A day at Harvard .....

A statue of John Harvard .... but it's not actually him because no one could remember what he looked like!

It has always been a dream of mine to go to Harvard, but I admit to being so ignorant of American geography that I didn't even know it was near Boston!  So, I was thrilled to find out that Cambridge is very close to Boston.  I walked across the Charles River, along streets lined with more beautiful buildings and into Harvard Square.

Freshman dorms

I decided to join a free walking tour, led by a current student.  It was a great way to see up close to the gorgeous buildings and hear some of the history behind the university.  Did you know that John Harvard, after whom the university is named, didn't even have anything to do with the university?  He was just an English guy with no relatives, who happened to die in Cambridge and left his land and huge book collection to the small university in 1638 (the university first opened in 1636).  The campus is just stunning ..... Deakin University could take a leaf out of Harvard's book!

Apparently, if you walk through the main gate, you will get expelled from the university.

After the tour, I walked across to the Graduate School of Education where Project Zero is based.  The buildings weren't quite so beautiful, but I had a look through their library - wow!  Every education journal under the sun is in their library.

A church?  No, just your standard lecture hall

Tired after a full morning of walking, I headed to the Harvard bookstore, The Coop.  Four floors full of mainly academic books but also a great selection of fiction.  It was heaven. I spent time choosing my purchases carefully and making a list of future books to buy.  I limited myself to two books, but made a third choice spontaneously on the way to the counter.  I bought Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning by Peter Johnston, What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated?  And More Essays on Standards, Grading and Other Follies by Alfie Kohn and If the Buddha Dated: A Handbook to Finding Love on a Spiritual Path by Charlotte Kasl .... can you guess which one was the spontaneous purchase?!

The foyer of the lecture hall ..... a little shabby, don't you think?

So, I can now say, "I've been to Harvard ...."  Unfortunately not as a student, but there is still lots of learning to do, so perhaps in the future?!

More dorms .... so much nicer than the buildings I lived in my first year of uni!

Another gorgeous Harvard building

Harvard Hall

Widner Library - the main Harvard library.  Named after a young book collector who drowned in the Titanic disaster ..... trying to save a rare book.

The not so beautiful Graduate School of Education library