iPad

Our twice yearly trip to the Boise Library! Book Sale was a success. Our students saw and purchased many wonderful hard and paperback books. You could fill a bag for $9!
We always find something good to read...
A student once brought in an electronic "pad" on which were downloaded some classic books. I watched as he "turned" the pages tapping the screen with a stylus. We had the same book (Hemingway) in our library, but he read it on his liquid screen. I don't think that he ever finished the story.
Technology is here and must be embraced. However, as a teacher I must impart values to my students as well as knowledge. I want them to value books. I want them to feel the heft of the paper. I want them to smell the ink and dust. I want them to touch the pages. I want them to feel pride in ownership of a book that had an effect on them.

"We should only read books that wound or stab us."

Off the touristy main street in Santa Barbara was a non-descript run down store front. The half-hung sign that twisted in the breeze outside said, "Wilson's Books." No store hours were posted, the door locked, and through the dusty window I saw stacks of books and overstuffed shelves precariously close to each other.
Many times I walked by and I wondered if "Wilson" even existed- the store was never open.
I stopped taking the detour to visit the closed store for a long time. Then one afternoon I looked down the alley and the door was open! I entered and the musty smell and maze of stacked books were a stark contrast from the bight colors and neat rows of merchandise in nearby boutiques.
A croaky "Hello" startled me and I turned to see Wilson seated in a rocking chair reading a book. My first thought was "Mark Twain!" He had on a sweater with leather patches on the elbows, a shock of white hair, and was holding an unlit pipe. "Let me know if I can help you find something," he said barely taking his eyes off the page of his book.
Stepping over stacks of books (did the fire department know of this?) I discerned somesort of organization based on themes (Dewey's system was no where to be found), and soon I was in the "adventure" section...