Sabbatical Diary

Saturday 28 June
This has been a long day! Arrived at Auckland Airport at 6.30pm and met Maurie in departure area.

After check in we had a couple of beers, bought some water and boarded the plane. We had great seats – the back row set of 2. Plenty of leg room and no others in our row and right by the wharepaku. I have picked up quite a cold so was a bit miserable and I
Maurie developed a mean headache. Flight was uneventful and long (12 hours) with restless dozing. We had one screamer of a kid a couple of rows in front of us, but managed to block him out for most of the trip.

It was bedlam when we arrived in L.A. We got three different sets of instructions to find Terminal 7 and eventually walked our way there. We then tried to check in which was a huge hassle because it is self-check-in and the helping dude wasn't very helpful. We finally found a woman behind a desk who helped us. There was some issue with a security check on me.

We then went through security to the gate area for our flight to Boston with a 6 hour wait in front of us. We were both selected for a thorough search (it happened to me in Auckland as well!) so were patted down and our carry bags searched and tested for explosives.

We're now sitting in the gate lounge and it is only 5.00pm Sat 28 July! We board in just over 4 hours for a 5 ½ hour flight to Boston where we will arrive at 7.00am Sunday morning! Maurie’s head still hurts and I still feels miserable! We want our money back.

Sunday 29 June
It's now 6.00pm on Sunday night and still haven't slept in a bed. We finally boarded our flight to Boston and found we were seated separately on a full plane. Hadn't eaten since a pizza at about 4.00pm to discover you had to buy your food on the plane! Bugger that!

It was a 5 ½ hour flight and I dozed and slept most of it though it was quite bumpy. Much less chaos at Logan airport. We quickly found a taxi and arrived at our hotel shortly after 7,00am to be told our room wouldn't be ready until 3.00pm, but that they would try to get it ready earlier. We really wanted and needed a shower!

We walked into Harvard Square (about 2k) along the banks of the river where there was heaps of runners and cyclists and rowers (on the river). We went to Peet's Coffee and had an average coffee and tea and Danish. Lots of academic type people as well as runners ending up there. We then spent a couple of hours walking through the grounds of Harvard University. It is certainly impressive. Brick work everywhere and lots of acknowledgement of history and tradition.

We decided to head back to the hotel at about 11.00 to see if room was ready. We walked along the other side of the river. The fog/mist was starting to lift and it was now warming up. Thankfully our room was ready. We decided we would freshen up and head by train into downtown. As soon as I lay down after a shower I was asleep! I woke myself up snoring at 1.00 so we headed off.

Our room is quite flash which is great considering we are here for 9-10 days. The beds are very small, but we have a nice lounge and plenty of workspace for our assignments!!!

Downtown we had a horrible feed in a food court and wandered around down to the port checking out a few historic sites (Paul Revere) until we found a seedy Irish Bar for a couple of beers while watching the soccer final. With bladders bursting we made it back to the Hotel where we are now relaxing and starting to think about our Harvard course which begins tomorrow.

I am still struggling with this cold and cough.

Tuesday 1 July
Where to start? Maurie has developed an atrocious head cold which makes him miserable during the day and keeps him awake during the early hours of the morning! My cold continues unabated!

Despite that we have had 2 great days at Harvard. Yesterday we walked in and registered and had two great presentations. They were close to three hours each, but were very interactive – with 200 people in a cramped lecture theatre.

The first was by Roland Barth who ambushed us into identifying the conditions in which we best learn and then asked us why our schools and classrooms weren't like that. This would be a great whole staff exercise. He said that a useful process for establishing the best learning culture in a school is to start with asking a person to recall an incident in their life that was life changing. Then consider words that best describe that event. These words will interestingly enough, describe the conditions that allow learning to happen.

The second was by Robert Keegan who took us through a 4 column process which started by explaining that, despite our best intentions, we rarely achieve goals to bring self-improvement or change but that we could be successful if we addressed the underlying commitments we had to keep doing things the same way.

After that Maurie Abraham bumped into an Aussie, John, so after finding me we headed off for a quick beer and then to the Harvard Club for a flash dinner in very traditional surroundings – think flash gentleman's club.

Today we were up at 5.45 to get to the bus by 7.00 for the drive out to Project Adventure. We didn't get away until 8.30!!!! but what a great day. We worked in our discussion groups, got to know each other much better. The highlight was completing the high ropes activity with my partner Brian from Huston. It was awesome, also, to see other group members either completing the high ropes or assisting others to do so. Our facilitator there, Rich, did a great job and we now know a lot more about each other.


We're now about to head out for tea.

Wednesday 2 July

First speaker this morning was Jeff Howard “Achieving the Mission-Proficiency for All Students”. Jeff Howard is the Russell Bishop of America, and he certainly was a controversial speaker. All seemed like good sense to Maurie and I, but many American teachers were very wary of what he had to say. He affirmed the right of every child to learn and to break the cycle of underdevelopment. He said that tests should reflect the accountability of teacher as much as they show achievement of students.

He spoke of proficiency in academic study:” Do they know it, can they use it?” and character proficiency:” Do they know it, can they show it?” He spoke of immunizing children against negative psychological consequences of failure:

FADA= Failure and Difficulty Are Feedback

The afternoon session was Kitty Boles –very disappointing speaker. She soke of making teaching a real profession, but was very unconvincing.

Thursday 3 July

John Collins:Improving Performance through Writing and Thinking Across the Curriculum”

This was an excellent presentation. Very humorous presenter but also excellent content. Discussed 4 writing types to engage students in their learning and to develop their writing. Purchased book that fully describes the process.

Mentioned that qualities of successful leadership were : passion, time, focus.

Barry Jentz: Communicating to Improve Performance

Spoke and described importance of reflective communication to ensure that staff were being well listened and responded to.

The day finished with and ice cream party for all of the participants. Maurie and I then found a small pub and had dinner. We got caught in the thunderstorm on way home. These seem to be a regular occurrence –hot, humid days and then it turns black, thunder and lightning, then clears.

We have decided we have to find the positives in having a cold:

: we would be getting up earlier and running
: we would be drinking m ore
:we would be eating more
: we would be touring more;
Therefore we would be spending more. This is a bit sad really!

Rang Dallas tonight –lovely to speak to her and catch up. Thank god for cellphones!

Friday 4 July-Independence Day

Lorraine Munroe-founding principal of the Frederick Douglas Academy in Central Harlem

Inspirational speaker who talked about building capacity in children’s lives. And the important role teachers have to provide children with the experiences needed to have full lives –to provide their students with the experiences they would want their own children to have.

She had three demands:
Don’t tolerate incompetent teachers
Increase the experiences for children
Take kids where we would like to take our own kids

Teachers are the “interrupters’ of poverty, unwanted children, drug addiction etc.
“
“The No 2 pencil does not know the colour of the brain that is doing the writing down of good ideas…”
“The school must recognize the gaps in a child’s experience, and fill them”.
“BUT FOR ME this child might fail-can’t take the risk”

7 Essential Questions:
1. What do I emanate as a leader/teacher?
2. What really matters to me in this work? In my life?
3. What difference can I make right here, right now?
4. Is what I am planning, doing, accepting –moving the dream of my children’s life?
5. Who or what is standing in the way of my creating my dream of excellence?
6. What will I no longer accept?
7. Am I capable of transcending all of the obstacles in the way of my dreams and plans for my school and my children?

Lorraine Munroe went on to describe the importance of her BBC as a means of gaining consistency across all classrooms as to how teaching will happen for all students. Observable and easily checked by management.

This evening Maurie and I went into downtown Boston and had dinner and then walked along the Charles River where we could listen to the Boston Pops Orchestra and then see an amazing fire works display at the end of it.

Maurie gave me a real fright as he passed out several times while we were watching and I was starting to look around for medical support when he came right. Once we got out of the crowd he felt better, but then we had about a five or six km walk along the river back to our hotel. He seemed to get better as we walked.

Saturday 5 July

Janice Jackson-Leadership Begins with Self

A good session about the importance of understanding who we are before we can be effective leaders. She spent a lot of her time discussing the importance of our roles as developing 21st Century thinkers. Students who are expert thinkers, complex communicators, and who have a strong sense of their world.


Ken Marshall-Rethinking teacher Supervision and Evaluation

An excellent presentation on a kill of observing teachers in the classroom in a manageable fashion. Effective performance appraisal system that encourages growth in the teacher and affirms their work. Acknowledges competence but also identifies if early support is needed in a non threatening manner.


This evening Maurie and I had drinks with with Aussie John and Canadian Ed and then a meal in the Irish Pub we were drinking in.


Sunday 6 July

Later start and early finish today. After the two sessions we took the train into Boston and watched end of Federer-Nadal final over a beer and hamburger. Bought train tickets for New York and Philadelphia and back to Boston.

Pamela Mason-Effective School Wide Reading Programmes

This was the only second poor presentation.

Hunter Gehlbach-Survey Design Fundamentals

This was a very practical presentation on how to design an effective survey. Useful notes to refer back to.

Monday 7 July

Jim Honan- Use of Data

Useful introduction into what data is necessary to provide information to support goals, teaching and learning. Case study of Florida school, useful insight into data driven American schools.

Lee Teitel- Partnership and Networking

Transactional to transformative partnerships. Analysis of types of partnerships necessary to achieve mission.


In the evening w had a clambake party at the University Graduates pub. Whole lobsters, beers and accompanying food. Good start to the evening. Then went on to another pub with some other principals for margaritas and then to a karaoke bar. Back about 1.00am-finally caught up with Dallas –nice to hear here voice. Really missing her company. Maurie and I are just starting to claw our way back to good health –finally taking the “piss” out of each other as is our more normal behaviour!


Tuesday 8 July

Bob Fogel- Institutional Change Model-Congruence

Interesting presentation on change management through a model called congruence. Used changed to NYPD pre and post 1994 as an example.

AOL wound up with the presentation of certificates and usual farewell speeches. We are resting, washing clothes and packing up some stuff to send back to New Zealand.

In the evening we went back into Harvard Square and had a very good, very filling Mexican meal. We walked back to the hotel through the Harvard Business School that is on the other side of the river. This is a very attractive part of Harvard University –great old buildings and beautiful grounds.


Wednesday 9 July

This morning we got a taxi down the road to the post office to send back material from Harvard to NZ rather than carry it around with us for the next six weeks. I have bought some Harvard T Shirts and other little gifts for the grandchildren.

Traveled to New York by train at 11.15am –about a 4 and a half hour journey. We arrived at the Gershwin Hotel and booked in. Very old, quaint hotel with modern sculptured front and art works of Andy Warhol throughout the hotel. It has different jazz and classical groups playing in the evening.

We started walking the streets, through Times Square and up to Central Park. We spent some time walking around central park, watching base ball games and hundreds of people running and cycling, skating through the park. I can’t wait to feel better and go for a run. I am determined that we will run through Central park when we return at the end of next week.

This evening we took a tour bus ride around the city, over the Manhattan Bridge and back –amazing lights and views of the skyscrapers at night. Great trip and of course there is an interesting commentary all the way round which does give one useful bits of information about the city.

We grabbed a quick meal, about 10.30 pm and headed back to the hotel.

Thursday 10 July

This morning we took the tourist bus down to Manhattan to take the Sea Taxi out to look at the Statue of Liberty. We first filled in a bit of time looking through a Museum of History of the American Indian people. The trip out on the harbour and around Ellis Island to look at the Statue of Liberty was great – close view of the statue, I was impressed with the actual size of it, and great views of the city from the harbour itself.

When we returned we had a look at the Apple Computer Store – amazing place full of people wanting the latest in Apple toys. They have continuous lectures on different programmes run on the computers and a huge staff to interact with customers and demonstrate, advise and give information. The new G3 I Phone comes out tomorrow and they expect thousands to line up to get it on the first day. Ironically, it will be out in NZ before the States.

We walked back up through Soho and Greenwich Village and finally found a bar to sit down and have a quiet beer. Well a quiet beer led on to a few more and eventually we stayed and had dinner there as well. We then returned to our hotel with the intention of maybe going out again later, but by time we had sent a few emails and I had written Bay news article, we were too stuffed to venture out again.

I rang Rana and had a chat to Marcel –unfortunately he struggled to hear me easily as they were in Bay Fair, but it was neat to hear his voiced. I am really missing all of the children, younger and older.


Friday 11 July

This morning we went to the top of the Empire State Building. Stunning views from the top of the building, and it was a very clear sky so we could see for miles. The Empire State Building itself is very dated and never really fulfilled its promise. It is only about 30% tenanted as the offices are not of a very good design and there are better options available le in many more modern buildings in the city.

We returned to our hotel, completed packing and caught the train from New York to Philadelphia. At Philadelphia we had to get another train which has taken us about 45 minutes out of Philadelphia to a place called Malvern, which is close to where the wedding we are going to is being held. It is unfortunate that it is so far out. Hotel is very nice hotel, but the place is very isolated and the place is best known for the many corporate businesses here that are mainly involved in the pharmaceutical production. Buildings and offices are in huge park like grounds that re mind me a little like being on a university campus.

Tonight we had a few drinks and dinner at the hotel. Went for a walk to wear off the dinner and then headed back to hotel and bed.