Like many of you, I felt like the winter of 2014
gave signs that it would never end. In New England, we had many snow
days that prolonged the school year. In fact, it snowed in April. 
As a fan of warm weather, I am not into heavy
coats, flannel and thermal underwear, but that is a story for another day.
In mid-June, my grandson Johnny (named after me,
I might add), called me and invited me to attend his “graduation” from the
second grade. Of course, I told him that I would be both honored and
happy to attend!
This special event was held in mid-June. On the
appointed day I showed up early, as did many parents, grandparents and friends.
Johnny attends an elementary school that includes grades one through six.
One could feel the excitement in the air. The sun
was shining and the temperature was a delightful 74 degrees. The auditorium was
filled with balloons and smiley faces.
At about 1 p.m., all of the students were led
into the auditorium, by their respective teachers. Naturally, I only had eyes
for my man Johnny. He looked cool when he walked in and took his seat.
The principal stood up and welcomed us and then
led the students in singing the national anthem followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance.
Johnny’s teacher spoke next and shared with us
that each of the second graders would share with us what they liked best about
the second grade. When it was Johnny’s turn, he took the microphone and loudly
said, “My favorite part of being in the second grade was my teacher who made
learning fun and always helped us!" And, he enjoyed recess and
the Christmas break! My kind of guy!
When the celebration was over, Johnny returned to
his classroom to gather his personal belongings. I went with him and stood at
the back of the room. As each student departed their classroom, the teacher
gave them hugs and in some instances, a kiss!
As one would expect, some tears were shared by
both the teacher and some students.
What surprised me is the fact the teacher gave
each student a nicely wrapped gift. Blue for the boys and yes, pink for the
girls.
To say that the children were excited is a gross
understatement. The teacher asked that the students to wait until they got home
to open their presents. (Never an easy task.) I volunteered to take Johnny home
in my car and we had a lively conversation about his plans for the summer,
which included swimming, sailing and playing with his buddies.
When we arrived at my daughter’s home, Johnny
flew into the house to tear open his present. I followed close
behind. Inside the present were a box and a letter. When Johnny read the letter
to me, it really gripped me. Here is what the letter said:
Dear Johnny,
I
enjoyed having you as a student this year. Thank you for being eager to learn, paying
attention and for being a helper in the classroom.
Inside the box is:
· A ruler to
remind you there are rules to follow.
· A pen to
remind you that there are still many times to learn.
· A marker to
remind you to leave your mark wherever you go!
· An eraser to
remind you that it’s alright to make mistakes and to learn from
them. A mistake is just that, a
mistake.
· A Hershey
Kiss to remind you that you are loved!
Have a great summer,
Miss Coppolino
The letter knocked me over, and I thought — what a
lesson for all of us.
As leaders, we all need to follow the rules of
integrity, fair play and ethics. As leaders, we all need to strive each day to
be a lifelong leader. As leaders, it is ok to make mistakes, to acknowledge
them, to admit to them and to learn from them. As leaders, let us all work very
hard to leave a positive mark on those we lead. As leaders, we all need to be
sure that those we touch know that we care.
Leadership is indeed a noble calling.
Perhaps we can all reflect on the lesson learned
from a very special second grade teacher and focus on what it truly means to be
a leader.
John A. Passante, president & CEO, The Organizational
Development Group, Inc., is author of “The Human Side, The Human Touch
in a High Tech World.”
