Go Outside!

Over the course of the summer we like to talk about good books to read, ways to prepare for next year or for college, or how to challenge yourself. But let's not forget the most important part of summer - being outdoors. Being outside without a phone, or a computer, or a tablet, and without anything in particular to do. Just to catch fireflies, look at the flowers, walk in the woods, and enjoy the world around us.

Several recent books encourage parents to take their kids outside. The most famous of these is Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods, which he followed up with The Nature Principle. Scott Sampson's How to Raise a Wild Child and Angela Manscom's Balanced and Barefoot also discuss getting your children back to the basics of nature.

You can read these books if you want. But go climb a tree first. No, you don't need to Google how to do it - it will come back to you, like riding a bike. And think about doing that, too. A Michigan summer is a completely beautiful thing, so don't waste it. 

Great Summer Read Suggestions!

I don't know what you do in the summer, but when I was a kid this was when I got to read endlessly. Nothing made me happier. But where to find great books to indulge in?

Every year, Dr. Bob Seney, a nationally-recognized expert on literature for gifted children, publishes a list of what's new in young adult literature. He gives great reviews, discussing themes, story lines, appropriateness of content, and frequently whether or not the book will resonate with the gifted reader.

For your summer reading enjoyment, here are several new books (2015/2016) that he recommends for middle and high school students, along with his comments. Books with more adult themes/language are marked with an asterisk. 

Learning to Swear in America* by Katie Kennedy
Fun, humorous. Seventeen-year-old Russian astrophysicist genius saves the world from a threatening asteroid. A first novel.

The Promise: Seven Wonders Journals by Peter Lerangis

The prequel to the Seven Wonders Journal series.

Blood Don't Lie by Levy Aaron

Middle school can be tough: bullying, searing or self-identity, your family in crisis, the loss of a close friend, and...I'm going to stop there. The last few chapters are dynamite! Several layered themes. 

Riders by Veronica Rossi (rated as one of his top ten books of the year) A great take on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse moves quickly, high adventure. Contemporary setting. Guide at end is good.

Bone Gap by Ruby Laura
Is it reality or is it fantasy - maybe both! 
Kidnapping to another dimension set in a Midwestern rural setting. Finn discovers his strengths. A bit of a more difficult read.

Echo: A Novel by Pam Munoz Ryan (rated as one of his top ten books of the year 2015) 2016 Newberry Honor. The novel reinvented. Tragedy but there is always hope.

An Ember in the Ashes - Books 1 and 2* by Sabaa Tair 
He calls it Hunger Games with a twist - and says the second book is more engaging than the first.

Wink Poppy Midnight* - by April Tucholke Told from the points-of-view of the three protagonists, this is a tale of mystery, love, and revenge. Light sexual situations. A good read, but I must admit it did not always hold my attention. Reader keep on: be ready for a real surprise.

If you read one of these books, or find another great book you want to share, write a review and we will be happy to post it on the blog over the summer. We are always looking for material - so get back to us and let us know what you think!

If you want to see the rest of Dr. Seney's list, including recommendations for younger children and the 2015 edition, you can find it at www.iag-online.org/resources/2016-Conference-Handouts/Seney/IGA-Whats-New-Handout.pdf.

Read on people! That's what all those pool chairs are for!

Free Test Prep for the PSAT!

Hey freshmen and sophomores, what are you doing this summer? One activity we would highly recommend is signing up for SAT prep through the Khan Academy. Many of you may already have heard about what Khan Academy offers in terms of free classes in all sorts of subjects – math, humanities, science, technology – but did you know that they offer free test prep as well?

Khan Academy has teamed up with the College Board to provide this opportunity, and it is really well done. Initial questions tell the computer where your strengths and weaknesses are, and then the system asks you follow-up questions in the areas where you need the most work. You don’t waste time answering questions where you’re strong, making this an incredibly effective way to study. And, I repeat, it is FREE!

Why do you want to do this now? Studying for the SAT also prepares you for the PSAT. The PSAT is offered in October of your junior year (you may have already taken practice ones at school), and doing well on the PSAT can put you in line for a wide variety of merit-based scholarships, including the National Merit Scholarship, the National Hispanic Recognition Program, and other corporate-based scholarships that use the PSAT as a qualifying test. You can read more about these scholarships at www.princetonreview.com/college/psat-nmsqt.

Very few students will be as well-prepared as you could be, between your ATYP experiences and the work you put forth to study for this test. Just 15 minutes a day can make an enormous difference in how well you do, so go to www.khanacademy.org/sat today and start practicing!

Our Strength Lies in Our Differences

What is diversity, and why do we value it at ATYP?

When we talk about a diverse student population, we mean that our goal is to bring together students from different school districts, and students of different races, religions, ethnicities, genders, and socio-economic statuses. There are several reasons for this. The first, and most important reason, is that we know that giftedness is found across all spectrums of humankind. If our student body does not reflect this then we must work harder to find every young person who could qualify and benefit from ATYP.

Second, everyone learns more when we learn from each other. When children come to the classroom with different lifestyles, experiences, and worldviews, everyone gains a better understanding not just of literature and mathematics, but of each other. We discover new cultures, foods, values, music, art, beliefs, etc., and we learn that differences aren’t something to be tolerated, but something to be admired and accepted.

Third, we learn to listen to different opinions, and to state our own opinions in a civil and respectful manner. If you never meet or speak with people who hold different views, you never really clarify your own views. Ask yourself: What’s important to me? Why? Do I really think that, or did I adopt someone else’s idea without fully understanding what it means? Who am I as a person? Connecting with others forces you to examine your own values and beliefs, so while it looks like you’re discovering those around you, you’re actually discovering yourself.

Sometimes people think that diversity is just a code word for political correctness, and that could not be further from the truth. The reality is that we can all benefit from learning and living together, but this only happens if we think about how we are behaving, speaking, and treating one another. If you are dismissive of someone else’s opinion, fail to acknowledge their experience, or start with the assumption that their existence is somehow “less than” yours then your relationship is already on a path to failure. The key word in all of our interactions is RESPECT.

No matter where a fellow student goes to school, how they worship, what their parents do for a living, or the color of their skin, and regardless of any other differences between individuals, we will continue to honor and respect all members of the ATYP family. So please be kind and courteous to your classmates, so that we can all benefit from studying and working together in a safe and diverse learning environment.

P.S. Even though it’s a book for children, I love Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches for reminding me about how to treat people who are different – for any reason. The Sneetches was originally written as a push back to anti-Semitism. You can read the book or watch it on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLPe7XjdKc. Because you’re never too old for Dr. Seuss.

Middle Schoolers are Half-Baked

I heard someone at the National Association for Gifted Children's Annual Conference say that middle schoolers are half-baked, and I thought it was the most profoundly accurate description of tweens and early teens that I had ever heard. Not only because of what it says about children this age, but because of what it says about the way we do - and should - treat children this age.

First, the scientific research is very clear about the development of the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that is in charge of rational thought, controlling impulses, and making better judgments. This part of the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25 - which may say everything you need to know about why your pre-teen or teen acts the way he or she does. PBS's Frontline has a great episode called Inside the Teenage 
Brain, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/, where you can learn more about topics such as "Do Your Teens Seem Like Aliens" and how the science behind brain development works. 

When your child is gifted, it is sometimes harder to remember the "half-baked" truth. When that same twelve-year-old can read college-level material, has an expansive vocabulary, can compute differential equations, or discuss the pros and cons of Middle East political policy over the last fifty years, parents and teachers sometimes forget that while the intellectual part of their brain appears to be 20, that pre-frontal cortex is not. This asynchronous development is a distinctive part of what it means to be gifted, and one that makes this stage of life difficult for kids, teachers, and parents.

On the one hand, understanding that your kid's brain is still a work in progress may help you keep your cool when your twelve-year-old acts like, well, a typical twelve-year-old. For instance, when homework is forgotten, or when the long-term implications of not having papers signed are ignored, or when someone goes to a friend's house without letting you know where she's gone. This is when being able to mutter, "not fully cooked" to yourself as a mantra can come in handy. But it is also helpful to note that this is a great time to add ingredients to the recipe you're trying to create.

Many people feel that during the middle school years kids are so busy going through puberty that asking them to do anything else is just too taxing. This would appear to be incorrect. Instead, this is great time to hard wire the brain to do what you need it to do. Learning to persevere through effort - and sometimes failure - check. Expanding executive function skills like organization and time management - check. Exposing yourself to new ideas, cultures, and people to develop empathy and an expanded worldview - check. These are all things you should ask/expect your middle schooler to do to help them become the adult they want to be. Now is the best, not the worst, time to develop these skills and mindsets.

So whether or not you're trying to bake a brownie, cake, or cookie, and whether or not your kid is still only at the soft-set stage, keep cooking. Keep stirring, adding chocolate chips, or nuts, or whatever else needs to be in there, and eventually they will become the fully-baked adults we know they can be. Just remember that you're still several years away from  the timer going off.

Inspirational Reading for Your Spring Break

After our very successful fundraiser and showing of the movie Hidden Figures, my sister recommended the book Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars, by Nathalia Holt. This sent Dr. Schultz and I into full-on investigation mode, learning more about women in math and science both in history and in literature, where we happened upon this great article in Elle Magazine, "8 Books by Women for Bill Gates to Read This Summer: A revised reading list," by Mattie Kahn. 

Wow! Whether you read the books on this list because you love math, science, physics, literature, feminism or just a plain old good story, there is something for everyone - males and females - to be found here. If you're a girl thinking about going into a STEM field, some of these books are must reads. Nothing is more encouraging or motivating than reading about someone who has blazed a trail, broken a glass ceiling, or gone where no one has gone before. For any girl who thinks they are not good at math (a surprising number of female students who qualify for ATYP math), and for any boy who thinks that girls are not as talented, these stories prove without a doubt that women are just as capable, and that achieving in these fields is entirely possible.

With Spring Break coming up, any one of these books would be a great option for inspirational reading during your vacation - or go out on your own and discover something that speaks to you, or makes you want to try something new, or aspire to something great. And then ALL of you - go out and conquer the world!

Times They are A-Changing

Change is something with which many of us struggle. We get into a routine, we like things the way they are, we're comfortable - and then life happens. Things become different. And sometimes we have a hard time coping.

We know this is true for many of our students because, yes, sometimes it's true for us. Today, after ten years as part of the Lee Honors College, ATYP has moved to Ellsworth Hall where we will join up with Upward Bound, Gear Up, Dual Enrollment, and Campus Compact to be part of the new Office of Pre-College Programming. While we will miss the Honors College, we understand that this new office offers many opportunities in terms of support and development, as well as a focus on the young students we serve. Still, it is hard to leave our friends and colleagues at the Honors College, who have been with us through many ups and downs over the last decade and have provided us with a great home. Sigh.

So here is a picture of our new office, which we are afraid we will forget how to get to, and where to park, and where the copier is, and all those other important facts. We know it's going to take a while to get used to this new space, and new people, but we are looking forward to making new friends and trying to look at this as a new adventure, not something that is scary or overwhelming, even though sometimes it is.

We hope you will come to visit us in our new digs - 2206 Ellsworth - so you will know where to find us. And keep good thoughts that we will remember which door is ours, especially early in the morning when Dr. Kelly hasn't had her coffee yet.