Thank you for all the encouraging remarks. I accept them humbly on behalf of all school librarians. Maybe some of you can be instrumental in advocating for a spot on the faculty for a school librarian. The elimination of librarians, art, music teachers from urban schools is an obvious example of inequity. Most times, I feel not smart enough for my job or inadequate addressing the technology needs of staff and students, so it's nice to be of help. I located the source on Follett Library Resources under Grants and Awards, there's a link to school librarian resources. This link would be helpful to any teacher searching for good websites for literature or research. I found a link there for an article entitled, "The Reading Cure." It gave a list of risky books, novels not picture books, primarily for book clubs but high school teachers may be able to find something appropriate (ex., Secret Life of Bees is there) or middle school teachers may be able to excerpt something.
James Baldwin's talk to Teachers is a revelation. Written in 1963, much of what he says is sadly still applicable today. Lots of implications to Poisonwood Bible, other readings, the state of our country today. He writes, ". . .the boys and girls who were born during the era of the Third Reich, when educated to the purposes of the Third Reich, became barbarians. " This quote could be framed in a query if students read Markus Zuzka's The Book Thief, a story about a girl of Communist parents who lives through WWII with an older couple in a small town in Germany. This book shows the helplessness some Germans felt toward the oppression of the Nazis and the punishment they received when they rebelled against the government. Why did some become barbarians? Are the rest of the people saved from being barbarians because they sympathesized with the Jews but did little else? Just a suggestion. Thank you all for how your insights make me think. That's what we all need, us, our students, time to think and compelling information and experiences to think about. B the Book Lady
Summer Institute 1 Fellows
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Ms. B the Book Lady (love that name) I want to thank you for doing a co-SIG with me today. If I would have did that on my own it would have been very boring. Anyway you are so on the money about James Baldwin reading, on my article as I read the end I wrote "And that's exactly what American is doing, 45 years later!"
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