Two weeks ago Johannesburg was hit with its first cold snap. It always seems to catch the locals by surprise and we battle to fight the elements. Not so for the hosts of the Cambridge Schools Conference, 2016, South Africa that took place at St John’s College, Houghton.
For them the fresh air reminded them of a spring day in Cambridge.
Fortunately the sun often burns off the wind chill factor as we huddled on the steps overlooking the main rugby field.
And as the 250 odd delegates moved to the Alice room, I’m sure I got the name wrong as I was used to calling the bunker purely because of its location and looks, we soon all warmed up.
It was said after the conference that it was the best one that they have ever held. I can quite believe that. The speakers kept my attention even as I crawled around the front of the stage and between the tables to get the shots.
There was one speaker that stood out the most for me. So many of the comments he made about educating our children resonated. The one was comparing our children to someone in a wheel chair, that we push around everywhere because we think they need our help, only to find out that that child jumps out of the wheelchair as soon as we are not around. Basically we spoon feed our children too much and need to realise that they are quite capable of learning on their own as they explore their world.
PS on the first day, walking through the corridors, the central quad and admiring the statue of St David’s, it all came back to me. I was born up the road and we lived on the property in Elm Street. My father taught English at St John’s College. I was three and a half when we left. How ones’ life is stored in layer and layers in our psyche often only triggered by imagery.
Cambridge Schools Conference – South Africa – 2016
Leave a Reply