Happy Teacher’s Day!

I hope I did my teachers proud.

I was a normal student with average grades in school, except for my languages. I never studied hard for my Mandarin but I passed every examination. I did fail in English on two separate occasions; I suspect it was because I did not complete the essay portion on time. I must have done well in both Mandarin (second language) and English for I earned the option to study a third language – I opted for French, which I dropped out after two grueling years; and listening to Monsieur Lecoq while he smoked his cigarette was hard to bear. Nobody in my area spoke the romantic language, and so I fell out of love with it. Mrs Elizabeth Khalil recognized my aptitude for the language, and every one of my Chinese teachers (over 12 years of formal education) treated me well in class, and gave me positive classroom experiences. I have taught in China and Taiwan since 1993, and have taught classes entirely in Mandarin doing my own reading, writing and translation.

I did not go to the top schools or junior college. I graduated with my first degree as a mature adult (through a corporate sponsorship); I decided to complete my Masters degree soon after graduating. Earning relevant degrees was the way to go, if I was to enhance my credibility as a consultant and corporate trainer. I enjoyed my interactions with my overseas tutors and supervisors. To me, my conversations with them (related to practical aspects of my studies) were far more valuable than earning upper-percentile test scores. I believed that my journey in my learning was as relevant as the destination.

In my youth, I taught in the military as an Instructor (topped my cohort and class on two separate occasions, in the Methods of Instruction module). I was a gym-trainer for three years, had a brief hiatus as a journalist, then resumed training as a full-time profession since 1993. I became an independent educator in the year 2000, and I never looked back on the teaching profession since. Just this week, I taught in my 20^th country in 19 years.

I was a decent athlete in school, self-taught, and self-styled but encouraged by my form-teacher Mr S K Cheong (who I reunited with a few years ago at a public race together with his wife - my former-Mathematics teacher - and their two children). Since 2004, I have completed multiple marathons and Ironman triathlons. I enjoy teaching tremendously, and relish in my time with students. I also enjoy my personal learning with my own mentors and teachers. I am fortunate to have found my calling early in my career. It took a long while to get here, yet I am grateful for my journey. I am a teacher and I appreciate teachers. I am encouraged by teachers who extend and expand themselves further than a fixed syllabus, timetable, or salary. They breathe of true potential.

I trust I did my teachers proud.

Creating Future Leaders In Students

'I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.' – ALBERT EINSTEIN

Teachers have an unglamorous profession if their sole purpose in their lives is to educate students. They have been unfairly compared, and the adage ‘Those who can’t, teach’ suggests that these educators are despised for their efforts. In spite of the plethora of education that most students graduate with, they may not graduate with honors. That is, they are educated yet not functionally ready.

Education prepares you with skills that are useful, to a large extent. Yet, if education is merely the pursuit of pure knowledge and a certificate to prove you can past examinations successfully, then it has failed in its purpose. If the student learns, and continues to learn, then perhaps education has succeeded. Continuous learning and clever application are the major goals to seek. Learning is not a destination; it is a journey.

Beyond providing a suitable environment for learning, the teacher’s purpose is to share their passion for learning. They encourage the best out of students, so as to excite them to explore possibilities, engage in useful conversations, ask profound questions, challenge their thinking, and build their confidence as future adults. Rote learning has its relevance once learning has been achieved.

Today, we know that ‘Those who can, also do teach’. Universities recruit former-executives to deliver its post-degree programs; they deliberately add relevance to the theoretical basis, to convince students of what has worked, and can work. The roles of teachers include selling and marketing; they have become pitchmen for subjects. The competition for students’ attention leads to teachers having to become more versatile and competent in the area of influence. After all, leaders help create future leaders through the many leadership lessons that emerge through engaging conversations. It does not have to limited to classroom sessions, but also through sports, recreation and uniformed groups.

Leadership lessons: How do you bring the best out of your students? How often do you engage them in conversations of worth?

Smile An Everlasting Smile

‘Do good. Be good.’ – The Buddha

I just watched an Academy Award-winning documentary called ‘Smile Pinki’. It touched me in many ways, especially the longing looks of these afflicted children, and the haplessness of poor families.

I find it sad and disappointing that, children born with cleft lips and palates can still be treated with ignorance and apathy. Children have been abandoned or killed because due to deep-seated superstition and abject ignorance about this developmental condition. I admire the purpose and cause of this not-for-profit organization called Smile Train. Their Vision and Mission are:

‘Every child born with a cleft anywhere in the world has the opportunity to live a full, productive life.

Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where there are millions of children who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren't allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache. Their clefts usually go untreated because they are poor – too poor to pay for a simple surgery that has been around for decades.’

Essentially, the staff of Smile Train scour third-world countries for cases of children and adults with clefts. They generously do this by patiently giving out flyers, asking people, and making public announcements; local doctors are also trained on how to deliver this empowering procedure. As the clinic provides free daily surgeries for patients, almost everyone is entitled to this valuable opportunity despite their financial condition. All is required is that the child is accompanied by an adult (who signs the consent form for the operation) for seven days. The condition being: find your way there, and bring enough food for the week. The actual surgery costs US$250 for each patient; more than 650,000 patients have been successfully treated.

Do visit the Smile Train website and see what you can do: educate, spread the word, promote the cause, or make a donation. The  ‘Smile Pinki’ DVD is available free. Do help the organisation in your own unique way. I thank you!

Educating Rituals

I recall the Michael Caine film 'Educating Rita' which was based loosely on Pygmalion and My Fair Lady. In summary, a lady of humble backgrounds (hairdresser) is educated by an alcoholic college professor into a groomed and respectable one.

This evening, John, Mel and I watched a flamenco performance in a beautiful theatre, 10 minutes away from our hotel. We bought circle seats, at discounted prices. The 75-minute show expanded into 90 minutes with a much appreciated encore by the cast of two guitarists, one drummer, three singers and three dancers. Many in the audience were not Spanish, so we were held enthralled by the rhythmic, graceful and powerful tap-dancing style. I was directed to the edge of my seat most of the time, due to the intriguing dance form as well as having my view blocked by an elderly tourist couple. I learnt early that it is important to suspend my prejudices about people, and focus on the task (in this case, show) at hand.


Having watched 'Riverdance', I drew parallels with the Irish, American and Spanish tap-dance tradition. Dancers are, unarguably, athletes. They train as hard as any gymnast or swimmer or acrobat. The male dancer was drenched in sweat after he removed his jacket, and proceeded to dance even more vigorously. The dancers exhibited strength and power in their graceful movements. Every gesture and posture was deliberate, committed and well executed. Artists seek perfection in their attempts at details. Leonardo da Vinci said: 'Details make for perfection, but perfection is no detail.'


To experience another person's culture and traditions is to build on one's exposure to the world. Each contact and connection enhance our value to the world. The Six Degrees of Separation can only be reduced if we choose to. We can do this by being less judgmental, and judicious in our recognition of uniqueness. Differences can be very charming and alluring. Diversity needs to be managed if we are to draw upon capabilities and potential.


Even with a copy of The Lonely Planet in hand, we need not be alone. Endurance runners know what it means to be alone, but never lonely. You may not be the only lone runner running at midnight; elsewhere in the vast geography of our world, we are united by he invisible connection with a similar runner. Everybody wants to get ahead, and stay ahead in life. Answers abound. Asking the right question is the quest in itself.

Leadership Lessons: How do you keep yourself knowledgeable about things? How often do you seek education? How has traveling enhanced you? What do you learn when you are on the road? Which ways do you appreciate cross cultural interactions?


Photo-credits: Mel Chan (I am postulating to the mythic gods in Mount Olympus)

The Relevance & Reality of Education

We cannot deny that education is important and useful. A good education is critical for navigating through today’s, often times, confusing world. A better quality education may spell the difference between more opportunities and missed opportunities. Education arms us with the knowledge and know-how, married with the know-who we will build and develop. Education helps eradicate ignorance, and the prejudices and discrimination that it breeds.

Book smart versus street smart: we need both to survive and thrive in today’s tumultuous and unpredictable conditions. Applied intelligence is the next big leap into the big time, where we learn from mistakes and harness our successes. Knowledge hoarded becomes useless, stuck, and diminishes through time. Knowledge spread and shared ensures longevity of thought, and allows it to evolve and be bountiful.

As leaders, we need to continually reinvent ourselves, by adding value to what we do. Whether we lead our people; resource, educate and develop them, we need to be mindful of the quality of instruction and influence we wield. Knowledge – the basis of education – is a double-edge sword. Like a surgeon’s scalpel, it can heal or kill. Learn. Constantly apply. Learning is an L-plate for learning!

That is why endurance sports are such a useful analogy for leadership, and learning. You have to learn to maximize your resources and optimize your natural talents to extend towards your potential. Leadership involves educating yourself on proper techniques, being mentally prepared, and feeding yourself a diet of nutritious thoughts and ideas. Go long, go far, and go the distance!

Reading is a precursor to gaining an education. You have to do your reading before you attempt your assignment in college and university. My recent reading diet yielded this interesting piece about swimming and lengthening your body fully, and leveraging it to get more speed.

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While searching the Internet for resources, I chanced upon a mention of our blog. The opening paragraph reads: ‘An education can only take a leader so far in life, though it never stands as a detriment. In order to succeed in positions where they must organize and guide other people, a multitude of different skills and qualities must first be honed. Fortunately, the Internet allows business types to network and share their experiences, insights, and observations into the do’s and do not’s of leadership. While the following blog posts are not the only worthwhile reads available for free online, they nevertheless provide an excellent foundation for those wanting to know more about how to better strengthen the necessary abilities and virtues to both obtain and maintain leadership positions.’

Three Idiots & The Shifting of Educational Paradigms

I happened to sit in on this film, Three Idiots while visiting relatives today. It was a pleasant surprise that a group of teenagers were watching it, and got my sure attention as I anchored my behind on the floor to join them. It is a Bollywood production, in Hindi, with complete subtitles, and strong acting to excite you and even make you tear. Dude Warning: The leading actors can jerk a tear from you (for they shed man-tears), based on a strong ensemble cast, and believable depiction of bosom buddies.

Three college friends from poor families, Farhan Qureshi, Raju Rastogi and Rancho recollect stories of their life at Delhi's Imperial College of Engineering. The film describes their juvenile antics, mainly against the Dean, Viru Sahastrabudhe – Virus, and ambitious student, Chatur Ramalingam. Behind this is a backdrop of studying, peer rivalry, passing exams, and passing the close scrutiny of Virus is the blanket cast by the ancient caste system. In more than 2.5 hours of amusing playback (with only one or two plausible scenes), his two friends and Chatur edges towards locating Rancho, who vanished immediately upon graduation. Hot on the heels is also the Dean’s daughter, a betrothed medical doctor who was the girl he tried to woo during his undergraduate years.

Overall, I would rate this film as highly watchable for its provocative thoughts about the notion of education, social class, and the divide between rich and poor. Last year, in my piece about The Apprentice (where Donald Trump competes candidates on both book-smart and street-smart), I was exploring the relevance of education and types of education. I have observed salient differences between young, unemployed, graduates and older, working graduates and their results and motivations.

How do you educate yourself? What makes you value your education? How do you add on to your education? Which is your current smorgasbord of educational sources and triggers? How do you utilise your book-smartness with your street-smartness?

Inform, Educate and Entertain

The above title is a minimalist mantra of major newspapers. There is a large degree of truth to that, with caveats.

KISS: An acronym for 'Keep it simple, stupid'! Or, was that ‘Keep it short and sweet’? Either way, I was being cheeky and irreverent, or was I being lazy and lackadaisical? To use big words could mean referring to a dictionary, and that would amount to education. Wishful thinking on my part, I suppose…whimsical and willful me.

A club-member of mine, asked me on Saturday how I continue to post one blog a day, everyday for the last year and a half – my answer was simple, but not easy. I have, successfully, maintained my one blog/day average, although I have gone AWOL whilst on sabbatical (aka vacation, overseas races). I assure you I have been suitably concerned about not sustaining and delivering on my journalistic duties. Meeting datelines was and is, my occupational hazard (four years in trade journals and lifestyle magazines).

I hope that this blog meets the criteria of edutainment – catchphrase of the education business: interviews with excellent people, announcements, critiques, referencing, wisdom, expert advice, cartoons, and the occasional gossip. To educate and entertain: should there be a balance? In my experience, and my educated guess would be, there should be a priority of education over entertainment. There can be entertainment value in learning; focusing on methodology that engages, excites and integrates the enhancement of skills and acquisition of experiences. The learning needs and approach for Gen-X and Gen-Y are narrowing in its perceived margin. Adults want to learn, provided it impacts them positively and with direct relevance. Still, whenever they can, they appreciate a good time while learning. 

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11 Days Out to the Big Roll at the Finish Line: Recent weather report for Busselton, Perth: It was 37 degrees Celcius in Western Australia today. Winds are expected to hit Force 5: about 29-38 kilometre per hour next week. If it does descend upon us participants of Ironman Western Australia 2010 next Sunday, I hope it will be erratic instead of ‘head-on’. I intend to brave and embrace the day ‘full on’.

John Cooke posts on his blog some major considerations for Ironman Race Day. I urge you to read it.

Seven Strategies for Shifting Paradigms

‘But you're not a writer until someone publishes you.’ ~ JULIE POWELL

Share and write about your passions. My friend, Bernadette writes about her love for cooking and baking. She is the equivalent of a Julie and Julia (imagine a journalist whipping up 524 meals in 365 days based on recipes from a celebrity chef!). And she writes very well, and she is a journalist and feature writer.

My Twitter friend wrote about her lifelong relationship with food, mainly about raw foods and vegetarianism. It is a fascinating read as it not always what proponents tout it to be, yet that does mean we should not consider it.

We have our mindsets and attitudes about food, cooking or relationships. We have our paradigms. Even in exercise, we have our paradigms about exercising, or not at all. We question whether three times a week is too much. Aerobic workouts versus strength training; specific training or cross training; once a day versus twice a day; 10 or 25 hours a week. My paradigm for endurance sports shifted when my Coach, Craig ‘Fox’ Holland had me run my first 10km, and then my second. He gently taught me invaluable lessons, upon which I share with you on this blog.

What are our paradigms of learning? Does having an education equate into employability? Which life skills would be relevant for the future? What should we teach our youths?

The formula of ‘study hard, go to university, get a good job’ may be passé, considering that is a sad and significant number of graduates who are either unemployed or struggling in unpleasant jobs post-economic woes of 2009.

Perhaps, the fundamental paradigm-shifting questions to be asked in enhancing our perceived and potential value would be:

1)    Learning to ask questions: Be curious. Be inquisitive. The Chinese phrase for learned is ‘learning to ask’ or ‘xue wen’.

2)    What are our passions? What are we passionate about?

3)    What do we value most in our life?

4)    Which skills do we have that are unique and add value to yourself and others?

5)    How do I want to live my life, and my lifestyle?

6)    What are you doing to exceed your perceived limits? How are you challenging yourself?

7) Which new things have your done lately?

8)    Thoroughly apply your education, learnedness, skills and knowledge.