Working in a public library means you remain aware of the school calendar. As the kids, teens and parents get ready for the start of a new school year you begin getting questions about grade level reading materials, study guides and homework assistance. The demands on kids to perform and the competition among parents and teachers to make sure kids are performing is shocking. In a time when our society is recognizing the need for life long learning, why are we sucking all of the fun out of learning for our children?
I'm just wrapping up my summer reading program. The kids that are still with the program are the kids who's parents are looking for their kids to enjoy reading and coming to the library. The kids that dropped out, often dropped out because the parents felt I wasn't being rigorous enough in my demands on the children. 'Where are the required reading lists and homework assignments?' Parents are shocked when I tell them that I'd be happy with their kid spending 15 minutes reading the cereal box, that I don't care what the child read as long as they did read. My goal is to keep the fun in reading for kids who are starting to look at reading as work.
We encourage adults to find jobs/careers that they enjoy, but we don't want our children to enjoy the 12/13 years they spend in school? How does that make sense?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please be aware that all comments are moderated.