Minnette Gersh Lenier, talented teacher and professional musician

Standing up in front of a classroom of students has often been compared to a theatrical performance. One teacher who would likely agree is Minnette Gersh Lenier, a talented teacher who also happened to be a professional magician.

Minnette was born on July 9, 1945, in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from San Fernando Valley State College in 1967, and her Master’s degree at the University of Iowa the following year. In 1971, she completed the requirements for her Ph.D at the University of Southern California.

As an adult, Minnette became interested in magic, so much so that she studied the subject under acclaimed magician Jules Lenier. She was so good at the art form that she became one of the few female performing magicians to appear at the world-famous Magic Castle. Minnette and Jules were later married.

After earning her college degrees, Minnette worked as a reading specialist at Compton Community College, and as a consultant with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Later she joined the faculty at Los Angeles Pierce College in the San Fernando Valley. This gifted educator often used stage magic in her classroom to teach literacy, reading, and critical thinking skills. She performed various magic tricks using optical illusions for her students to evaluate, and then she would discuss with them how people can fooled. She encouraged students to try magic tricks and illusions at home so they could demonstrate that everyone is occasionally deceived by their eyes. She taught her students that although one can be fooled, that doesn’t mean one is stupid. Believing that learning magic is a mind-expanding activity, Minnette used the art form to teach both her remedial students and her gifted students.

Minnette was also a published academic. With colleague Janet Maker, she authored several books to improve literacy for college students. Among her titles are Keys to a Powerful Literacy (1993); Academic Reading with Active Critical Thinking (1996); College Reading with Active Critical Thinking (1997); and Keys to College Success (1998). Some of her volumes have been adapted into audiobooks.

Sadly, Minnette Lenier suffered a heart attack and passed away in her home in Woodland Hills, California, on February 7, 2011. She was 65 years old.