The last day and a half of the conference were probably the best of all. On Wednesday afternoon, we heard from a very smart man named Andrew Martin -- an educational psychologist from Australia who discussed strategies for motivating boys to achieve in school. No silver bullets but lots of good, practical ideas based on research and good data.
In the evening, Pete and I met up with some teachers from St. Mark's in Dallas, including a Gilman grad from Pete's class ('87) and Casey Schoeberlein. There were about 8 of us and we had dinner at a French bistro near the Yarra River. Got to bed early and up early again for some exercise. Thursday was truly spectacular, as we were treated to a presentation by Li Cunxin, whose book Mao's Last Dancer chronicles his life as a ballet dancer who defected to the States after rising from abject poverty in Red China. So inspriring!
On Thursday afternoon, Charley and I (and his daughter, Janie) rented a car and drove to Phillip Island, about 2 hours southeast of Melbourne. We stopped along the way at an animal park and visited with koala, tasmanian devils, wallabees, and kangaroos. We got to the Island at dusk and sat near the water watching hundreds of tiny penguins wash ashore and then make their way across the beach and up into the vegetation where they spend the night. They looked so brave and persistent as they fought the wind and drizzle and trudged up a steep incline! We had some delish fish and chips on the way home. The joint was a mom and pop operation in a rural area, and Janie guessed that the proprietors figured that Charley and I were a "Two Dads" arrangement!
Need to pack and get up early for the flight on Friday. I'm looking forward to the flight so I can finish a few books I started this week!
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