This morning we went on our second school visits. They put us in taxis and drove about 20 minutes to get to our school in Seatoun (which is a wealthy suburb where Peter Jackson has a home). The principal barely said hello and goodbye, but we still had a great visit at the school. We could take pictures of things but not kids except for the two year 8's that showed us around the school. I spent my time with a second/third grade class. I was able to do a Q&A and answer a lot of questions for them. Then we worked on math and science. The teacher asked me to work with one group and pot plants for a soil experiment. I finished the day reading them the starfish story out of my recycling book. The schoool itself sat right on the bay and was just a stone's throw to the beach. It was fantastic.
The rest of the day was non-stop meetings. After lunch, there was the lecture about the NZ government. Many of us were having a hard time staying awake for that. Then we walked to the Parliament House for a tour, went through part of the Beehive (executive branch), and then met with the Minister of Education, Anne Tolley. She answered questions about the education system in NZ and some of the challenges. Then off to the Ministry of Education to meet with a deputy for more facts and figures about education in NZ. After that it was a brisk walk back to the Fulbright NZ office for a two hour reception with dignitaries and former Fulbrighters. I was very happy when all of that was over and we finally got to go home.
Went out long enough to pick up some Hokey-Pokey ice cream -- supposedly you can't leave NZ until you try it.
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