best in class
Memories are amazing little thoughts
that have the power to bring you right
back to a moment in time—in an
instant—and simply out of the blue. It is
an unexpected experience that has such
powerful impact. When I remember
something, whether good or bad, I
immediately transcend the present to
visit the past, if only for that moment.
Finger on the Pulse
My priority has always been to
keep IRWA on the leading edge of
educational practice while creating
innovative new programming. So I keep
my finger on the pulse of the current
research and thinking being done in
the executive learning and development
space to enhance and underpin our
enterprise.
Recently, I was reading an article
entitled “Your Brain on Learning” in
Chief Learning Officer Magazine. It was
on the importance of understanding
how the brain works in order to
successfully design and deliver
programming that optimizes the
learning experience—to fit how the
brain learns best. While reading the
article, I was immediately whisked back
to an elementary school memory. I
remember sitting at a circular table with
my teacher as she taught me how to
read. She explained to me why I should
not read with my finger underlining each
sentence, and how I must be very careful
not to do that even though it made
reading easier. I remember her being
kind but firm and not letting me slip. She
insisted on only the best out of me. As I
read this article, I remembered thinking
how grateful I was to her for teaching
me this skill. How reading allows me to
understand and navigate the world, while
experiencing the thoughts and feelings of
others. It provides practical information
for living everyday life and enables me
to connect with and make sense of the
world around me. With eyes to see and
a brain to decipher and imagine, it is a
source of wonder. I often think had I
not been taught this precious skill, what
would I do? Who would I be?
A Source of Wonder
I bet you never thought that reading
infrastructure standards and
documentation like an Environmental
Site Assessment or the Uniform
Standards of Professional Appraisal
Practice could be a source of wonder or
amazement.
But I encourage you to revisit your life
and work with new eyes. Having the
ability to read, and all that enabled that
to happen, including the special people
that helped you to learn to read along
the way, is nothing short of a miracle.
They helped you to be able to read
those documents and those people are
a part of you as you read them. Their
purpose was to improve your quality of
life by teaching you how to read so that
you in turn could improve the quality
of people’s lives in the work you do
through infrastructure development. It
is quite extraordinary when you think
of your work and our industry from
this unique perspective.
So, the next time you find yourself
in the middle of bylaws or property
descriptions or another type of
infrastructure related document,
remember the wonder that might never
have existed if not for the patience
and heart of a teacher, the courage to
receive the gift—and the memory that
keeps it alive. J
DEIDRE ALVES, M.ED.
Deidre Alves is IRWA’s Vice President of
Professional Development.
Reading with purpose
A New Perspective