My week in education

Naked Leader Week – 29- 3 November 2003

My last week was in education, with three talks at schools and one to head-teachers.

Before the “serious” part I though you would find it amusing to hear the most frequent questions I get asked by school pupils – what wonderful directness, when do we adults lose our reserve?

Do you have any sweets left?

How old are you?

How much do you earn?

Are you a normal person at home?

What is your job?

Do you do card tricks and magic and that sort of stuff?

Did you make this stuff up?

Is your book fiction or non-fiction?

My all time favourite question from a few schools back:

Why do adults think naked is a rude word?

And, my favourite from last week:

Are you going to talk forever?

There are many similarities between the NL messages and education:

• Shared leadership (NL messages are not new, they are all in the public domain and belonging to everyone)
• Birthright (The unlimited potential we all have when we are born)
• Self-Esteem, which is at the heart of what so many are doing, in education
• Teaching children how to think, rather than what to think (There are no answers, only choices)
• Behaviour (The key skills that are needed in organisation are behavioural, attitude and communication – and these come so naturally to so many children – it is only us adults that have a challenge!)

Many of you write to me telling me of the work you do with children, and your dreams of leaving a legacy in this world – this is one area we could all bring together and so I invite everyone out there to write to me with what you are doing and I will facilitate an alliance that can transform education.

Over to you with love and hope.

David x