[Jovvi]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

What exactly am I misinterpreting?
You said:


The article said:

and


The librarian saying that she planned to change the rules but couldn't now clearly means that she hadn't changed the rules at the times when she was contacted by the media, so the mom couldn't have known that the librarian wanted to change the rules, so she couldn't have been upset.


You talk about this being about getting more kids to read. I pointed out that they read and this is about getting them to read more. How did I misinterpret "[...]if the goal is to get more kids to read[...]"

I´m getting tired of this. Partly because english is not my language and even if I understand it really well in writing and know in my head exactly what I mean it is more difficult for me to argue in english becase I have to stop and think of what word to use and still I know I spell them wrong and it bothers me because I see the words are wrong and still can´t get them right.

So I try again...
1. I don´t trust media to tell the absolut and full truth. Even if the librarian said exactly the words in the article we don´t know if she said other things or in what context she said them. The paper chose what would make a good story.

2. The same is true for the mother, why did she call the paper? She says to tell them her son had won the contest for the fifth time, but it could be because she had heard that the library wanted to change the rules (which is wrong since rules should not change during an event/contest whatever). Naturally she is upset that this is unfair to her kid.

3. As someone else here said, most of us agree the librarian did wrong. I do too, but I try to read between the lines and sort of get what she seems to want, to encourage more kids to read. I think she made a mistake by making it a competition in the first place because while the kids that like to read, are fast readers and like to compete will be encouraged, other kids that already know (or feel) that they are not as good readers, or as fast and can only imagine themselves as losing this competition will not want to participate. Some people may want to compete anyway (but I think few kids will) and some that are "just belove" may be encouraged to strive harder. Those kids are not the problem, the ones that give up beforehand are... To you they are not a problem because you don´t think they participate anyway. You could very well be right, my point however is how can we get those kids to participate to? I argue against competition as a way to make those kids learn to love reading. I talk about "joy of books" becaus that is what I wish those kids to feel. I think Tyler in the article already love readin, he has already discovered the joy of books and with him it´s the adults (parent, librarian, teacher) job to nurture that joy.

The librarian was really wrong in putting him down, and of cause this year he won this contest fairly since she made it a contest. I don´t believe if she changes the rules for next year so it´s not a contest or have a rule that former "champions" can´t participate again or whatever, will make him stop reading. Do you? If he can´t "win" next year will he put all books down never to read again? I don´t think he will, I do feel kids that are made to feel a failure by losing in competition after competition might. So I think the library should have a reading club in which everyone wins by participating (even if it´s just a pen, a bookmark, a diploma or an invitation to a "bookparty").