehouse of memories, a cellar full of nostalgia.

The year to come
Is a receptacle for effort, a playground of anticipation

So, while - on a day like this - you might look back at what has been
Take time, also, to look ahead at what has yet to be

...Of the person you CAN become
...Of the things you CAN do
...Of the places you CAN visit
Of a life that you CAN create.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The Business of Sport

It is not uncommon, these days, to hear teenagers from all corners of the globe to discuss – especially after a weekend – the foibles and fortunes of their favourite football club. Such discussion can sometimes become heated argument as personal biases and preconceived prejudices take over rational debate. This is now a naturally occurring phenomena all over the world, and though nothing can compare with the beautiful game, snippets of conversations on international cricket matches, NBA basketball games, F1 Racing and even golf, can be heard as one walks down corridors in schools all over the world.
What has caused this global phenomenon? As a teacher of Business Studies and an avid follower of sport myself, I thought I might consider an analysis of sport in order to make sports-crazy teenagers use a lateral approach in understanding Business Studies – from the perspective of what is, in my opinion, one of the fastest growing commercial activities in the world.
Fastest-growing? Well, though the sports industry has not have the prodigious growth rate of the Internet, it is – along with tourism – a rapidly growing industry that is not only gaining popularity on the global scene, but one that is constantly evolving to adapt to changing personal attitudes, new-fangled technologies and modern lifestyles. Yes, sports is big business and the sport industry has contributed a greater margin to the global GDP than ever before. In other words, it is a global industry that fosters a range of economic activity, providing employment – and entertainment – across all social strata globally.
Consider some of these facts regarding the impact that the business of sport has had – and continues to have – on society:
 In tandem, the major leagues in the States – NFL, NBA and MLB – garner around $ 12 billion in annual revenue. That figure is miniscule in comparison with the total market worth of the sports industry in the United States: $ 425 billion, which means that the sports industry is just smaller than the food retailing industry in the USA.
 Ticket sales alone at the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa totaled US $ 11.2 million. That figure is estimated to shoot up to US $ 40 million in next month’s World Cup in the West Indies.
 Sports media is a multi-billion dollar domain within the broader field of media and communications. Think ESPN and Fox Sports. Think Supersport here in Africa.
 Every match in the 2006 World Cup in Germany featured footballs from Pakistan, which exported around 56 million footballs for US $ 185 million. Not surprising when approximately 80% of the world’s footballs comes from Sialkot, a small town in Pakistan which is known for its cottage industry.
 Nike Inc – possibly, the most recognizable sports brand – earned revenues to the tune of US $ 15 billion for the fiscal year 2006.
The list is endless and, on careful thought and research, you are likely to come up further examples of the impact that sport has had – and continues to have – on society. Look around, for that matter, and you will notice that sport on become part of your wardrobe. You might not wear that Ronaldo football shirt that your mate wears; you might not style your hair the way Beckham does, you might not wear the national colours of your country when you hang out with your friends, but I am quite sure that you own a pair of sports shoes just because it looks good! Which brings me to my first reason for the phenomenal growth of the sports industry – fashion. Sport has become trendier by the day, and this has led to sports merchandising contributing a big part to the revenues earned by the global sports industry. Teenagers find it fashionable to sport the football shirt of their favourite star or don their country’s (club’s) colours on that casual day out. However, sport has been fashionable – and of great economic impact – because of two basic business concepts: interdependence and quality.
Let me deal with interdependence first. According to basic Business Studies, this is the mutual dependence on each other enjoyed by all members of society. In my opinion, both – sport and the media – are highly interdependent on each other, and that is why they have both grown prodigiously in recent times. Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch are media moguls and there empires owe a great deal to the sport industry itself. Sport, in turn, has become a global industry thanks to the far-reaching tentacles of Mssrs Turner and Murdoch. Yes, if sport is a global industry, it is because people from different corners of the world are able to enjoy what was once a local happening: the Premier League, for instance. No wonder then that both industries are multi-billion dollar revenue earners! In fact, thanks to the media and sport, people in small cottage industries earn a living, maintenance staff at stadia in developing countries can take home a reasonable wage, a budding entrepreneur can open up his own sports shop, a journalist can eke out a living and an accountant at an Astroturf manufacturer can grin at this pay packet. Interdependence again! Sport provided employment and employment makes sport possible.
In fact, sport has created a wider range of jobs that youngsters today can look forward to: sports psychology, sport medicine, sport technology, sport statistics, sport advertising, sport management, sports event management, sport marketing, to name a few. No wonder then, that Dubai, once oil-rich, has diversified into tourism and, of late, into sport tourism. The government there knows that investment in sport is definitely going to bring in revenues in more ways than one.
Quality! What quality does sport possess? What is the unique selling point that has made its popularity soar. In my opinion, it is the sheer value of live entertainment. There are no retakes here; it is sheer drama that can literally take you to the edge of your seat more times than one. It is drama in real life. And, this I feel is sports’ unique selling point. It gives entertainment value; which is why a live sports event can take precedence over a Tom Cruise blockbuster or that mystery series Mother has been religiously following all month long. The fact that it provides sheer entertainment in live stadiums or sedate living rooms is the main reason sport has grown in popularity all over the world. And, in trying to maintain its entertainment value and enhance this USP, specific players in the sports industry have tried to help sport evolve with time and adapt with time. No wonder then, that sport has become more colourful, entertaining and exciting. It has managed to retain its entertainment value to adapting to an ever-changing global environment.
Yes, sport is big business. One that is growing at a steady pace, entertaining and employing people all over the world. One that is contributing to the economic activities of almost every single country the world. One that is benefiting as many industries as it benefits from them.

TEACHING: AN EXERCISE IN PUBLIC RELATIONS AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

A few years ago, I was having a conversation with some students of mine; the enterprising youngsters – two years away from gaining entry into universities around the world – were debating the relative worth of a spectrum of occupations. Being the elder at the “roundtable”, I moderated the discussion and felt content to sit back and listen to the views of a group of enthusiastic and opinionated young men and women. Through the content of their talk, I had the vicarious thrill of listening to tomorrow’s acoustic engineer, observing the architect of another generation, assessing the potential businesswoman, being patient with the pedantic surgeon-to-be and picking a bone of contention with the lawyer of the future.

However, while bringing the conversation to an end I told them I was of the opinion that while all of their prospective careers looked lucrative and rewarding, mine – teaching – was the most difficult of all jobs. Not having time to go into details, I smiled and spoke out: You admire monuments by famous architects, you praise the inventions of great scientists, you marvel at the technological milestones that engineers have propelled us past, you are grateful for a doctor’s skill, you are envious of a tycoon’s acumen…the list goes on! My question is this: who built these people who built – and keep building – this world of ours? Wasn’t a teacher somewhere along the line?

People do have their own slant on things and I am sure, time permitting, my students would have argued for a doctor’s enduring patience or a pilot’s immense responsibility. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that teaching is among the most demanding jobs and is one that is a lifelong exercise in public relations and human resource management.

Wherein lies my argument, you may ask? In the first place, teaching is a labour-intensive job that requires critical thinking. And then, more than any other job, it is immensely people-oriented: you deal not just with sensitive souls, nervous neophytes or tentative teenagers; you also deal with demanding parents and inquisitive guardians. In short, you deal with people from all walks of life; and with globalization the prevailing trend, you traverse the globe in your own classroom! Yes, you deal with the ambitious Indian doctor whose precocious child feels overwhelmed; you converse with the conservative Arab mother whose daughter is ambivalent about tradition; you make suggestions to the hapless Australian engineer whose troublesome son exhibits strains of technical wizardry; you deal with people of all temperaments from all places. And most of all, you deal with young lives! You deal with ideals of the past, ambitions of the present and dreams of the future. In short, a teacher’s job description involves building the people who build the world!

Am I glorifying teaching? Rather, I feel I am actually painting a reasonable picture of a difficult profession. And, as a teacher, I feel there have been times when I have – wittingly or unwittingly – fallen short of my job description. Yet, it is a job I enjoy. I enjoy the banter of classroom discussion as much as I enjoy the achievement of great results. I take pleasure in talking things through with the troublesome teen as much as I take pleasure in helping precocious talent fulfill potential. I benefit from watching the world walk into my classroom as much as I benefit from giving my “citizens” a view of the world! Yet, at all times, I tell myself: teaching is an exercise in public relations and human resource management; make sure you do it well. Study the pupil and find him his niche, study the parent and allay her grief!

Yes, teaching is not just the imparting and dissemination of knowledge. It requires critical thinking, perceptive analysis, levels of patience and, most importantly, people skills. It requires just the right amount of careful prodding to get the star pupil thinking outside the box; it requires the right dose of “carrot and stick” to get the indolent idler moving; it requires the right amount of understanding to quell the ambitious parent’s fears and the right amount of consideration to empathize with a family’s demands for excellence.

Am I still glorifying teaching? I think not; for when I sat back and pondered on an appropriate topic for an International Business Review, I felt that it would be nice to render a tribute to the profession I have chosen. For, in this day and age of globalization, teaching is one of the most international jobs around and an unending exercise in public relations and human resource management: a daily work out in which motivation and leadership meet culture, character and community.

An Elegy Written in A Shopping Mall

The following poem was written at the request of my wife and it is intended to be ‘gently mocking’ in its style. The reader MUST stroll though it for that purpose alone.



A long time ago, when with my mother, I went
On a shopping trip in which many hours were spent
Unto myself a secret promise I made
Never would I, with a woman, through malls and boutiques wade.

This promise, fifteen years since, has now been broken
For the spirit of Eros was within me awoken
So, now, with marital bliss, I treasure the joys of family life
And I also shudder at the time I spend shopping with my wife.

She bothers NOT about the hands of the clock
Which, with their boisterous ticking, do me mock
As I bite my fingers and chew my nails
While wifey darling shops with a patience that never fails.


My practice of ‘walk in, pick up and then walk out’
Is now one of ‘walk in, darling, and let us walk about’
And so, she does – with a slow and steady gait
While I gaze at mannequins and ponder my fate

Safe and secure, in cosy comfort, hardly disturbed
My wallet is NOT in the least bit perturbed
For he knows that his services will not be needed
Until through PRICE, CHOICE, TRIALS, his mistress has weeded

The objects that she might finally desire
And yet not necessarily – right then – acquire
For further weeding must surely be done
If shopping, for Elizabeth dear, is any fun.

Always, there lies a BUT on these shopping trips
A rationale with which I have yet to come to grips
For after careful analysis of textures, patterns and colour schemes
Wifey darling holds – lovingly – the object of her dreams

BUT – this contrariness to rhyme and reason
Is the perpetual refrain to our shopping season
For, though the texture may be perfect the colour just right
In a tiny spot, the design is not to her delight

So, even if an item is picked up – and to the counter taken
One must forgive me – if I’m sadly mistaken
In thinking that I can now move on – something has been bought
For, with a BUT, it might just be placed – back in its original spot.

Thus, Elizabethan shopping in all its royal splendour – and courtly grace
Can hardly be confined – limited – to a few hours space.
It takes more than mere days, weeks and months instead
For wifey girl to savour her shopping spread.

And, though dear reader, this verse may now come to an end
For me, the rest of my life I must hereafter spend
With plodding upon my weary way
As the curfew tolls the knell of another shopping day.


- Alister Renaux (Ency Whyte).

The Road

The Road was written as a farewell piece of advice to students who were leaving high school and I felt it was appropriate to print it out on T-shirts that would serve as souvenirs as they made their individual journeys on the road of life. Hopefully, they have found it - still find it - inspirational.


THE ROAD

The road ahead is long; it’s also wide
‘T has all the promises of a fulfilling ride
That need not mean that you speed along
Like those who the meandering highways throng

Create your own pace; it’s your ride after all
When to start or stop; it’s your own call
Yet, don’t lose control, but focus ahead
Tread over the bumps and stop when it’s red

Learn the rules as you drive and maintain the pace
Respect the signals, but steer your own race
Watch out for dangers in people and places
And revel in the beauty of wide open spaces

At times, it’d be good to stop and take stock
Unnecessary baggage, unload and unlock
Turn back and look; take in what is past
And ensure that you have the power to last

At times the path may be dangerously rough
But remember that you are sturdy enough; and tough
And that you have, in your hands, the power to steer
Through tempests and hazards that the multitudes fear

In those times and places, when the weather is fine
And, on what lies ahead, the sun does brilliantly shine
Accelerate the tempo and drum your fingers
As you enjoy the beauty for as long as it lingers

Whatever it is; and wherever you go
Remember what you are and what you know
Of all you’ve seen and what you have yet to see
Of what you are and what you can ultimately be

So that, when, for one last time, the brakes you apply
You can, at last, exclaim with a final sigh
“The journey’s been great; ‘tis been a wonderful drive
That has made me blessed for being so alive!”

The Making of a Teacher

I have been a teacher for nearly 8 years now and it has been as invigorating as a roller-coaster ride. I have had the thrills of experiencing the heights of adrenalin-filled exhilaration as well as the anguish of falling to the depths of despair, one instance being the time I, a normally irreligious person, knelt in front of a group of students and invoked the Almighty’s blessings on their lot! Yes, it has been a wonderful journey so far and I hope that the years to come prove as fulfilling as the ones that have been: the years that went into the making of a teacher.

As a person who firmly believes that everything you experience is a lesson to learn, I am sure that there will be many more years that encompass the making of a teacher, but I am also firm in my assertion that the formative years that I spent with a group of wild, unruly, enthusiastic, animated and energetic teenagers gave me an inkling of the trials and tribulations, the joys and jubilations of being a teacher. Thank you, Class of 2003.

I may, by more objective individuals, be accused of allowing the mist of nostalgia cloud my memory, but I do believe that this group of students took an entirely inexperienced teacher and showed him the ropes as he stumbled along with the naivety of a 22-year-old. If – as the esteemed William Wordsworth suggested – the “child is the father of the man”, then may I be allowed to introduce the students as “the educator of the teacher.” And, learn I did, from the people I was meant to teach.

I remember my first day at school. I was given what I now refer to as one-half of the Class of 2003. They were then in Grade Seven and I was told that they were an unruly lot and that I had to watch out for two young gentlemen, especially. One later told me that he thought he could “twist this new teacher around his little finger”. The other had an altercation or two with me. The rest of the lot gave me a tough time, but on the whole that class – 7F – gave me the grounding for discipline. They taught me to be understanding, yet strict.

It was still my first day at school when I walked into a class of – if I am not mistaken – 32 girls. Their air-conditioner wasn’t working that day and when I walked in they thought I was an AC Mechanic: they hesitated until I walked into the front of the room before they stood up to greet me. In retrospect, I do believe, that some of them did not know how to address me.

It took some time getting used to that group of students, but one occasion is etched in my memory. A year or so later, I had the task of staging a programme that a select few from this group would participate in. I am sure that, these same students – now 20-years-olds – would look back and cringe at what they had to wear on stage, but back then, after a disastrous performance, they spent a weekend expecting the wrath of a short-tempered teacher. That they showed me the need to demonstrate empathy and offer encouragement is a lesson in itself.

For the next four years, I was inextricably linked with this group of students; girls and boys, eventually becoming their Grade Teacher in Year 10, when they wrote their IGCSE examinations. In that time, I debated with them, ran with them, listened to them, acted with them and ate with them. In return, they gave me an eclectic range of nicknames that made me cringe, smile and laugh. They made me their liaison officer with the administration; in turn, I made them my stimulus for growth. They burdened me with their worries; in turn, I burdened them with my expectations for them. They taught me to be a teacher; I hope I taught them not just the topical issues of the subjects concerned, but to a small extent “lessons for life, rules for living”.

Today, when I looked at their Class photograph taken just after they had completed their IGCSE Examinations, I could only ask myself why I felt so attached to and influenced by the Class of 2003. All I could think of was, “they made me a teacher.” Yes, I have been a teacher for only 8 years, much less that what my grandmother herself was, much less than most retired teachers usually have on their resumes (I do not intend to retire as yet), but I do believe that my first years as a teacher – with the Class of 2003 – and the other students I taught at that time will define me as the teacher I will be for the rest of my life.

And that is why, I owe a debt of gratitude to the Class of 2003 and the school that offered me that chance – Sherwood Academy – for helping a naïve 22-year-old realize his potential, realize the scope of his talents, realize the fact that he could become a teacher and, thus, continue in a vocation that he enjoys.

Chemical Warfare

Recently, just after a lunch break, I had a lesson with my Form 5 students. An incident occurred which prompted the following poem:

On an afternoon, rather dull and dreary
When things seemed quite tryingly weary
All of a sudden erupted a flurry
(Possibly the result of a flavoured curry?)
As a rather pungent aroma did diffuse
Speedily into the air, that it did abuse
With a violence so strong, so full of punch
That I pondered on the after-effects of lunch

From this terrible fury, did people take cover
That their lungs did slowly recover
From a biological weapon’s gaseous assault
That I wondered who could have been at fault
For this sudden burst of chemical warfare
That only the most brave could stoically bear
A weapon made of such volatile matter
That it could, such hardened forces, scatter.

The culprit, as yet, has not been found
Moving with stealth, making no sound
Still, on the ready, to simply explode
With the most pungent weapon its armoury can hold.

The Idea

What is an idea? Is it a thought? An initiative? A plan? Or is it something more complex, more mechanical? Is it the outcome of innumerable hours of thought and incalculable journeys through mazes of imagination? Or is it just a sudden and simple whim of fancy?
To me, as a teacher, I feel that an idea is the fundamental premise of our history as a people, a race, an economy, as pioneers of creativity and as architects of the world we live in. That is the reason why an idea fascinates me. It makes me look back in amazement at what we, as a people, have created; it makes me look ahead with optimism at the possibilities that are yet to be. Why? Simply because the magnitude of an idea knows no bounds and it is the DNA of human existence as we know it today.
Yes, an idea is the genetic material from which every single device we use today was born. It is the gene from which inventions have sprung – and continue to do so; it is the gene from which human thought mutates and transforms inventions into shapes, sizes and colours that the original inventor would never have dreamt of. After all, did we not, at one time get cars in any colour we wanted as long as it was black? Yes, an idea not only gives birth to a device; it also helps that device grow and mutate with time. And that is why an idea is at the very top of the hierarchy of human development.
The idea of the alphabet has made communication possible, not just in the original tongue of the Semitic-speaking people who lived on the coasts of East Mediterranean Sea circa 1700 – 1500 BC, but in as many languages as there are races and regions in this diverse world that we live in. That idea has made it possible for me to sit and communicate my thoughts on a device that has mutated ever since Messrs. John V Atanasoff and Clifford E Berry made possible an idea that intrigued scientists for quite some time before the year in which it was invented: 1939.
Imagine the first photograph ever taken all the way back in 1888! It was a most revolutionary idea at that time, I am sure. Look around at the photographs we now have. We can carry them in our wallets, develop them instantaneously, store them digitally on our computers and our mobile phones, and even transfer them to other devices without cost or complication! I am sure Mr Eastman would never have envisaged the manner which his little idea could possibly have mutated to a degree such that taking and developing a photograph is – literally – child’s play!
Would the skyscrapers we have, with their bustling offices and teeming residents, ever have been possible if it weren’t for the invention of the toilet and plumbing? An idea that was born in middle sixteenth-century England still has ramifications all over the world, even in this day and age. Little wonder then, that an Aboriginal invention created approximately 15000 years ago, is by itself an icon in the sports-entertainment industry: the boomerang. Yes, an idea is born and it grows, sometimes by itself, sometimes by riding on the crests of other ideas.
Yet, an idea is not an idea – it is not credible until and unless it is acted upon. It is on this premise that I suggest that an idea gains function only when it Implements Design, Exercises Action. Yes, we live in an economy of ideas, we have grown because of an economy of ideas, capitalism takes it roots in the wealth of ideas and has grown due to the same. Nevertheless, commerce – as we know it today – would not have evolved and created the economic growth that this world has experienced if one did not Implement Design, Exercise Action

Education - An Enterprise

Man, by his very nature, is a businessman. This has been a neverending refrain of mine in most of my classes and I might possible elucidate on that line later on. For now, though, I must smile with satisfaction at the business acumen that my Form 3 students have been showing.

Currently, we have roaring trade within the school premises and students are enjoying this activity, as a result of which teaching has become more stimulating. Around two months ago, I gave each member of the class - I have 15 in this class - a loan of Kwacha 100 000 (USD 25) as capital to start up and run a business venture. This loan was financed by the school and the students are to pay back this loan at the end of this business project, which will terminate in March 2008. Twenty per cent of the profits made by each enterprise will be donated to charity, while the rest of it will be shared out by the "owners".

I outlined the plan to them and the students decided to form different groups so that they could pool their capital and start up reasonable ventures within their scope. The first business venture started with the sales of T-shirts which were imported from South Africa and "personalised" with art work. Slowly, one other enterprise started selling lollipops which offered them a 68% profit margin. With the success of the "sweet" industry, competition emerged and we now have five different groups selling cakes, crisps, fudge, pastries and other bits and bites. With five different groups trying to satisfy the school market, it has become extremely competitive and students have approached me to grant them "exclusive rights" to sell certain items because they thought of it first!!! Notice boards are gaining a semblance of further interest, with colourful advertisements taking up space. I am sometimes reminded of the lines, "One a penny, two a penny," when I see a student walking around school during the lunch interval with a packet of lollies or a box of fudge, selling his or her wares. Talk about the "collective unconscious" of the human race.

I, of course, monitor the work they do and ensure that they do not break school rules. One group has already repaid the loan that the school has given them and are now working on the profits that they have made. In tandem with this, I am covering their syllabus in regular lessons and outline the theory with examples taken from their own businesses. In fact, to emphasise how effective this project could be to their learning, I explained the Ansoff Matrix - which is part of the A Level course - using their businesses as examples.

The students are learning and discovering more about themselves as well. One student - who feels that she has given her partnership more than the partnership has given her - has branched out on her own after having taken her share of the "firm" on leaving. Another student has spoken out against the "excessive and unhealthy consumption" of sweets and chocolate. I am sure, as I write this, that a pressure group is being formed! I, for my part, am enjoying this thriving project and learning about the students themselves, their personalities and their sense of enterprise. And, as another one of my maxims go, I "learn something new every day:" about myself, about teaching and about the businesspersons that we all are.

These businesses are expected to run till March 2008, the end of which they will provide a Annual Report at a meeting with the administrators of the school. Until then, let us hope that the students and myself continue learning more about Business Studies - and about ourselves! For after all, education by itself is an enterprise: an investment whose stock can only rise with time.

Achievement

I recently helped organise the school leaving ceremony at Simba School. In addition to being the Master of Ceremonies, I also penned a poem on Achievement, that was read out by two Grade Tenners. On reading the poem, one of the school leavers, having just finished her IGCSE exams said, "But, Mr Renaux, we have achieved nothing. Why should such a poem be read at this ceremony?".

My answer: Is there any reason it should not? Don't we achieve something by living the lives we do? We can't go on to achieve anything if we have not achieved the simple things we have already achieved. Einstein would not have achieved international acclaim had he not done the simple job of growing up. His Airness, Michael Jordan would not have achieved stardom had he not achieved the simple process of making the school team. Abraham Lincoln would not have achieved anything had he not achieved the simple process of learning to read. My point? Don't look at achievement as sudden stardom; look at it as the process, the journey rather than the end.

Achievement is a gradual process, not a sudden accomplishment. Achievement is failure; achievement is success. Achievement is endeavour; achievement is acclaim. Achievement is living for the moment; achievement is forging the future. Achievement is an education; achievement is the experience of being human.

This is the poem that was recited:

Achievement

Achievement…
Is not basking in the glory
It is
The glory of the endeavour

Achievement…
Is not public acclaim
Rather, it is
Personal vindication

Achievement…
Is not looking back with pride
It is
The satisfaction of moving on

Achievement is…

Realizing a goal set,
Fulfilling one’s potential,
Hurdling over an obstacle
The success of one’s dream

Perseverance over failure
Accomplishment against the odds
A step in the right direction
The triumph of one’s spirit

Achievement is…
The reality of a dream
That was, once, shaken out of its trance.

Hello

Hello and Welcome. This has been a long time coming, but time and commitments have kept me from writing anything as yet. I've titled my blog journeys, because I believe that I have made many journeys - literal and metaphorical - and have many more to make! Miles to go and promises to keep.