The film "Tuesdays with Morrie" is about the relationship between a teacher and a student or between a mentor and a mentee. The special connection went beyond the classroom, and extended even after graduation. It was an education for life.
The MOVIE tells us that learning is a continuous process and education is not only confined within the four corners of the classroom. We can learn more in informal settings, even in unexpected ways, and from our relationships.
I haven't read the bestselling book until now. I only came to know the motion picture during one of the film showings when I took up the Master in Management (MM) at the Asian Institute of Management.
It was during that stage in the course that I believed that I have to make lasting impact to the esteemed AIM professors to be able to pass that challenging journey. I was more of a writer than a talker. But at AIM, even if your goal is just to graduate, you have to talk often since oral recitation comprises about 60% of the total grade. I have to adjust to the given condition and live up to the high standard set by the elite insitution. AIM is the best management school in ASIA and one of the world's bests. It is aptly called "the HARVARD of ASIA".
For the Master in Management, the minimum requirement is a 6-year managerial position. That is the beauty of attending the course, you will extensively learn from the expertise and experiences of your classmates who are among the topnotch managers from the top corporations in the country and around the globe. For our MM batch, I have 13 classmates from India, one from Malaysia, and 13 other Filipinos from the leading companies in the country. Every case discussion, I learned from 27 different brilliant minds on how to solve various problems. It was indeed a fully-loaded learning experience for 11 months.
While we were watching the movie, I already conceptualized and crafted meanings using names of the main characters as ACRONYMS, for MORRIE being the teacher or mentor and MITCH being the student or mentee. In the movie, although MITCH already graduated from school and the teacher-student relationship supposedly ended, the reunion after several years and MITCH'S regular visits to MORRIE during Tuesdays continuously taught him valuable LESSONS in LIFE...
When our professor entered the case room for us to discuss the movie, I hurriedly raised my hand at full extension for him to notice me among the hands of my brilliant classmates. He was very surprised to see my hand among the active students.
At AIM, we don't have classroom, we call them "caseroom". AIM is one of the only 4 schools in the whole world that utilizes case studies to develop critical thinking skills to produce excellent leaders and managers. Monday to Friday are spent in discussing about 15 cases or 3 cases a day without any written examinations or turn-ins. Every student should speak his or her mind about the given case. Grades are based on substance not on the length of delivery. This is basically to provide excellent training ground for leadership or/and management solution to the problems, conflicts or future concerns of an organization or company. Management resolution that should be reinforced with credible and quality justifications. Written analysis of the case or WAC occupies our Saturdays. We have the whole day from 8am to 5pm to write the maximum of 5 pages solution and justification to the case presented and corresponding strong supporting ideas. During that 11 months of stay at AIM, Saturday is my "favorite day".
 |
| During our GRADUATION CEREMONY on December 11, 2011 |
In recognition of my bravery and maybe to satisfy his curiosity to see my hands raised for the very time at the beginning of the class, he called my name to give my piece. Then I said, "Sir, can I write my answers on the board?" To which he replied, "Ok, you must be very inspired by the movie."
I wrote MM on the board.
Then I said "MM means Master in Management, our course".
MM may also mean Mentor Mayo, our beloved professor.
But for the movie,
I will utilize MM to mean MORRIE and MITCH.
Then finally, I came up with the meaning of the acronyms, MORRIE and MITCH.
I told them
"This is my encapsulation of the movie".
They applauded my effort.
And I was aware that I was ensured of the POSITIVE IMPACT that would spell SUCCESS for my survival and completion of the course, Master in Management.
ACRONYMS helped me to SURVIVE the CHALLENGING but REWARDING JOURNEY at AIM,
handed me the most coveted AIM DIPLOMA,
and catapulted me to be proudly called an AIM ALUMNUS.
 |
| The coveted "AIM DIPLOMA" |
Everyday is an opportunity for us to learn something new whether it is TUESDAY or any other day.
For MITCH, Tuesday is the perfect day to continuously learn from MORRIE even outside the classroom,
even after school days...
EVERYDAY is TUESDAY for him...
I believe that there is a TEACHER or even teachers whom we admire the most or even idolize even up to this day.
With the presence of social media, we can continuously learn from them, by reading or even communicating with them, asking guidance for our decisions
or just provide us meaningful insights about our daily life.
I also believe that everyone of us is a TEACHER to anyone, whether in formal setting or informal way. We influence others in one way or another.
Along our JOURNEY in life, we learned from other people and other people also learned from us.
How about you?
What is your REMARKABLE story about your JOURNEY at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM)
or any other school?
No comments:
Post a Comment