Ordinary Gifted Children: The Power and Promise of Individual Attention

This is the remarkable story of the Hoffmann School for Individual Attention, where the principal believed in a diverse, challenging, and challenged group of students—with extraordinary results. With a definition of gifted that included all children, Ann Hoffmann embraced students that other schools had failed, and she helped them not just to learn, but to learn to love learning. Written with candor and humor by renowned arts educator (and Ann Hoffmann’s daughter) Jessica Hoffmann Davis, this portrait will resonate with anyone who has known or been a champion of children. Ann Hoffmann’s example will inspire and delight the reader, reminding us of what matters most in education and that if we love what we do, anything is possible.


This fascinating narrative addresses the timeless features of teaching and learning with important implications for how we think about curriculum, instruction, and classroom life. The story of the Hoffmann School is an insider’s view of a place in time that is more importantly a vision and set of beliefs that can reoccur in anyone’s classroom or adult life.


Jessica Hoffmann Davisis a cognitive developmental psychologist and founder of the Arts in Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is the author ofWhy Our Schools Need the ArtsandFraming Education as Art: The Octopus Has a Good Day.


“Blending the rigor of a social scientist, the heart and artistry of a poet, the wisdom and compassion of an educator, and the devotion of a daughter, Jessica Hoffmann Davis writes the story her mother asked her to tell... a book about the kind of education every child deserves, and about the ordinary teacher whose mission it was to see the goodness and gifts in each one of her students. Teachers and parents will draw powerful lessons from this beautiful book.”

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Emily Hargroves Fisher Professor of Education, Harvard University and author ofBalm in Gilead,Respect, andThe Third Chapter


“As a graduate of the Hoffmann School, I was thrilled to read Jessica Hoffmann Davis’s brilliant new book. Her rich language and engaging style capture the school’s generous spirit and its warm atmosphere of comfort and support. Ann Hoffmann encouraged each child's individuality and interest and instinctively recognized what was needed to unlock his or her passion to learn. The Hoffmann School experience totally changed the direction of my life, opening horizons that would not have been conceivable without Ann Hoffmann's guidance.”

Austin C. Hill, Clinical Psychologist in Private Practice, New York City

1119175123
Ordinary Gifted Children: The Power and Promise of Individual Attention

This is the remarkable story of the Hoffmann School for Individual Attention, where the principal believed in a diverse, challenging, and challenged group of students—with extraordinary results. With a definition of gifted that included all children, Ann Hoffmann embraced students that other schools had failed, and she helped them not just to learn, but to learn to love learning. Written with candor and humor by renowned arts educator (and Ann Hoffmann’s daughter) Jessica Hoffmann Davis, this portrait will resonate with anyone who has known or been a champion of children. Ann Hoffmann’s example will inspire and delight the reader, reminding us of what matters most in education and that if we love what we do, anything is possible.


This fascinating narrative addresses the timeless features of teaching and learning with important implications for how we think about curriculum, instruction, and classroom life. The story of the Hoffmann School is an insider’s view of a place in time that is more importantly a vision and set of beliefs that can reoccur in anyone’s classroom or adult life.


Jessica Hoffmann Davisis a cognitive developmental psychologist and founder of the Arts in Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is the author ofWhy Our Schools Need the ArtsandFraming Education as Art: The Octopus Has a Good Day.


“Blending the rigor of a social scientist, the heart and artistry of a poet, the wisdom and compassion of an educator, and the devotion of a daughter, Jessica Hoffmann Davis writes the story her mother asked her to tell... a book about the kind of education every child deserves, and about the ordinary teacher whose mission it was to see the goodness and gifts in each one of her students. Teachers and parents will draw powerful lessons from this beautiful book.”

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Emily Hargroves Fisher Professor of Education, Harvard University and author ofBalm in Gilead,Respect, andThe Third Chapter


“As a graduate of the Hoffmann School, I was thrilled to read Jessica Hoffmann Davis’s brilliant new book. Her rich language and engaging style capture the school’s generous spirit and its warm atmosphere of comfort and support. Ann Hoffmann encouraged each child's individuality and interest and instinctively recognized what was needed to unlock his or her passion to learn. The Hoffmann School experience totally changed the direction of my life, opening horizons that would not have been conceivable without Ann Hoffmann's guidance.”

Austin C. Hill, Clinical Psychologist in Private Practice, New York City

25.95 In Stock
Ordinary Gifted Children: The Power and Promise of Individual Attention

Ordinary Gifted Children: The Power and Promise of Individual Attention

by Jessica Hoffmann Davis
Ordinary Gifted Children: The Power and Promise of Individual Attention

Ordinary Gifted Children: The Power and Promise of Individual Attention

by Jessica Hoffmann Davis

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Overview

This is the remarkable story of the Hoffmann School for Individual Attention, where the principal believed in a diverse, challenging, and challenged group of students—with extraordinary results. With a definition of gifted that included all children, Ann Hoffmann embraced students that other schools had failed, and she helped them not just to learn, but to learn to love learning. Written with candor and humor by renowned arts educator (and Ann Hoffmann’s daughter) Jessica Hoffmann Davis, this portrait will resonate with anyone who has known or been a champion of children. Ann Hoffmann’s example will inspire and delight the reader, reminding us of what matters most in education and that if we love what we do, anything is possible.


This fascinating narrative addresses the timeless features of teaching and learning with important implications for how we think about curriculum, instruction, and classroom life. The story of the Hoffmann School is an insider’s view of a place in time that is more importantly a vision and set of beliefs that can reoccur in anyone’s classroom or adult life.


Jessica Hoffmann Davisis a cognitive developmental psychologist and founder of the Arts in Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is the author ofWhy Our Schools Need the ArtsandFraming Education as Art: The Octopus Has a Good Day.


“Blending the rigor of a social scientist, the heart and artistry of a poet, the wisdom and compassion of an educator, and the devotion of a daughter, Jessica Hoffmann Davis writes the story her mother asked her to tell... a book about the kind of education every child deserves, and about the ordinary teacher whose mission it was to see the goodness and gifts in each one of her students. Teachers and parents will draw powerful lessons from this beautiful book.”

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Emily Hargroves Fisher Professor of Education, Harvard University and author ofBalm in Gilead,Respect, andThe Third Chapter


“As a graduate of the Hoffmann School, I was thrilled to read Jessica Hoffmann Davis’s brilliant new book. Her rich language and engaging style capture the school’s generous spirit and its warm atmosphere of comfort and support. Ann Hoffmann encouraged each child's individuality and interest and instinctively recognized what was needed to unlock his or her passion to learn. The Hoffmann School experience totally changed the direction of my life, opening horizons that would not have been conceivable without Ann Hoffmann's guidance.”

Austin C. Hill, Clinical Psychologist in Private Practice, New York City


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780807771532
Publisher: Teachers College Press
Publication date: 03/11/2014
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 3 MB

About the Author

Jessica Hoffmann Davis is a cognitive developmental psychologist and founder of the Arts in Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is the author of Why Our Schools Need the Arts and Framing Education as Art: The Octopus Has a Good Day. Visit the author’s website at jessicahoffmanndavis.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 Ordinary Gifted Children 7

Consciousness 7

Diversity 15

Empathy 22

Pain 29

2 School as Home 39

Porous Boundaries 39

Home Schooling 46

Familial Arts 53

Mother-in-Charge 60

3 Destiny and Transition 67

This Is America 67

Change in Leadership 74

Refraining the School 82

Parents and Property 92

4 Ordinary Gifted Educator 100

A Knowledgeable Friend 100

The Child's Champion 111

Deceptive Simplicity 119

She Was the School 127

5 Behind the Door 138

Her Warm Nest 138

Social Roots 144

The Question of Religion 151

My Noble Friend 159

6 Making Sense 165

Personal Matters 165

Ann's Imprint 177

Sitting Among Children 182

The Dream 187

Notes 193

About the Author 195

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Teachers and parents will draw powerful lessons from this beautiful book."
Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Harvard University


“As a graduate of the Hoffmann School, I was thrilled to read Jessica Hoffmann Davis's brilliant new book. Her rich language and engaging style capture the school's generous spirit and its warm atmosphere of comfort and support. Ann Hoffmann encouraged each child's individuality and interest and instinctively recognized what was needed to unlock his or her passion to learn. The Hoffmann School experience totally changed the direction of my life, opening horizons that would not have been conceivable without Ann Hoffmann's guidance.”
Austin C. Hill, clinical psychologist in private practice, New York City

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