The Afterword

Tag: education

  • Two Items, Two Stories

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    Peter
    in

    What are your two favourite things to wear? If you asked me for my two favourite things to wear, the answer doesn’t come from my current wardrobe. It comes instead from two garments that hold stories — one formal and academic, the other casual and sun-faded — each stitched with memory. 1. The Graduation Gown…

  • The Common Thread

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    Peter
    in

    What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in? They say most people will work four or five different careers in their lifetime. That’s certainly been true for me — though looking back, I’m not sure I’ve ever really changed careers. The work has always been the same: helping things grow. I began…

  • The Ripple Effect

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    Peter
    in

    If I had a million dollars to give away, I know exactly where it would go.It would go to people who believe — as I do — that education changes everything. I’ve spent my whole adult life helping people grow. It’s the thread that runs through everything that has mattered to me: seeing people develop…

  • Good vs. Great: The Difference a Teacher Makes

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    Peter
    in

    It’s a good question: What makes a teacher great? We’ve all known teachers who were good — even brilliant — at their subject. But that’s not the same as being great. At the school I attended, the smartest minds in the staff room were often the poorest teachers. They understood their material, but not their…

  • You Saw Me

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    Peter
    in

    I was fifteen when I decided it was time—time to take my learning seriously. Not in the way school usually defined it, but in my own way. I had already learned that I didn’t thrive in traditional classrooms. I’m a visual learner. Spoken words dissolve into fog; lectures become a blur. I don’t absorb information…

  • The Outward-Facing Heart of Community

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    Peter
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    At Robert Menzies College, we’ve always believed that being a residential community means more than simply offering services to students. Yes, we provide accommodation, academic support, and a place to belong—but if we stop there, we’ve missed something vital. Our calling is to be outward-looking. We are not a closed circle. We are part of…

  • What I Didn’t Plan

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    Peter
    in

    I’ve always been a learner—curious, studious, and passionate by temperament. At times, it has felt more like an obsession than a strength. The rhythm of learning, the unravelling of new ideas, the delight in fresh perspectives—it energises me. But looking back, I realise that one particular decision set in motion a pattern that has shaped…

  • The Architecture of Relationship

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    Peter
    in

    They say school prepares you for life, but I think it’s more accurate to say it reveals you to yourself. If that’s true, then high school was the first place I caught a glimpse of the person I was becoming—the kind of person I wanted to be. I didn’t have the classic prelude. No pre-school…

  • On Being John Keating

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    Peter
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    If I could step into the shoes of any character from a book or film, I’d be tempted to choose John Keating from Dead Poets Society. Robin Williams brings him to life with that inimitable, twinkling mischief in his eye—the kind of teacher who walks on desks, encourages rebellion with flair, and dares students to…

  • Heartbeat

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    Peter
    in

    There is something precious about the season of life that university represents. These years are often full of energy and possibility, and Robert Menzies College (RMC) gives space for students to embrace that—to enjoy the strength in their bodies, the openness of their futures, and the gift of being with others who are also finding…