Rekindling the Spirit of Learning: Make a Joyful Noise

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Amen. That word was poignantly spoken from a participant near the back of the training room. It was followed by an awkward silence, sideways glances from other participants, and a muffled apology from the overly enthusiastic one.

That one-word pronouncement preached an entire sermon. But it wasn't a religious or other outburst from a problem participant; it was an expression of passion. Someone in the middle of learning got excited with a new discovery--and proclaimed it to everyone.

Such qualities as spirit, charisma, passion, and evangelism have taken a backseat to metric-driven, result-oriented, criterion-referenced learning. We want our participants to be instructed, not necessarily inspired; educated, but maybe not captivated. We like enthusiasm as long as it stays in the proper bounds …