Deep down
Let me tell you about Summer Reading.
Now, Summer Reading is one of the true joys of the library. You get rewarded (prizes, free book, etc) for something you already love to do & would do anyway - read. I'm sure there are children for whom the program is a bribe - "read 20 book this summer, sweetie, and we get to go to Oaks Park!" but frankly, we are not and never were those children. 1) we don't require bribes to read and 2) who wants the Oaks Park ticket anyway? Puke.
One of our volunteers in the children's department, Logan, has a little brother, maybe 8, who likes to read, who Logan brought in to sign up for Summer Reading.
Librarian: "Would you like to sign up?"
Brother: "Well...I don't know."
L: "You get a prize each time you visit & have read a new book."
B: "Hmm."
L: "You also get a pass to Obnoxious Family Fun Center, and a free book when you reach your goal."
B: "Well, I guess I'll sign up." And then in a whisper, "Deep down, my mom doesn't approve of Obnoxious Family Fun Center."
Logan reported back today that his brother ripped up his reading log. The kid likes to read. But I think, deep down, he doesn't approve of Summer Reading.
Oh, and then there are also the parents who don't approve of the theme. As you can see from my previous link, or any search for "Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds," we didn't come up with this ourselves. It's a nation-wide theme, and they pick the themes about 5 years in advance. They picked the theme before my library was even a part of this national group of libraries. We just had the Summer Reading 2007 theme emailed to us.
But there are parents - several that I've seen - who don't want their kids to write their names on a dragon (all the kids who sign up put their names on little paper dragons that get stapled to the wall). Gasp! My child's name will never be defiled by associating with a mythical creature! So we provide these parents with stars for their children. But seriously. It's just a dragon. It's not a witch or a wizard or a fairy or...even if it were, what's the big deal anyway?
Now, Summer Reading is one of the true joys of the library. You get rewarded (prizes, free book, etc) for something you already love to do & would do anyway - read. I'm sure there are children for whom the program is a bribe - "read 20 book this summer, sweetie, and we get to go to Oaks Park!" but frankly, we are not and never were those children. 1) we don't require bribes to read and 2) who wants the Oaks Park ticket anyway? Puke.
One of our volunteers in the children's department, Logan, has a little brother, maybe 8, who likes to read, who Logan brought in to sign up for Summer Reading.
Librarian: "Would you like to sign up?"
Brother: "Well...I don't know."
L: "You get a prize each time you visit & have read a new book."
B: "Hmm."
L: "You also get a pass to Obnoxious Family Fun Center, and a free book when you reach your goal."
B: "Well, I guess I'll sign up." And then in a whisper, "Deep down, my mom doesn't approve of Obnoxious Family Fun Center."
Logan reported back today that his brother ripped up his reading log. The kid likes to read. But I think, deep down, he doesn't approve of Summer Reading.
Oh, and then there are also the parents who don't approve of the theme. As you can see from my previous link, or any search for "Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds," we didn't come up with this ourselves. It's a nation-wide theme, and they pick the themes about 5 years in advance. They picked the theme before my library was even a part of this national group of libraries. We just had the Summer Reading 2007 theme emailed to us.
But there are parents - several that I've seen - who don't want their kids to write their names on a dragon (all the kids who sign up put their names on little paper dragons that get stapled to the wall). Gasp! My child's name will never be defiled by associating with a mythical creature! So we provide these parents with stars for their children. But seriously. It's just a dragon. It's not a witch or a wizard or a fairy or...even if it were, what's the big deal anyway?
posted by Jess at 10:48 PM
2 Comments:
first, that's HILARIOUS that you (i mean, not you, but the larger YOU of the library gods) had the forethough to provide non-dragon shapes for children of objecting parents.
second, is it really called "obnoxious family fun center?"
and, third, i'm doing to start saying that. sure, i'll have a waffle with butter and syrup, but deep down i don't approve of waffles without yogurt on top.
Well, there's all those anti-Harry Potter types in the world, so we weren't too shocked when someone asked for something other than a dragon. I think whoever was in charge at the time just whipped something up really quick.
It's really called Bullwinkles Family Fun Center. Which is almost as good.
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