Susan Marcus and co-authors Cynthia Herbert and Susie Monday were celebrated at a reception at the Headliners Club in Austin on Wednesday, November 14. Marcus family friends Melba and Ted Whatley hosted the book party for a small group of supporters and friends. Many in attendance have played important parts in the development of the book and its “parent” non-profit The Foundry.
With its focus on developing 21st Century thinking skills in children, The Missing Alphabet, is a book with a 40-year history of experiences and development that took the support of many. Among the attendees at the reception were three of the “original” kids who participated in the educational programs that are at the foundation of the book: Cory Russell Lehy, Kelly Jarrell and Julie Busch.
Among those attending were long-time colleagues Nancy Busch and Julia Jarrell, from the International Programs division of Alamo Colleges; artist Jean Rather, Brent Hasty, founder and director of MindPop; Katherine Jones, principle and founder of Milkshake Media, and the new Blanton Art Museum education director Ray Williams.
Ted Whatley told Susie that he thought the next step for the group should be parent workshops to put the ideas into action! The book, a handbook for parents who want to know what they can do to help children develop 21st Century skills for thinking, is now available through Amazon and B&N online, with both soft cover and electronic versions.