Tuesday, June 19, 2007

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

Saturday, June 16, 2007

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.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

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.