Harvard Square

Yesterday, both Ken and I attended the first Public Lecture Series and it was given by Governor Deval Patrick who shared on education. It was an inspiring speech no doubt as he shared his life story and how 2 teachers in particular impacted his life. A little about him: He was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago and educated at Milton Academy and Harvard University. Governor Deval Patrick served as assistant attorney general for civil rights under President Bill Clinton and general counsel for the Coca Cola Company before he was elected governor of Massachusetts in November 2006. He has made public education a priority during his administration. As he has said, “I understand how education can transform a life because it is what transformed my own.”

After that episode, while walking home, Ken and I had a short discussion on the personal belief of teachers. This is important as it shapes how you look at education as a whole and the children who are placed under your charge. I feel it also helps shape your attitude when the going gets tough. Well, we shall not go into details as the topic alone can constitute a paper and Hargreaves would definitely do well in it. However, one thing Governor Deval Patrick shared caught my attention. In his words, he said. "Education is about creating responsible citizens, not preparing people for workforce." Hmmm.....(a lot to say but shall reserve it =p).

Anyway, back to a lighter topic. Today, we decided to go Harvard Square (yes, on a weekday), as opposed to visiting during the weekends because both of us really dislike crowds. It was about a half an hour bus ride and the area seemed to be rather English. It has a laid-back kind of attitude, I thought. We checked out L.A. Burdick cafe as recommended by a friend and it was also a good opportunity to try out the cakes there so that they could serve as benchmark for my baking attempts in future. My review of the place is in my foodblog.

Anyway, we were walking aound the area and Harvard Graduate School of Education was just round the corner and we were hoping that we would bump into the two-metre-tall man but nope, tough luck. The Harvard Uni campus is nice and provides a relaxed atmosphere. I quite like it!

And as usual, we went home after two hours around Harvard Square, including the time spent in the cafe. Either we didn't explore the place well enough or the place was really just a nice little area for chilling out. Or maybe we are just two boring people. I tend to agree with the last statement. =p