Right before I started writing this post yesterday (Wednesday, May 22nd), I had waved goodbye to Jacob and David as they were leaving for Louisville. David was driving Jacob to Louisville to meet up with nine other students and three staff members from Gatton Academy at the Speed Art Museum for a free three-day recreational program called Unplugging with the Arts. This is a recently revived annual program in which the Gatton Academy collaborates with the Speed Art Museum to provide STEM students an opportunity to get immersed in the arts. During this program, the students will learn about the Science of Art, explore the Speed Art Museum gallery, attend an art workshop, screen a film and discuss cinema, explore Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, and go to the Escape Room for fun.

They are all staying at the Hilton Airport hotel for two nights and getting around Louisville in the Gatmobiles (2 Chevrolet Suburbans). For main meals, they will get taken to Jimmy Johns, the Bernheim Cafe and the Cheesecake Factory. Jacob was looking forward to being on this program and was very excited about the prospect of hanging out with his peers while doing something fun. He was also happy about the fact that we don’t have to pay for him to enjoy those fun activities. Moreover, the timing of this program is good as it allows us to have a break from one another at home.

Jacob came home from Gatton Academy on May 3rd, and we all have had to get readjusted to being around each other more for an extended period of time. It has been really great to have him with us considering that he has not rebelled against the ground rules for home we established when he first got back –not staying up too late, not spending too much time on his computer or phone and helping out with chores. After an academic year at Gatton Academy, he seemed to have learned to appreciate his home and family more as well as to behave in a more thoughtful and responsible manner. Thank God for that!

Since Jacob came home, I have become a lot busier with more meals to prepare, more groceries to buy and more things to do where Jacob is concerned. I helped him to learn some organizing principles and worked with him to organize his desk, his bookshelf, his closet and his room. After two academic semesters away, his room seriously needed tidying up and his closet and bookshelf straightened out. When we were packing for his Unplugging with the Arts trip, I showed him how to fold his clothes. Jacob used to bunch up his clothing items into ball shapes before putting them away. Alas, although rather good at studying, Jacob is not so clever at doing practical things with his hands. A result of this is that his grades for lab classes are all lower than those for lecture classes.

For Microbiology Lab, Jacob received a C, and he received Bs for Biology and Chemistry Labs. Jacob said that the work is quite tedious during Microbiology Lab as it requires a lot of detailed measurement and the handling of a lot of fragile instruments. One time when we drove past the building where Jacob had his Microbiology Lab, he said, “That’s where the pain happens.” The only fun part for Jacob during this Lab class was getting to use the electron microscope to see his bacterial phages. For all the lecture classes in Science and Engineering, he received As. He got a B in Calculus I due to his procrastination in getting the correct calculator, a bad stomachache during the midterm exam and his hesitation in seeking help with difficult topics. Procrastination is one of Jacob’s most serious character flaws which he and we have been trying to address together for a couple of years now. It has been extremely frustrating and exhausting for us to have had to talk to and coach Jacob about planning and working ahead when all he wants to do is to enjoy the moments, to underestimate how long it takes to complete assignments and projects as well as to wait until the last minute to get started.

Another weakness of Jacob is not willing to seek timely help when help is needed. During his first semester, it took us several attempts to finally succeed in getting Jacob to go to a Computer Science tutor for a particularly difficult topic. He would probably have gotten an A in Calculus I during the second semester if he had gone to the Professor’s office hours or to the Math tutor for help. In fact, many Gatton students have great difficulty going to the Professors’ office hours and seeking out the tutors. It is such a persistent problem that during orientation before the start of the academic year, the Director Dr. Breedlove mentioned it to us with emphasis during the parents’ session in the morning. She then made the incoming juniors utter a verbal pledge “I will ask for help” when she spent time with them later in the afternoon.

Now that Jacob is back home for the summer, he needs to prepare for the ACT scheduled for early June. He needs a higher super score than what he has now (32) in order to apply for academic-merit scholarships to colleges this Fall. He also has to work on his essays, readings and a short story (he’s supposed to write his own horror short story as the final project) for the Summer Study Abroad Program in England. For his first essay, he is supposed to write a literary analysis of either Frankenstein by Mary Shelley or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. He chose Frankenstein. Since Jacob doesn’t believe strongly in his writing abilities, he and I read the book at the same time, and we discussed the characters and story plot as well as ideas for his essay. I am so happy I did this with him as Frankenstein turned out to be one of the best books I have ever read. Both Jacob and I found the story innovative, profound, well-written and most thrilling. Jacob gave Frankenstein a rating of 10 out of 10!

Taking place between June 27th and July 18th, the Summer Study Abroad Program in England consists of an English Literature course and a 3-week trip to England in which 50 Gatton Academy juniors will get to visit prominent English writers’ homes (Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, William Wordsworth, Shakespeare, etc.), Westminster Abbey, the British Museum, Blenheim Palace, the London Tube (the subway) and Harry Potter Studio, among a few other significant landmarks. They are also going to the Shakespeare Theater to see a play in person. For something more adventurous, the students will get to explore an English village on foot in small groups of four. For home base, they are staying at Wroxton Abbey (this link leads to a virtual tour) which is located 2 hours by car from London. Wroxton Abbey is the home of Wroxton College, an overseas campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, USA.

Jacob’s first flying experience

Jacob got to experience what it feels like to fly an airplane a little over three weeks ago. Knowing the person in charge of Dream Flight Charities, a non-profit organization based in Danville that helps young people take flying lessons at much reduced costs, David had signed Jacob up for a discovery flight. On that day, Jacob and two other potential students took turns helping to pilot an airplane. The whole flight had three legs: from Danville to Frankfort, from Frankfort to Louisville, and finally from Louisville back to Danville. The three students took turns as co-pilot and switched out every time the plane landed. Jacob said that he enjoyed the experience even though he was so exhausted afterwards that he slept in the car the whole way home.