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Keeping Up with Dr. Ruf . . .
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Dr. Ruf has published an article in the latest issue of Roeper Review, How Personality and Gender May Relate to
Individual Attitudes Toward Caring for and About Others.
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Greetings!
Sunny Day,
Sweepin' the clouds away, On my way to where the air is sweet. Can you tell me
how to get, How to get to Sesame Street.
Sesame Street has just turned 40. If we didn't grow up in  this magical neighborhood, our kids did. So it was a thrill for me to visit the set recently and now I can't stop talking about it. My daughter, Liz Hara, is a
puppeteer in New York who has
done work for the Jim Henson workshop. So while I was in New
York she arranged for us to stop by and watch a taping and
meet some of her friends, like Telly Monster and Abby Cadabby. Elmo was there,
too. It was great!
Part of the reason I wanted to bring this up is because of
something Liz said to me on this trip. She mentioned that it was really her experiences in Odyssey of the Mind and then DestiNation Imagination that set her on her career path. Besides
making puppets, Liz works for a company that makes costumes for Broadway shows, where she has made vests for Wicked's flying monkeys and collars for Lion King's
baboon. So it's significant that she learned how to sew in order to make a
pink, fuzzy gorilla costume for an OM/DI challenge while in middle school. Working
on challenges in seven-person teams, she and her friends were all able to
develop their creative talents and their ability to think on their feet. And
most of the team members have remained friends over the years, as well.
It's not too late to form up new teams, either through schools,
communities or homeschool groups. And I know DI would welcome adult efforts in
coaching or tournament appraising.
In the meantime - Dr. Ruf, Julia and I wish you all a warm and happy
Thanksgiving!
Best
wishes, Kathy Hara, Editor
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Using Type to Solve a Crime
Do you know your personality type? An integral part of our
assessment process here at Educational Options is determining our clients'
types, either through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the Murphy-Meisgeier
Type Indicator for Children. Dr. Ruf then uses this information to help explain to
families how type affects behavior. (See Gifted Child Personality Types and Effective School Lesson Plans, Parent and Gifted Child Personality Types and School Adjustment, and Tips for Parents: How Level of Giftedness, Gender, and Personality Affect School Behavior and Learning on our
website.)
Around 1929, the young Isabel Myers published her one and only
work of fiction, a mystery novel titled Murder Yet to Come.
Her book won first prize in the National Detective Murder Mystery Contest.
Besides being a murder mystery, Myers' book offers a different
type of puzzle, too! There are nine principal characters in the book, each with
a distinctive personality type. CAPT (Center for Applications of Psychological Type), which is selling the book, invites readers to figure out the types and
then send them an email to
ask for the answers - but wait until you read the whole book!
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Summer Camp at Exeter
It isn't too early to start thinking about summer camp. And that
is especially so at Phillips Exeter
Academy in Exeter,
New Hampshire.
This next summer, from July 4 through August 7, 2010, Phillips
Exeter Academy
will welcome about 700 students to their campus for five weeks of academic
study, athletics, and exploration that carry participants far beyond the
classrooms and the playing fields. Typically, students come from more than 40
states, Puerto Rico, Washington,
D.C., and several dozen foreign nations.
The Summer School welcomes motivated students who are interested
in learning and participating in an academic enrichment program. Access Exeter
is for students who have completed grades 7 or 8, while the Upper
School program is for those
students who have completed grades 9, 10, 11 or 12.
Although there is no admission deadline, Summer School begins
reviewing completed applications in late December and typically mails first
acceptances in January. However, financial aid is available to qualifying students
and there is a financial aid deadline. All students applying for financial aid
must have their entire Summer School application and financial aid application
materials completed and postmarked by March
1, 2010.
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Write on the Walls
Here's an interesting and useful invention for parents whose kids
would love to have permission to write on the walls. IdeaPaint
has come up with a durable paint that can turn any smooth surface into a dry
erase board. Imagine using it to paint your child's bedroom, then turning the
kids loose to create their own decorations!
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In Minnesota: Inside the NUMATS
On Saturday, December 19,
the Edina Center for Academic Excellence (ECAE) will sponsor a presentation by Nick Green, CEO
of Ivy Insiders Test Prep. Nick, who graduated from Edina High School in 2003 and from Harvard in 2007, earned a perfect 1600 on his SATs.
This informative session is
specifically for 6th through 9th grade students who want to take the SAT or ACT as part of the Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS) in
January and February. Nick will focus on easing anxieties about taking the test
and share a "game strategy" approach to the exam. He will
explain the basics of SAT/ACT testing, what younger students should expect to
know and not know, what to do when time is short (i.e., should you
guess?), how to make the best choice of answers, and other strategies that have
been shared with actual high school students preparing for their college
entrance exams.
This special 3-hour
mini-session will be Saturday, December 19, from 9:00 a.m. to noon
at the Edina Community Center, Room 351, 5701 Normandale Road, Edina. There is a $25 fee, with a discount of $5.00
if registered by November 20. One parent is welcome to attend free with
student. Enrollment is limited.
Please check the ECAE website for more information and for other
advanced course offerings.
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In Minnesota: Young Author's Conference
Young writers should start
thinking about attending this January's Young Author's Conference, which is
sponsored by Success Beyond the Classroom.
Heading into its 20th
year, YAC is convening at Bethel University in Arden Hills for an all-day event focusing on the theme "Stories of
Hope." The day will start with a keynote address by Twin Cities
actor-writer-educator Isabell Monk O'Connor. Then over 4,000 students in grades
4 through 8 will interact with established authors, poets,
playwrights, storytellers, illustrators, journalists and teachers of writing as
they discover and explore their writing talents and potential.
The Young Author's Conference is scheduled for Friday, January 29. Additional events are planned for the end
of May, 2010.
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Changing your email address?
Please let us know, so we can continue to send you our newsletter. Simply send us a note at kathy@educationaloptions.com. Thanks!
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5 Levels of Gifted: 
School Issues and
Educational Options
Dr. Ruf's book, 5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options (2005) (formerly published as Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind), is available through Great PotentialPress.
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Deborah Ruf
Educational Options
www.EducationalOptions.com
inquiry@educationaloptions.com
763-521-4565
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