Jane Eyre – Institute for Educational Advancement

What We’re Reading: Summer 2015

��Ƶ Staff — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 01:30:00 +0000

Much like many of the kids we serve, the ��Ƶ staff is a group of voracious readers. We wanted to share what we’re reading now in case you are looking for some good summer reads.

New and Selected Poems, Volume 1 by Mary Oliver

“I give my highest, unqualified recommendation to this collection, whose wisdom continues teaching me what it means to be attentive. Good reading for summer nights.”

– Brianna Safe

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

“Marie Kondo has a writing style that invites you to read slowly and deliberately and enjoy every word.�� She has a relationship to objects that makes them seem to have feelings, which many of us gifties can relate to. (Which is why I can never throw away a pen.)�� And it just feels freeing to try her method.”

– Zadra Rose Ibañez

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

“I couldn’t resist reading another novel by the fabulous J.K. Rowling, and her writing pulled me in immediately, as usual.”

– Jennifer Kennedy

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

“I love this story both for its beauty and for how it teaches me. Throughout the novel, Brontë asks compelling and profound questions about love and the nature of goodness in a person’s life. Jane Eyre is a captivating and challenging read that I always enjoy.”

– Morgan Carrion

Lila by Marilynne Robinson

“It is deeply contemplative, insightful, and introspective. I like how Robinson deals honestly and lovingly with some of the most profound questions regarding religion and faith.”

– Jennifer de la Haye

My Struggle: Book 1 by Karl Ove Knausgaard

“‘I saw life; I thought about death.’ Slowly slogging my way through this six-book autobiographical series, whose literary voice echoes the cinematic eye of fellow Scandinavian Ingmar Bergman. Not for the easy reader or faint of heart.”

– Brianna Safe

The Mysterious Benedict Society, Book 1 by Trenton Lee Stewart

“Such an engaging story about bright young kids. It actually reminds me a lot of A Wrinkle in Time. I will definitely be getting a copy for my nephew!”

– Jennifer Kennedy

Walking Away by Simon Armitage

“It’s British poet and novelist Armitage’s account as a sort of ‘troubadour’, walking the south-western coastline of the UK, and the people he meets who feed him and accommodate him in return for a poetry reading. It’s a testament to the beauty of the British landscape, the therapy found in walking (and being blasted by the elements) and, most reassuringly, the enduring power of poetry. He’s also just been nominated as Oxford’s Professor of Poetry – and !”

– Louise Hindle

Brainstorm by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel

“I love the scientific analysis behind adolescent behavior – this type of understanding is empowering.”

– Jennifer de la Haye

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

“This book helped me uncover hidden blocks to reaching for what I wanted and gave me a new perspective for dealing with obstacles in my life.�� I absolutely experienced a paradigm shift in how I relate to what matters to me.”

– Zadra Rose Ibañez

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

“Another excellent novel from my favorite author. I get caught up in the language and storytelling ability of Picoult every time. The extended metaphors in this novel relating to wolf behavior and wolf pack dynamics add an interesting dimension as well.”

– Jennifer Kennedy

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

“The book is a fictional account of two sisters struggling to survive the atrocities of World War II in German-occupied France—one a resistance fighter in Paris, the other a mother and teacher in the countryside. I’ve read a lot of material about the horrors of the Holocaust, but never from the perspective of the French people.”

– Bonnie Raskin

Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults

“What’s most exciting about this multi-authored text is the underlying principle that IQ is not an isolated piece of the individual. The work asks two questions: How can this principle help avoid inaccurate diagnoses and the conflation of giftedness and behavioral/emotional/mental disorders?�� And how can we understand the intersection of giftedness and these disorders (dual diagnoses) in a way that preserves the child’s needs first and foremost?”

– Brianna Safe

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What books are you reading this summer? We’d love to know. Please share in the comment section below.

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Summer Academy at The Huntington – A Scholar’s Paradise

��Ƶ Staff — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 04:02:58 +0000

By Louise Hindle

Louise is ��Ƶ’s Academy Coordinator. Academy offers K-8th grade students challenging enrichment classes that focus on exploration and application of knowledge.

A group of Summer Academy students spends lunchtime enjoying The Huntington’s gardens and having fun with new friends

This year, ��Ƶ had the tremendous opportunity to host both 3-week Summer Academy sessions at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, that scholar’s paradise situated in the center of San Marino, known and loved by curious minds near and far, young and not so young! It was a boon to our community to enjoy this remarkable location, and more, to begin to appreciate how such partnering might enrich our classes further. As we conclude our inaugural Academy program at The Huntington, we look back at the summer sessions through the eyes of our most important critics: the Academy students themselves!

‘I LOVED EVERYTHING!!!’ screams the written evaluation from Simone O. on her post-program survey. Simone spent the summer in classes like Ancient Rome, Physics Lab, Planetary Astronomy and Scientists Like Me, devoting a fair amount of time in between with her nose in a book, a smile on her face and an eager commitment to staying for extra time on Thursdays to enjoy our mini-lecture series. She, along with the other friends she made, also described making new connections and ‘unforgettable memories at The Huntington’. As they hung out at lunch, shared stories and laughter, walked the gardens and dodged the sprinklers, they took time to tell us:

We do unique, fun experiments and activities to further our understanding of demanding concepts, such as creating a diagram of the solar system made out of different food items to help demonstrate each planet’s qualities
It was challenging intellectually – but in a good way!
We’ve understood art and art history through cool scavenger hunts in the gallery
The teachers have been such a big part in our learning process. They have the ability to make learning fun and much more interactive than regular school
We were inspired by scientists from the past by visiting the ‘Beautiful Science’ exhibit
You get the chance to work at a pace that suits your own learning style and level of interest
We understood the context of Bronte’s Jane Eyre through seeing and talking about key texts with a leading curator (even though the text was impossible to read!)

What’s more, the students told us that all classes were overall more in-depth and more specific than anything they’ve had the chance to enjoy so far – as well as being interestingly inter-disciplinary! Feedback, so far then, suggests this time was, indeed, one of ‘paradise’.

Naturally, watching friendships develop and personalities emerge is, of course, a major part of the summer camp experience. For ��Ƶ staff and Academy teachers, one of the most thrilling parts of the last 6 weeks has been watching our community of children grow intellectually, as well as socially, and grow to believe that their passions and interests are shared with others and could give them pathways to a unique future. Parents, too, have taken extra time to write and to let us know how glad they are to have ‘discovered’ us, that their child ‘had a blast’ and that their child ‘is already asking about when she can take another class’. In addition, as we evaluate, we love to hear your ideas for future classes, from Robotics to Botany, from Architecture to Art History; rest assured, we will continue to listen and respond.

The Oxford English Dictionary tells me that the lexical item ‘Paradise’ can be traced back to Middle English to the Old French word, ‘paradis’, via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek ‘paradeisos’ or ‘royal (enclosed) park’. Having been on site at The Huntington did indeed elevate us and make us feel ‘royal’ and protected, but in a more modern sense of the word, as young scholars, our Academy students found their idyllic place and their idyllic state of mind in a safe and stimulating community.

Thanks to all who contributed their honest thoughts to this blog and to all who made this happen, and happen so successfully! It was paradise.

See more highlights from Summer 2014 Academy!

More information about Fall 2014 Academy coming soon! To stay updated on future offerings, join our email list.