HoLLIE – week 1

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The first HoLLIE (Howard County Legacy Leadership Institute for the Environment) class was last week. The first class was at Belmont Manor and Historic Park (in the Carriage House) – a place I am very familiar with and have been for a lecture and hike earlier in the week. I was excited about the course beforehand and it lived up to my expectations…a very full day – interesting – thought provoking. The day was cold and cloudy; there was no longing to get outdoors and hike!

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I found myself comparing the class to the ones I’d experienced in the corporate world.

I found myself comparing the class to the ones I’d experienced in the corporate world.

  • The class was from 8:45 AM – 4 PM…about the same length as any day long course. There were fewer breaks than many classes I’ve attended (we were invited to get up whenever we needed to). By the end of the day I felt that maybe I should have gotten up more times to just move around. I am not used to sitting for long periods of time like I was during my career.
  • I took notes…which I have always done in classes. In some cases, the notes help me keep my attention focused. In this class, I easily stayed focused and the notes really were more to just help me remember the material.
  • At the end of the day, there was a discussion about class norms. That happened in classes during the later part of my career, but usually nearer the beginning of the first day.
  • The classes are 1 day a week for 8 weeks. The classes I took in the corporate world were back to back days because many people (speakers/teachers and students) were not local. I appreciate that this class is spread out over 8 weeks and already realize that I’ll get more out of it this way. The more thought provoking a class is – whether it is a lot of information, challenging concepts (either technical, logic, or political), or the interaction with people from very different backgrounds – the more time after class it takes to assimilate what was learned. I am transcribing my notes to enhance what I learn…integrate it into what I want to do immediately and in the longer term.
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This class is the most substantial class since the Master Naturalist training I took back in February and March of 2015. Unlike the Master Naturalist course which focused almost exclusively on science topics, this course overlays non-positional leadership development on science topics. The topics for the first day included:

 

  • What legacy leadership means (intro to non-positional leadership)
  • The HoLLIE Volunteer Experience (hearing from previous students)
  • Environmental Initiatives of Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks

Stay tuned for the next 7 weeks!