by Abby Daniels, Director of Development & Communications at IEA
Looking for ways to keep your gifted child active and engaged this summer? We’ve got the answer for you: IEA Academy. We’ve put together our top 10 reasons for you to enroll your gifted and talented child for one of our two-week Academy classes this summer.
- Rigorous content. Each IEA Academy class is carefully designed to be stimulating, challenging and intellectually rigorous. Activities are often interdisciplinary and all integrate hands-on, inquiry-based learning environments, stimulating curiosity through discovery and exploration. One student relates: “I normally just memorize information, but in [my Academy] class I had to think up my own answers to questions.”
- Something for every learner. Whatever topics your gifted child is currently into, IEA Academy has a class that will interest and engage them. Are you the parent of a future engineer? How about “Building with Electrical Circuits” or “Algorithms for Beginners”? Is your child interested in health and medicine? How about “Brain Function: Zooming In to Cells & Out to Systems” or “Genes and Genetics”? Does your child have an exceptional artistic side? What about “How to Write Scripts like the Greats” or “Dissolving Boundaries: The Intersection of Poetry & Art”? Check out our class descriptions here.
- Creativity is fostered. Too often in a school setting, students aren’t able to express themselves creatively or artistically. IEA Academy courses are designed specifically to not just intellectually challenge students, but to inspire imagination and inventiveness. According to a “How to Write Scripts Like the Greats” student: “This [IEA Academy class] challenged me to be more creative.”
- Small class size. IEA Academy classes are capped at ten students, with most averaging six students in total. This means more 1:1 time with teachers and personalized attention and differentiated instruction for your child. In the words of one student, “I am in a big class at school so I get more one on one attention [at IEA Academy].”
- Expert, passionate teachers. Academy teachers have extensive expertise in the content area of their course. Their enthusiasm and passion drives their participation in the Academy, and they receive special training in working with gifted students. Remarked one teacher: “One student enjoyed their experience so much that they didn’t want to leave class! It was a highlight of my teaching career!” Read about our Academy teachers here.
- Beyond academics. IEA Academy classes go beyond traditional academic topics and encapsulate IEA’s vision of providing opportunities for the whole child to grow. Classes incorporate, and indeed some focus solely on, practicing mindfulness, building emotional literacy and establishing social connections. Read more about how practices like mindfulness can help your gifted child.
- Real-life, applicable content. Sure, our IEA Academy classes cover really cool and interesting topics, but they also provide useful information, tools and strategies that students can implement in their lives immediately and in the future. According to one Academy teacher, “Most rewarding [for me is] seeing students master information that I know will come in handy as they grow.”
- Valuable feedback for parents. Every IEA Academy teacher provides parents with an assessment on their child’s strengths in relation to learning objectives, subject mastery and learning abilities. Parents also receive next step targets to continue, expand on and maintain the learning after the class ends.
- Feel part of a community. The unique needs of gifted children often set them apart from their student peers in school. Joining the IEA Academy means joining a community in which other members face similar challenges and have the same needs and experiences. One IEA Academy student relates “At IEA Academy I’ve enjoyed working with people that have the same interests as me!” And bonds form between students and their teachers, as related by this IEA Academy teacher: “I deeply enjoyed connecting with the students at IEA and exploring the subjects with a shared enthusiasm and excitement!”
- Scholarships and discounts available! On a tight budget? No problem! IEA has not turned away anyone requesting our programs and services because of a financial hardship. Our generous supporters allow us to provide financial assistance to those who need it. (If you’re interested in becoming one of these supporters, contribute today!)
The deadline to register for IEA Academy’s Summer Session II (July 10-21) is July 5th and for Summer Session III (July 24-August 4), the deadline to register is July 17th.
Don’t wait any longer! Enroll your child for IEA Academy today.