Top 10 Things of the Summer: #4 Leelanau

Since I am teaching an AP class this semester, I had the privilege of attending a week-long AP institute in Glen Arbor, Mich., on the Leelanau Peninsula. This trip was a two-fold treat: first because the class I took for 7 hours a day provided some of the most insightful methods and inspiring pedagogy I have ever encountered in an education course. It was refreshing after the many stresses and disappointments resulting from my first two years of teaching. The instructor is herself an AP teacher, and to me, she was the epitome of everything right with education these days. I hope to find myself emulating her in both attitude and practice.

The second perk of this week in Michigan was the opportunity to explore the glorious location. I had no idea that northern Michigan was so beautiful. The Leelanau School, which hosted the conference, has acres of campus next to a beautiful blue bay of Lake Michigan. The rest of the lakeshore in the area is primarily Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, so some major sand dunes had been preserved to provide some great hiking opportunities.

On my second day of class, I made a point to walk the majority of the shoreline around the bay, which took me slightly more than three hours--and I was booking it! (Keep in mind this is all barefoot on sand, too!)

A few photos from my walk:











































On the third day, a group of other teachers from the class took a hike to the top of Pyramid Point--one of the tallest dunes on the peninsula and one of the best views of the lake.


































A final note about Leelanau: in Glen Arbor, I ate at a tiny diner called Art's Tavern. Great food, great atmosphere--a perfect spot for a late-night snack while on summer vacation in a beach town. If you ever pass through Glen Arbor, this is the place to eat!