Old Friends

Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted;
nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed,
and some few to be chewed and digested:
that is, some books are to be read only in parts,
others to be read, but not curiously, and some few
to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.
~ Francis Bacon ~

There’s something about the last day of school, in the quiet of the afternoon with the calm and peace of another year put to rest. It dulls the annoyance of ten-year olds, erases the frustration of stupid questions (yes there are such a thing), highlights the best memories and takes the edges off the rough ones. It was nice to be able to dismantle the room; take down bulletins boards, recycle ungraded homework without feeling guilty, throw away the pencils that are shorter than my pinkie finger, and un-goop the glue bottle tops knowing they will stay un-gooped for longer than a day.

As I was packing up my classroom, once again, I was slowly sifting through the chaos that is my classroom library. As I was uncovering books in book bins I found several things; an empty milk container, 40 pencils, three sporks, a straw, four markers, several wads of Kleenex, a cheese omelet from at least two weeks ago. Besides the treasures that I found, I had an entirely enjoyable time uncovering books I had forgotten about. I felt like I was reconnecting with friends that I had lost contact with. It’s funny that I can’t remember where I put debit card but I can remember the first time I read each book. Each one brought back a memory of my favorite character, the chapters that made me cry in empathy, the person who recommended it to me, or the kids I shared it with.

It made me realize how important reading is…or I suppose more than the skill-the love of reading. As a kid, I had the world in my hands and as an adult I have a lifetime of memories of places, people, and things that have broadened my world, my view, my understanding of things I’ve only experienced through text. So I admonish you to find a good book, read a good book, share a good book. As Ms. Carlson once said, “Writing should be readable, re-readable, read-aloudable.” Good books should be ones that you will stay up all night and read but still feel a little sad to turn the last page.