Minnette Ella Gersh Lenier (July 9, 1945 in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

– February 7, 2011 in

Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is locate ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

) was a teacher and professional magician who used

stage magic Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...

to improve students' reading and learning skills.

Education and career

Minnette Lenier received a Bachelor of Arts in 1967 from

San Fernando Valley State College California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

, and was a Graduate Student at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. She received a Master of Arts in 1968 from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

, and a PhD in 1971 from the

, with a thesis entitled ''Theodore Roosevelt's Communication Strategies In The Presidential Campaign Of 1912''. As a reading specialist, Lenier worked with students at Compton Community College and at other Southeast Los Angeles area schools, as well as in the

Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in ...

.Sjogren, Robin (June 3, 1976). "Magical Approach to Learning". ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', p. SE1. Lenier was on the faculty of

Los Angeles Pierce College Los Angeles Pierce College (Pierce College or Pierce) is a public community college in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and C ...

Magician

Lenier began taking magic lessons in 1966 with the magician Jules Lenier (1929–2007), whom she later married.Tsitrian, John (October 19, 1975). "The Magic Biz Pulling Prosperity Out of a Hat". ''Los Angeles Times'', p. R34. She performed professionally, often at the

Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...

, earned over half her living through magic, and had the distinction of being one of the few female performing magicians.

Teaching literacy

Minnette Lenier used stage magic in the classroom to elevate student interest in the subject matter and worked mostly with

remedial reading Remedy, Remedies, The Remedy or Remediation may refer to: Computing and gaming * Remedy Corp, an American software company * Remedy Entertainment, a Finnish video game developer Law, politics, and society * Environmental remediation, the remova ...

students. Lenier's stage magic, a concrete task, showed students that everyone has perceptual difficulties at times and that misperception can even bring enjoyment. Lenier gave optical illusions to everyone in class to examine, and would then discuss how people are fooled in general, and how the problems students have in reading could be solved. Lenier proved to students that to be fooled is not to be stupid. She allowed students to bring the illusions home so they could try them on other people to demonstrate that everyone is occasionally deceived by their eyes. Lenier noted that this also gives students the opportunity to be successful with others because they have the correct answers to the illusions. Lenier used magic not only with remedial students, but with gifted students as well. These students are often bored in their classes and Lenier discovered that learning magic is a mind-expanding activity for them. Minnette Lenier died suddenly of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

in her home in Woodland Hills, California on February 7, 2011.

Bibliography

* (with Janet Maker) * (with Janet Maker) * (with Janet Maker) * (with Janet Maker)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenier, Minnette 1945 births 2011 deaths Schoolteachers from California American women educators People from Los Angeles American magicians University of Southern California alumni California State University, Northridge alumni University of Iowa alumni Los Angeles Pierce College people 21st-century American women