behavior

[Sandra Haggstrom <FTSLH@AURORA.ALASKA.EDU>]

I wholeheartedly agree with Judy Ermilick that if students love to read there is
 n't a problem.  I do not have a problem with my students who read--just the
80-90% who don't, won't or don't think the library is the place for it.  I alsof
 eel students need the skills to find the books on the shelves.  Teaching ency-
clopedia is just one small part of all of our library skills.  I do not like
worksheets but this year they are a necessary evil.  Maybe we can get a discussi
 on going about how to get students interested in reading.  I know when I was
a student library was my favorite time because I could check out a book and
I could actually have time during the school day to start that book.  I do
Battle of the books, I have reading incentive programs, I talk up books, I
show videos based on books, I order books that will attract them such as
paperbacks instead of hardbacks.  In my school it is very obvious that there
is something lacking in some students and I'd like to know how to stop it.  I
did not have this problem last year so it can't be that they weren't read to
or they are getting to visual with the technology thrown at them.  6th graders
come into the library with the attitude that this is play time and no matter
what positive thing you plan or do they have the audacity to challenge your
authority.  One teacher said the kids who what they want and it is an uphill
battle to keep them on task.  Another teacher said her kids act like they don't
know what homework is or desk work--they just want to socialize.  It has become
epidemic in our students.  Younger students have the attention span of a gnat.
Like I said I didn't have a problem last year with these students k-6 grade and
I also didn't have to resort to using work sheets to get them to learn anything.
   I was appalled at the fact that they cannot find a book on the shelf by autho
 r--I shake my head and wonder who am I talking to here?  So if anyone has ideas
about getting kids to read please post to the network because someone may
have a great idea that I haven't tried yet.  My students were promised a video
after they finished all the worksheets (a few weeks worth) to motivate them
to quit grumbling about all this work.  They will get to see Where the red fern
 grows part II.  The original was on battle of the books and we had a high
turn out on 6th grade so they are lookikng forward to that.