Our World Tuesday: Student for a Week

From July 21, 2012

Last week, I put myself in academic paradise by attending an AP Summer Institute at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut. This prestigious college-prep private school is just a few miles up the road from my old stomping ground, and I had driven past the place many a time and wondered what it might be like to be a student on this beautiful campus.  Now I know.  Taft has an idyllic campus with stunning buildings and beautiful grounds and a great staff.

From July 21, 2012

At the end of AP camp, I found myself--strangely and sadly--without my trusty little Canon.  How I failed to drop this into my Mary Poppins bag, I don't know.  So out came the iPod Touch to capture some of the warm and wonderful atmosphere of this beautiful Hogwarts of Litchfield County.  The photo above and below are of a study in the first building I entered every day.  What was once a library is now a cool place to be--for any reason.

From July 21, 2012

New buildings blend with the old ones at Taft.  There are no outrageous steel-and-glass (cost-saving) interpretations of old designs appended to old buildings.  Instead, the warmth and elegance of old designs are increased with more of the same.  The doorway behind the statue of students is a relatively new addition to the campus.  

From July 21, 2012

Every day Mercury led the flight of our minds with his patrician elegance, his dreamy face, and his reminder to look up.  Of course, he was naked and may have wanted to create a distraction, but I don't think so.  He remembered his helmet and his sandals after all.  On the same corridor as Merc were President Washington and President Lincoln.  It was a cool blend and a great reminder that quality leaders can do quite a lot in a short period, even if they are surrounded by cranky people and crackpots.

From July 21, 2012

In addition to working under a great instructor with nice and knowledgeable fellow teachers, I had the chance to be in a beautiful environment and focus on my own learning.  What a luxury.  To think the food was fabulous, too!  When my workday lunches go back to being granola bars and bananas, I will remember the stuffed peppers, sweet potato salad, vegetarian jambalaya...
P. S.  Here's the other thing.  Like me, a vast majority of the hundreds of folks there were spending their own money to improve their teaching skills and expand opportunities for our students.  We chose that week for ourselves to better serve our students.  Nobody was looking for a medal,but it's worth considering that many, many teachers give all they can.  The creepy teachers who rob taxpayers by basically doing nothing or less and thereby deliver America a giant sucker punch are definitely there--and the unions work hard to keep them on the payroll--but they are far from being the whole story.
Our World Tuesday