| February 5, 2008 |
Vol 9, Issue 4
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 Get Ready to Lead!
"It's simple. We're just changing the world."
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If you stop learning, you...stop living
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Greetings!...  Our goal as leader developers should be lifelong learning.
Harvey Ullman said "Anyone who stops learning is
old, whether this happens at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps on
learning not only remains young, but becomes constantly more valuable
regardless of physical capacity."
To stop learning is to stop living. Learning is a process of continual change and growth. A doctor once explained to me that you can tell a person is dead because he stops changing. That is, a dead person stops regenerating and starts decomposing..
The human need to grow and change isn't just a "warm and fuzzy" theory. The website www.thejoyofnotworking.com says that because retiring workers stop challenging themselves, they have a high probability of dying within eighteen months of retirement.
That particular website goes onto quote a quirky study: the younger people retire, the longer they live! I'm sure there are lots of theories about this, but here's mine: the healthiest people don't retire to do nothing. They retire from a job so they can embrace a calling. The sooner people move from a job to a calling, the happier they are and the longer they live.
In this issue of GRTL we'll look at how to avoid the "plateau effect" and discover 16 new ways to become a lifelong learner. | |
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| The Plateau Effect: Don't Let it Happen to You! |
 As a teacher, I have a heart for learning. Unfortunately, for far too many educators, ignorance is bliss. A study done by Steven G. Rivkin, Eric A. Hanushek, and John F. Kain in 2005 showed that
There appear to be important gains in teaching quality in the first
year of experience and smaller gains over the next few career years.
However, there is little evidence that most teachers continue to improve after the
first three years.
This is not new information. I recently reviewed a doctoral
dissertation by Henry Joseph Hector, published in 1972. Hector reviewed
44 studies on teacher effectiveness and found that
Only 5 studies out
of the 44 reviewed showed support for the contention that teachers
continue to improve their performance with increasing age or experience
throughout their careers. Thirty-nine studies found no continued growth
in teaching performance as the teacher aged or gained more experience.
These studies used an assortment of criteria for measuring teacher
effectiveness; yet, the older or more experienced teacher performed at
a lower level than the younger, less experienced teacher.
Interestingly, a teacher's level of education has little to do with his effectiveness. Those with masters degrees are not necessarily better teachers. Rather, teacher effectiveness has to do with
- Curiosity ("Why do you think that is?")
- Growing ("You won't believe what I just learned!")
- Vulnerability ("I don't know but I'll find out.")
- The pursuit of wisdom ("I promise you that I'll keep learning as long as I'm teaching")
No matter your role in life, ask God to give you the courage to be curious all over again. Learn, grow and pass what you know onto others.
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Sixteen Simple Ways to Become a Lifelong Learner
|  You can't give what you don't
possess! Here are some tips for being a life-long learner:- Get a journal for taking notes in church.
- Set a goal to read at least one non-fiction book a
month.
- Pray that God will open your heart to the younger
generation.
- Develop a regular plan for reading through the
Bible.
- When you hear a speaker, introduce yourself and ask a question.
- Get started on a Bible study you've always wanted to
do.
- When you read an interesting book or article, write
a personal note to the author.
- Make plans to do something you've always wanted to do.
- Make a list of things you've always wanted to know, and
devise a plan for learning those things.
- Take a class in something you've wanted to study.
- Get books on CD and use your commute time to learn
something fascinating.
- Check the newspaper for visiting authors or
lecturers at local schools or bookstores.
- Call someone you haven't talked to for a long time.
- Get a do-it-yourself book on something you'd like to
try and begin making plans.
- Everyday when you wake up ask, "What if..." and dream
a little.
- Take two vacation days just to go away and read,
think and pray.
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 From Jeff Myers: Make it a Great Week!
Lifelong learners of the world, unite! I can think of two great ways to stimulate a whole new enthusiasm for life. The first one is a secret, or at least it will be until this Thursday. Look for a message from me about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The second way to catch a second wind is to join me at Wisdom Trek, April 9-11 at the Sandy Cove Conference Center, a beautiful, relaxing conference site located on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
Come enjoy three days of visioneering/purpose-building/strategic planning/ life-coaching/ mission-embracing with me and with our team of life coaches who will work with you during the conference and afterward to hep you break through the barriers that prevent you from what Solomon called "good success."
Folks have already started to register but we still have 20 rooms left in our block with just over two months to go.
Wisdom Trek is our most personal event; enrollment is around 50 people. Throughout the three days you'll have lots of learning time, lots of relaxation time, and lots of time to personally interact with me and with Passing the Baton's life coaches. Click here for more info.
Make it a great week,
--Jeff
Jeff Myers, Ph.D., President
Passing the Baton International, Inc.
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