Back In Kindergarten - A Business Refresher Course - posted by Day Tooley

After a hiatus of more than 6 decades, I found myself back in kindergarten this week. It was my first full week as a ParaEducator substitute for Portland Public Schools at Meriwether Lewis Elementary, Room 1, where Mrs. Parks was called 'Teacher'. I was the other adult present. The children called me 'Day.'

It might be more accurate to say that there were 25 five-year-old teachers channeling wisdom to 2 adults.

My primary responsibility was to help a sweet but disruptive little girl stay on track and get through her day. She had a 4-syllable name which took some effort for her to write at the top of each paper. I will honor her privacy by using an alias of 'Dulcinea' (from Man of La Mancha ). Sometimes Dulcinea believed she was more of an 'Aldonza.'

Being there was both fun and profound. The classroom landscape was rich in possibility and unpredictable. I hadn't realized that a return to the basics would be so refreshing. Remember Robert Fulghum's 1990 book All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten? His top 10 things were all there:

1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don't hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. Clean up your own mess.
6. Don't take things that aren't yours.
7. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Pretty good reminders for those of us in business too.

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