My daughter thought it was great—[she enjoyed] reading the stories and interacting with other children. She was engaged and looked forward to the sessions. Thank you for being a bright spot in a pandemic summer.

Junior Great Books Virtual Academy gives the opportunity for a deeper dive with more rigorous content than the average school experience does. My daughter liked the open discourse and that there was no right or wrong answer. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would like to participate in another session.

The JGB session my child participated in gave her a good introduction to critical thinking and discussion skills that she does not get in her regular classroom. In just four sessions, the JGB instructor got the students all talking, asking, and answering questions about the story, at a deeper level than I might have expected in such a short time. I have very fond memories of participating in JGB as a child, and I know it helped me with my reading, thinking, and writing skills. It was a great experience—my daughter loved every aspect of it.

These courses have been extremely valuable to my child’s reading development. They are top-notch reading instruction!

After attending the JGB Virtual Academy fall session, my daughter’s teacher said she showed great gains in her reading scores on the i-Ready reading assessment from September to December. I credit her participation in JGB Virtual Academy as a contributing factor. Thank you!

The facilitator was able to really listen and hear what the students were saying and respond to it to promote deeper reflection, rather than attempt to bring the discussion around to a point that she was trying to make. It was amazing to see the teaching skill and craft that brought together students from the continental US, Alaska, and Canada—students who had never before worked together—and create such a rich discussion among them.

My daughter loved being able to discuss the themes and questions from the story. She enjoyed hearing other thoughts and learning that you can influence and be influenced by the ideas of others.

Everyone was able to collaborate and share their ideas. It made me see everyone’s point of view and why they thought what they did.