Kids love the “would you rather” game. I actually find it pretty entertaining myself and not a bad way to foster communication and creative/critical thinking skills. It goes like this:
“Would you rather swim with crocodiles or step on a scorpion?”
“Would you rather freeze to death or be set on fire?”
“Would you rather be stranded on a desert island alone or with someone you hate?”
(feel free to stop reading this entry and answer more questions on the Make It blog.)
The current school library crisis reminds me of this game - except no one’s playing and we are gambling with the future of our children. In my own district we went from cutting a dedicated library period with a certified librarian to a 10 minute weekly book exchange with a part time librarian to nobody. All our elementary school librarians were cut. I assume that next year classroom teachers will be responsible for helping kids find materials and checking out books in our alotted 10 minutes library time.
In Fernanda Santos New York Times article, School Eliminating Librarians as Budgets Shrink, she tells the story of Lancaster School District in Pennsylvania. The district is in ‘Pennsylvania Dutch Country’, an area known for its slower pace, covered bridges and ‘Amish-themed attractions’ (it actually says this on the Lancaster County website. How would you like tourists to pull into your driveway expecting to see a ‘yuppie-themed attraction’ or, in my case, a ‘frenetic mom-themed attraction’?
Lancaster, former one day capital of the American Colonies, when the Continental Congress fled Philadelphia, on September 27, 1777, now struggles with high unemployment and a poverty rate (21 %) that is twice the state average. Lancaster is nicknamed ‘Spanish Rose’ for it’s high Puerto Rican population; 31% of the city’s population is Hispanic. It is estimated that more than 900 students in the school system are homeless.
States that don’t mandate librarians are cutting librarians faster than the administrators can pass out pink slips, leaving libraries in the dark and kids to their own devices.
Pedro Rivera, Lancaster’s superintendent, said that he had to make a choice, “it was either library or kindergarten.” He gathered his staff and asked them what they valued most. The leadership team placed priorities on class sizes, physical education, art, music and pre-k. The only things left were kindergarten and library. As a kindergarten teacher, English major, parent and obsessive reader, let me just say that this is not a choice, it is a joke.
If American children are going to be successful in the 21st century, they need kindergarten and library. They need to learn how to read and they need the books to do it. If kids get out of school and can’t read well, they will not be successful - it is a simple, proven fact.
I haven’t been to Lancaster, but I have been to and worked at a lot of schools during my lifetime. If I had to play ‘would you rather’ I might ask:
Would you rather have library or someone to empty the garbage every night?
Would you rather have library or someone to answer the phones?
Would you rather have library or someone to monitor the children while teachers get a break?
Would you rather have library or landscaping in front of the building?
Would you rather have library or another administrator pushing papers around the office? (this is an especially tough question since I’m finishing up my administration certification)
Those are the questions that we don’t ask because we don’t really value reading, librarians and the library. Our actions speak louder than words and reveal what we value. And yes, I do value office staff, custodians, landscapers and administrators.
“Would you rather swim with crocodiles or step on a scorpion?”
“Would you rather freeze to death or be set on fire?”
“Would you rather be stranded on a desert island alone or with someone you hate?”
(feel free to stop reading this entry and answer more questions on the Make It blog.)
The current school library crisis reminds me of this game - except no one’s playing and we are gambling with the future of our children. In my own district we went from cutting a dedicated library period with a certified librarian to a 10 minute weekly book exchange with a part time librarian to nobody. All our elementary school librarians were cut. I assume that next year classroom teachers will be responsible for helping kids find materials and checking out books in our alotted 10 minutes library time.
In Fernanda Santos New York Times article, School Eliminating Librarians as Budgets Shrink, she tells the story of Lancaster School District in Pennsylvania. The district is in ‘Pennsylvania Dutch Country’, an area known for its slower pace, covered bridges and ‘Amish-themed attractions’ (it actually says this on the Lancaster County website. How would you like tourists to pull into your driveway expecting to see a ‘yuppie-themed attraction’ or, in my case, a ‘frenetic mom-themed attraction’?
Lancaster, former one day capital of the American Colonies, when the Continental Congress fled Philadelphia, on September 27, 1777, now struggles with high unemployment and a poverty rate (21 %) that is twice the state average. Lancaster is nicknamed ‘Spanish Rose’ for it’s high Puerto Rican population; 31% of the city’s population is Hispanic. It is estimated that more than 900 students in the school system are homeless.
States that don’t mandate librarians are cutting librarians faster than the administrators can pass out pink slips, leaving libraries in the dark and kids to their own devices.
Pedro Rivera, Lancaster’s superintendent, said that he had to make a choice, “it was either library or kindergarten.” He gathered his staff and asked them what they valued most. The leadership team placed priorities on class sizes, physical education, art, music and pre-k. The only things left were kindergarten and library. As a kindergarten teacher, English major, parent and obsessive reader, let me just say that this is not a choice, it is a joke.
If American children are going to be successful in the 21st century, they need kindergarten and library. They need to learn how to read and they need the books to do it. If kids get out of school and can’t read well, they will not be successful - it is a simple, proven fact.
I haven’t been to Lancaster, but I have been to and worked at a lot of schools during my lifetime. If I had to play ‘would you rather’ I might ask:
Would you rather have library or someone to empty the garbage every night?
Would you rather have library or someone to answer the phones?
Would you rather have library or someone to monitor the children while teachers get a break?
Would you rather have library or landscaping in front of the building?
Would you rather have library or another administrator pushing papers around the office? (this is an especially tough question since I’m finishing up my administration certification)
Those are the questions that we don’t ask because we don’t really value reading, librarians and the library. Our actions speak louder than words and reveal what we value. And yes, I do value office staff, custodians, landscapers and administrators.
And if you think reading scores, graduation rates, unemployment and crime are bad now, just wait and see what happens when our population is illiterate.
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