It's summer school, and some kids have to hang out in the library waiting for siblings, especially if the classes get out at different times. One girl -- going into first grade -- has to wait for a good hour and a half for her brother, and she comes up frequently to ask me "When is it going to be time?"
One of my projects has been weeding old, ugly, unpopular, or duplicate books from the collection. Then they get deleted from the system, and all of the identifying library stamps get crossed out with a magic marker. That's what I was doing today when the aforementioned bored little girl came up to me.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking old books out of the library, so there will be room for new books."
"Do you like writing in books?" [I could tell she was somewhat scandalized.]
"I'll bet it looks weird to see someone writing in a book, because you've probably always been told not to, right?"
"Yeah."
"You know what? It feels kind of weird to be writing in a book too, because I learned the same thing as you."
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6 comments:
I like your caring honesty.
Thanks, Jan.
I wonder what it would be like if you let her cross out the library stamps, just this once. Nest thing you know, her hair will be in a bun, she'll have reading glasses perched on the end of her nose and she'll be going "Sssshhh!"
Suzy, what happens to "old, ugly, unpopular, or duplicate books"? Do they go to some sort of graveyard? A retirement home for old books? I sincerely hope none of them are "The Box Car Children" ......
Kida are so cute. Summer school this late in the summer? Wow. But again those caring words while the little girl waited on her big brother.
Thanks, Tweety.
Poodle Doc, we've been putting the books in the hallway on a cart with a "FREE" sign and they go like hotcakes -- even the ones that are old and ugly, or boring professional books such as 10 Best Practices in School Administration. (Probably taken by some wily kid plotting total school domination bwahahaha.)
BTW, Poodle Doc, today when I was weeding I found a book written by Marion Archer!!! And found out that she was the founder of a children's book award, the Golden Archer. I had no idea ...
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