Author: Mr. X

from parts unknown, weight, unknown

Library Closing, to be Replaced by District Hazardous Materials Testing Lab

In a move that surprised many, the Surrey School Board this morning passed a motion which will close all the school libraries in Surrey. The district was under pressure from the Ministry of Education and the provincial government to make this move.

The school library at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary will be replaced by a Laboratory for the Testing of Hazardous Materials and Bio-Waste. Other schools will have their libraries replaced with different government and private facilities, such as a Motor Vehicles Branch at North Surrey, a Sewage Treatment Plant at Elgin Park and a Minimum Security Jail at Semiahmoo.

Said a provincial government spokesperson, “We had to. You got to find room for so much important government stuff.  And, like, you know, nobody reads anymore, so whatevs.”

Many students and parents have reacted with shock and anger. Efforts are being made to mount a campaign to fight this outrageous move.  Please be sure to phone or email the Surrey School Board and the superintendent’s Office of School District 36, your local MLA, the Minister of Education and the Premier to express your dismay and disagreement with this ridiculous decision.

Poetry Slam!

jrslamWe at the School Library Learning Commons were thrilled to host the 1st Annual Poetry Slam today at lunch.  Today the Junior category took place before a small but enthusiastic crowd! The poets shared some wonderful words with us.

Tomorrow at the lunch the Senior Poetry Slam features many more poets.  We are expecting that will also mean an even bigger audience.  Join us tomorrow at lunch for another Poetry Slam!

 

Teachers: Be Reading Role Models

There should be other adults in the lives of our students who are role models when it comes to reading. Sadly, for many of the kids in our schools, there may not be any adults who demonstrate the value of reading in everyday life. It is essential that teachers show our students that reading is a vital aspect of what it means to be a lifelong learner.

From Donalyn Miller’s Four Steps to Creating A School-Wide Reading Culture:

We hope that children have reading role models at home, but many don’t. We must surround children with reading role models throughout the school day – not just in Language Arts class.

Showing children that adults choose to read a wide range of texts for a variety of purposes sends a strong message that reading is important after formal schooling ends. Sharing your own reading life with your students and staff reinforces that you believe reading enriches your life. As much as possible, you should participate in the reading initiatives at your school, not only as a school leader, but also as a reader! Ask students what they are reading… take their book suggestions and share what you enjoy about the books you read.

For many of us, SSR is the best opportunity for us to demonstrate that we are readers. Teachers need to put away the marking and pick up books, magazines or other reading materials to show that reading isn’t just we do to pass tests or assignments at school.

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Get a Christmas Card of you with Buck!

buckandfriends2013xmasHelp out the local Food Bank and the Reading Tree program.  A donation of three cans of food, or two new or used books, earns you a photo opportunity with Buck the Library Duck, and a custom made Christmas Card to share with friends and family!

Starting December 2, come down to the School Library to take advantage of this incredible holiday tradition!

Get a Christmas Card featuring a picture of you with Buck!

thiscouldbeyouHelp out the local Food Bank and the Reading Tree program.  A donation of three cans of food, or two new or used books, earns you a photo opportunity with Buck the Library Duck, and a custom made Christmas Card to share with friends and family!

Starting December 2, come down to the School Library to take advantage of this incredible holiday tradition!

Is the Internet Changing the Way You Think?

InternetThinkingThought provoking ideas from a wide variety of thinkers are brought together by editor John Brockman in Is the Internet Changing the Way You Think? In the opening essay, “The Bookless Library,” Nicholas Carr asserts:

As a technology, a book focuses our attention, isolates us from the myriad distractions that fill our everyday lives. A networked computer does precisely the opposite. It is designed to scatter our attention. It doesn’t shield us from environmental distractions; it adds to them. The words on a computer screen exist in a welter of contending stimuli.

Carr isn’t arguing that the internet is bad.  We cannot dispute that the internet has given us huge advantages. However, those advantages come at a cost.

My own reading and thinking habits have shifted dramatically since I first logged on the Web fifteen years ago or so. I now do the bulk of my reading and researching on-line. And my brain has changed as a result. Event as I’ve become more adept at navigating the rapids of the Net, I have experienced a steady decay in my ability to sustain my attention… What the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation.

The computer age has not rendered the book obsolete. True, the future of paper publishing may be in doubt. The physical book is here for at least the short-term. In the long run maybe they will be completely replaced by e-books. That is not the point. Regardless of the format, we need books, more than ever. We need them for many reasons, not least as an antidote to the distracted, shallow thinking that is the product of so much of what people do on-line. We need long-form text, including fiction and non-fiction. We need to read things that require concentration, engagement and deep thinking.

Seeing in Technicolour

The first of in what we hope is a series of free lunch time concerts on the new school library stage went today and it was a big success!  Thanks to “Seeing in Technicolour,” a band of Lord Tweedsmuir senior students, who put on a great show.

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A small but enthusiastic crowd of students was on hand to enjoy the music. We hope that word can spread that we can pack in even more people for our next show.

If you are a performer, either in a band or a solo act, we would love to give you the chance to perform on our stage in a future event!

See Mr. Sexton or Mr. Swaddling for more information.IMG_0042