Class

I have six students – three MBA students, three doctoral students. And then there were four more doctoral students who don’t need to take classes anymore, but wanted to sit in. We talked about the book mix up and I now have an array of power points I can choose from as the need arises. We went over my patterns of tension concept and did a lot on ways of knowing and models.

Students working in small groups.

The students were willing participants and no one fell asleep. The age ranges from late 20s or early 30s to about almost 50. About equal men and women. We already have offers to show us the nearby National Parks. And tonight Chuck (a nickname he picked up in Tennessee where that was a close to his last name as they could get) took us downtown by two of his gold shops (his great grandparents came to China over 100 years ago) to the town square where a thousands of people, mostly in yellow polo shirts were sitting in chairs listening to speeches in celebration of the beginning of the Chinese New Years. And he’s already invited us to a classical Thai music concert March 4 before class.

But by Sunday afternoon, there are signs that they were expecting a more traditional class covering 'current issues in management.' They want 'leadership' and 'organizational culture.' But I'm giving them material much further along than that. But since we are covering 'ways of knowing' I'm hoping I've set the foundations for them to see that their filters are looking for specific things, with specific names. But I'm covering material they have never heard of, not the labels they are looking for. We'll get there.