EDUCATION New Year, New Results? ALOA Education resolves to provide a more rewarding and economical learning experience for members. By Jim Hancock, CML, CMST and — of course — the dreaded New Year’s Resolution. I learned years ago that many things were nearly impossible when it came to cer- A tain holidays, so you learned to compromise. I knew I couldn’t guarantee I’d stay away from King Cakes on Mardi Gras day, so I compromised by starting to eat them a week or two ahead, relieving the guilt of gluttony on Fat Tuesday. Giving up any- thing for Lent became harder as I got older, so I decided to give up lint for Lent… works well for me, keeping those little dust devils at bay. And of course, there are the New Year’s resolutions that we make and break — many times in the same breath. Well, I’d like to try again, as I do every year, to make a few resolutions that I hope I’ll be able to keep. Many personal ones, of course, of the typical nature: lose weight, imbibe fewer adult beverages, be a better person, exercise more, etc, etc. I have a per- sonal bet with myself as to which one gets broken first and the odds are in the favor of Messieurs Daniels and Williams or Jack and Ezra, to their friends. member participation to ensure scheduled classes are successful and more manufacturer/vendor partnerships to make the classes affordable.” s we get ready to dive into a new year, we all look forward to certain things: time with family, (time when family finally leaves), wonderful holiday feasts with all the goodies we’ve loved since childhood (buying new clothes with Christmas money to compensate for feasting and looking forward to family leaving and taking the leſtovers), football ALOA Education Resolutions But a resolution I’d like to keep — and will strive hard to do so — is not just a personal one, but an ALOA Education goal: to provide the best education, new- est classes, more updated tests for the PRP and overall a more rewarding and economical learning experience in the new Aaron M. Fish Security Training Center in the Dallas ALOA headquarters. I know, for many, the trip to Dallas for classes is a costly venture, between the class prices, travel and lodging — and oh, yeah, lost revenue for not being at your job. So we’re hoping to partner this year with several of the industry’s leading manufacturers and vendors to help lower the class costs, making it a little more affordable to attend. We’re also going to schedule more regional classes and bring education to the members instead of the members having to come to us when it may not be convenient. There are many things on the drawing board this upcoming year, and some have been on the board a while; others are new. We hope this new year’s planned chang- es bring new results: more member par- ticipation to ensure scheduled classes are successful and more manufacturer/vendor partnerships to make the classes affordable. Here’s wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Hancock, CML, CMST, OA’s education manager, an his locksmithing ca- r at the age of 8 in his ndfather’s lock shop ulfport, MS. He has ct of the business, from ech to operations man- agement. In 2003 and 2009, he was presented with the ALOA ACE Award as Instructor of the Year. You can reach him at [email protected] or (214) 819-9733. 54 KEYNOTES JANUARY 2016 WWW.ALOA.ORG
