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7-17 The Experience
7-17 The Experience
7-17 The Experience
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7-17 The Experience

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Glen Lapson reminds us what the driver of our own personal development should be and describes in a friendly manner, the areas in which we should enhance our personal development. Glen Lapson gives us accounts of real experiences in a creative way so we don’t forget that our own personal experiences are an essential part of our continuous learning.

The book was born with the intention of supporting people over 17 who are preparing for their future careers. Thanks to the recommendations received and comments from readers, it is also highly recommended for educators involved in training young people in the areas demanded by companies and organizations.

The book has been inspired by a true experience, based on a talk that was given by a professional with more than 30 years of experience in private companies and NGOs. He has also led many recruitment processes around Europe.

www.glenlapson.com

LanguageEnglish
PublisherGlen Lapson
Release dateMar 16, 2016
ISBN9781310295966
7-17 The Experience
Author

Glen Lapson

Glen Lapson is a writer who is supporting Fundacion ECUUP (Foundation) through transfering all incomes of two books to the Foundation to enable this organization in financing it. Fundacion ECUUP is a non profit organization set up to develop educational and cultural proyects. Fundacion ECUUP has published two books of the author Glen Lapson: "7-17 The Experience" and "Disequilibriums" Fundacion ECUUP has planned to launche its web site during the first half of 2017 and disclosing all the projects under development.

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    Excellent not only for educators but also for students in the last year previous to find a job

Book preview

7-17 The Experience - Glen Lapson

7–17 THE EXPERIENCE

By Glen Lapson

Copyright 2015 Glen Lapson

Smashwords Edition

© 2015 Glen Lapson

Exclusive publishing rights

© 2016 Fundacion ECUUP

Cinco de Marzo 16, planta 2, 50004, Zaragoza, Spain

www.glenlapson.com

English translation: Rose Marie Cartledge

Front Cover illustration: Joaquin Macipe

All rights reserved. Partial or total reproduction of this work is strictly prohibited, except with prior express permission from the publisher ([email protected]).

For you

who will never stop adding creative value

INDEX

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

FIRST AREA OF GROWTH: I

SECOND AREA OF GROWTH: GROUP

THIRD AREA OF GROWTH: OBJECTIVE

FOURTH AREA OF GROWTH: MONEY

FIFTH AREA OF GROWTH: TIME

SIXTH AREA OF GROWTH: PROGRESS

SEVENTH AREA OF GROWTH: CREATE

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 2

BIBLIOGRAPHY

NOTES

CHAPTER 1

It is the end of the lesson. The teacher quickly goes over the work she has taught us today. She reminds us about what we should study for the following week. Immediately, there is a stir among my classmates. They’re gathering papers and getting up from their seats. As always, I like watching what the teacher is doing. I remain seated for a while. It’s not difficult to see her as I’m in the second row and my classmates sitting in the front row are doing the same thing.

The teacher carefully puts away the books she has open to follow the explanation, and inserts between the pages the two sheets of paper on which she has jotted down the questions that my classmate behind me has asked. She wants to study them at home because she finds the questions very interesting. My classmate is, of course, full of pride and, catching the mood of the rest of the class, I’m sure that he won’t have any problem in asking again.

What I like most about this teacher is the way she puts away the pencils and pens she uses to make notes. She always arranges them in the same colour order: first the blue, then the red and finally the pencil. It is always the same routine. Always the same look of self-assurance. When she finally picks up her handbag, with a wide smile to the rest of the class, she stands up and as she walks to the door, she takes her leave, announcing: In the next class, there will be more. I want you to practise everyday what we have learnt in today’s lesson.

The truth is that I like this lady as my teacher. She cares about the students, making you feel important if you ask questions, and always tries to bring something new to the lesson. If only all teachers were as interesting! I hope the next teacher is as interesting.

Throughout the week at school, they have organised day activities intended, according to the teachers, to guide us in our future. I don’t know if they realise that at 17 (many have already turned 18) the future for us is... in the future. We like to live in the present, to be together, experience life together and, above all, share what we’re experiencing with each other. We say that the future will come. Although to be honest... No! The truth is that I don’t think it will!  I’m really worried.

It’s Friday and for the last session of the day, they’ve organized a talk by someone who, they say, will tell us things about what awaits us. There’s nothing to lose, just one more hour, then home, since it’s Friday.

Entering the hall, I spot my closest friends and without saying anything, we go and sit together. I think that we do it instinctively because if we get bored we can always chat or pass around a note to while away the time (not text each other, as mobiles are banned during the school day).

As I observe my classmates, I know how heavy-going weekdays are like when you are 17. We all look tired, and although it’s been quiet to some extent because there have been several Guidance talks, we are all preparing for the forthcoming exams. There’s quite a lot at stake and I can safely say that the majority of the class, like me, are going to spend whatever time there’s left in the month to study right up to the last minute.

We are all seated. I leave my bag with my books at my feet and take out a folder to lean on with a couple of sheets of paper, which they told us to bring to this talk.

The Assembly Hall has always felt like a place for fun events. We’ve come for Christmas and end-of-year celebrations, as well as others organised by the school. The first school assembly of the school year is here and this is when the Head Teacher informs us very seriously about what to expect, new changes from last year and above all, rules that we need to follow during the year. That is perhaps the most serious moment that I’ve experienced in this hall, with the exception, of course, of what’s happening now.

Everything seems too formal. Dressed in a suit, the speaker giving the talk mounts the stage.

At first, it seems different because no one at the school wears a tie everyday, and when I see someone so well dressed, I feel somewhat put off because I wonder if he’s put on a suit and tie merely to talk to us, or if he wants to demonstrate something that will make no sense.

He’s a man of swarthy complexion, of average height, wearing a blue pinstriped suit, a light blue shirt and a dark tie with tiny designs which I can’t make out from where I’m sitting.

I recall a conversation at home among the adults who were saying that, depending on what you wanted to achieve, when you stood up to speak in public you had to wear a tie of one colour or another. I recognise that, following this principle, I can’t work out beforehand what this man is about. Standing at the edge of the stage, he’s making his way slowly from one side to the other as if waiting for the opportune silence to begin speaking.

From his appearance, I guess that he’s in his forties. He seems deep in thought as he walks. Could he be nervous before he speaks in public? They’ve prepared a small table on one side of the stage, where he puts his laptop he uses to present the slides that he’s going to use.

I see a glass of water on the table. It’s half full. I don’t see any bottle to pour out more water. It’s strange, but perhaps he thinks that half a glass of water is sufficient for his talk... I look to one side and see that the teacher organizing the Orientation week, goes up three stairs onto the stage. He approaches the microphone.

The hall is large, two floors high, and the stage is a metre above ground level, the height of the seats in the front row. Two large beige curtains, drawn to the sides, frame the area which the person moving across the stage will be able to use.

There’s a projector which, like the cinema, projects images on the speaker’s laptop onto the large white screen to support his explanation. In fact, we’re already watching the first image.

I suppose that the speaker has changed the black image which we saw at the beginning for the first transparency to grab our attention.

There’s silence among us. There are sixty of us students and no one’s sitting in the first three rows in the hall. I think that we all believed that if we sat there, chances are that we would be picked if the speaker wanted any volunteers. Not so voluntary, in that case!

There seems to be some silent communication between the speaker and our teacher about the lights in the hall. Finally, from the signals they’re making, they’re going to leave the lights on all the time. It’s just as well. I’m thankful because if they switch off the lights around our seats, with it being the last period on a Friday, I don’t know how many of us will be able to guarantee that we won’t end up shutting our eyes. Not I, of course.

Good morning, begins the teacher, speaking into the microphone he had taken, while I observe that the speaker, looking at him, has stopped pacing at the edge of the stage. We are going to start the final session of these Orientation days on your future as students and as workers.

By this time, I can assure you that none of us is looking at him. All of us, and I looked around at my companions to check, are reading the slide that the speaker has put up on the screen. On a white background, he puts up a title:

At least it looks like it’s not going to be the usual talk in which a professional tells you all about the benefits of what he studied and his work, and tries to convince you that you have to study. The teacher is talking now. He must have said the name of the speaker, but I wasn’t paying attention.

The person who is going to talk to you for the next few hours is a past student of this school. He completed his university studies in Industrial Engineering, and afterwards, worked at several corporations. At age 37, he went back to study and did his MA in Business Administration. In addition to being a friend, he is a good person.

This last statement makes me turn to look at the teacher and, on reflex, I look at the speaker who, in his suit and tie, is calmly looking at him. A good person! This is something I have not heard lately. They always talk about a great professional or distinguished person, but to talk about a good person? ... I think that this is the first time I’ve heard it in a presentation. I wonder, was it necessary to say it? At least, he succeeded in grabbing my interest in it.

Today, he is going to talk about his experience, to share it with you.

The teacher stops talking and looks at the speaker. Then, he quietly goes down the stairs to sit in the second row and to focus his attention on the stage. We sit still, quietly, just waiting while we take in the image.

Good morning and thank you for your introduction, he addresses the teacher who has just sat down. It’s obvious that they’ve known each other for a long time, and from their glances, there’s a lot of affection for each other. He starts speaking in a low voice, as he walks quietly from one side of the stage to the other. Looking at all of us, he continues, I too was over there exactly 30 years ago. He points to the seats in the hall where we’re sitting, and I can tell you that I am proud to be here with you today.

I don’t know quite what to make of this. I came prepared for just another talk. I sat down with everyone and supposed no one expected anything different from what we had been told so far. Suddenly, I observe the speaker, with great agility, moving quickly towards the computer to change to the next slide. I watch it and I have to admit that it completely grabs our attention.

CHAPTER 2

The colour and the smell have changed since the last time I was here, but the feeling continues to be the same: a mixture of nervousness, joy and pride. I have always wondered if this last feeling, before speaking in public, is the line between vanity and the desire to be

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