Beat the January Doldrums with LJA J-Term

It’s cold, snowy, and the sun sets before 5 p.m. Welcome to January! We know students sometimes find it difficult to settle back into routines after holidays and winter breaks.

At Laura Jeffrey Academy, we believe all students should have agency in learning. Enter J-Term – a 4-week term in January designed to reinvigorate learning. Students and teachers make proposals for classes, and ultimately students select the activities that most interest them. 

What Are the J-Term Classes?

The classes in January look a little different every year, because they’re proposed and designed by our scholars and teachers. Here are a few of the popular options that students have attended in the past:

• Outdoor Winter Survival

• This introductory class on self-reliance teaches practical tips and strategies that every Minnesotan should know. Students will learn winter emergency priorities, including fire-making and how to make an emergency shelter, and setting up an outdoor emergency kit. Students participate in interactive scenarios and practice their skills in a safe setting. 

• Theatre Programming

• This popular option looks different every year. Students take a deeper dive into the aspect of theatre that interests them, which may include understanding theatre roles from acting to stage management to set design. Students learn technical and organizational skills while also exercising their creativity.

• Urban Boatbuilders

• We partner with Urban Boatbuilders to bring experiential learning to LJA. In this course, students explore hands-on woodworking while developing their problem-solving, organizational and leadership skills (plus, woodworking is an excellent exercise in patience and delayed gratification!). 

• Needle Arts

• Knitting, cross stitching, crocheting, embroidery: you name it, our students are interested in it. Students explore hands-on needle arts crafting while also learning about the history of needle arts and the value of repairing over replacing. 

Is Regular Learning Out the Window?

J-Term isn’t tossing out all traditional subjects but viewing learning through another lens. For example, language arts programming may switch to a book club. Mathematics education may switch to financial literacy. By exploring traditional subjects in a new way, students are reminded to draw connections between their learning and real-world experiences.

J-Term programming gives students a taste of what college programming may be like as they explore new subjects and learn to connect fun activities with higher-level thinking. In addition, the break from everyday routine reinvigorates scholars and staff as they explore new teaching styles and materials.