ELEM:Removal of AR Books into Classrooms?

[Elizabeth Gillies <yarrowlib@YAHOO.COM>]

Help....
    I am frustrated with this program.  I am tired of
children coming to me asking for a "sad book", or
wanting to read a "certain author" and not being able
to do so unless it is a certain coloured dot.  I have
listened for a year or more now to this from students
(as well as a myriad of other comments similar to
those) and although I am willing to accept that the
program is very important to teachers and why, I have
come to the conclusion that this is a reading program
and that it is not a library program.  I do think that
the inventors were very clever as they use existing
books without having had to come up with a literature
series.  It does save on expense and time trying to
re-invent the wheel.  I still maintain that the
purpose of the library is for recreational reading and
curriculum support, and that specific reading programs
belong to the classroom.
      I have talked to my principal about the problem
and the concern arises....if the staff are using AR as
the main literature program, and copies of "dot" (AR)
books are bought and housed in the classroom, will the
library become a tomb.  Students are feeling a major
pressure to read books from within AR as they cannot
fulfill the goals they have set and read other books
for recreational purposes.  Does this mean that the
library becomes obsolete except for curriculum
support?
    I would really appreciate some feedback as to the
way we could accomplish this if we chose to make
classroom sets of AR books.  How could we ensure that
the students utilize the library when they are already
reading so much?  Is there a way, even if the books
are left in the library to have them read all the
lovely new books I bought?  I do have library contests
and I do book talk, but the minute that you level the
book, you shut off a large number of readers.
      Help.....
           A frustrated teacher-librarian...
                  Elizabeth

=====
Elizabeth Gillies Teacher-Librarian
Yarrow Elementary
46361 Yale Rd Chilliwack BC V2P 2P9
ph:(604) 823-4408
email:yarrowlib@yahoo.com

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