This coming week, February 24-28, our school library will be hosting the second Scholastic Book Fair of the year. It's one of the biggest library fundraisers of the year that's also a win-win for so many in our community.
For our students: oh, the excitement in their voices when they see the books being unpacked, the display going up, and finally the day they can buy stuff. For many of my students, this is the first time they independently made decisions to purchase things and handle money. It's a big deal for them. And scary sometimes. They learn about privacy, dealing with the peer pressure of buying what THEY want versus what their friends say they should get, resisting the temptation of potentially sticky fingers, how to discretely handle money, how sales tax works, the difference in price of US and Canadian money, and so much more. For my student helpers, they learn to run the register, count change, practice customer service, and deal with the pressure of a really long line and the occasional impatient customer. Several have designed and constructed cardboard games for skill and entertainment.
For our teachers, there is an opportunity to add new titles to their classroom collections and interact with their students about the joy of reading.
For our parents and families, it's a great environment to talk with their children about reading and share favorite stories, practice and instill family values, talk with the teachers, librarian, and other parent volunteers.
And me? Well, let's just say that I get to witness all of that and smile because book fair season is a lot of work. There are times that I ask myself why am I going through all this trouble to design, construct, paint, hang, repair, photocopy, and schedule all the little things needed to run the fair. When I see others in the school community have a great time, all the labor and effort becomes worth it.
Enjoy this coming week! Read new books. Share your favorite stories with someone. Buy a book for a teacher.