Teacher Retreat

18-8-2010

Today was our first official day back for teacher training.  At HOPAC, we get to spend this first day on a retreat off-campus.  It was a hugely needed, refreshing time to worship together, play fun get-to-know-you games, pray for our students and other teachers, and just enjoy the view of the beautiful Indian Ocean!

Our speaker, Danny, focused on leadership, and really made us think about how we are using our leadership in the classroom and as a staff.  Are we leading our own small group for the purpose of accomplishing our own task?  Or are we really looking at how we can help EVERYONE out to accomplish our ultimate goal and purpose here at HOPAC?  In a place where I often feel more than disconnected from the secondary section of school, this was a good reminder to me to be encouraging others, and not just assume that we are each going to be doing our separate things... even though sometimes it feels like it!

Danny gave us a few quotes on leadership that I thought were interesting.  I'm missing massive portions of most of them... you know how copying from a powerpoint goes!  But I thought this one, in particular, was interesting...

"You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.”

“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”

“I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel.  Neither history nor humanity, nor ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.” - Napoleon Bonaparte

Here are a couple more: 

The ultimate measure of leadership is in the changed lives of people." - Bill Pollard

And something to think about...  

Leadership is not a position but a responsibility that is conferred on a person by those whom he or she leads.  - Don Page

 Basically, leadership God's way comes from the bottom up - putting the towel (washing feet) ahead of titles... serving before sitting on top.  Pray that this truly continues to happen - and happens more and more each day - this year in my classroom, at home, and everywhere God might place me!