SHORT MEMORIES FOR SUCH A TALL ORDER

MAKING BOOKS COUNT FOR KIDS

I have to say I whole heartedly agree with the sentiments expressed here. This piece takes me back to my days as a VOLUNTEER LIBRARIAN at the FORD SCHOOL. I even owe the rise of the WATCH to the ashes of that ince fully staffed library. Several of my initial blog posts lamented the loss of access to books. Reading about this generous donation sort of chokes me up.

Not however from some emotional outpouring spontaneously generated from reflecting on some altruistic charitable act but rather from the thoyght of all this HYPOCRISY stuck in the crawl of  my throat.

Reading, School Superintendent Dr. Catherine Latham said last week, “is probably the most important thing we teach in the Lynn schools.”

Oh yeah, could you tell me why libraries were closed in the elementerary schols throughout LPS except where they were mandated in TURNAROUND PLANS in your LEVEL 4 schools at the same time raises were given in the administration and NEW positions were created?

I even had a public discussion with DR. LATHAM at a LSC meeting about the IMPORTANCE of BOOKS to children and the necessity of kids having ready access to them. (The images of six, seven, and eight year olds clutching their books like a new found treasure will be forever seared in my memory,) We had our discussion. I would not bow down to what I perceived as bullying in an attempt to impose an acceptance of a district without staffed elementery libraries. (I believe this conversation occurred while we had schools in LEVEL 4 before LPS was forced to make libraies central to the TURNAROUND PLANS.)

LIBRARIES were forced on LPS by the DESE in order to have access to ALL that money LPS got for HARRINGTON and CONNERY. Yeah, READING is important alright.

Then there is this:

The American Latino Committee’s investment in Lynn literacy is a true tribute to Latham’s reminder that “it takes a whole city to raise our children.”

Even if I manage to dislodge that wad of HYPOCRISY from my throat, I still couldn't cough up subserviant phlem stuck in my throat leftover from the things that have been said about"IMMIGRANTS" and their contributions to the overcrowding problems at LPS.

Oh LPS will take your generous donation but they probably would like to add "OF CHILDREN WITH DOCUMENTS" to the quote.

WELL PLAYED UNCLE, WELL PLAYED.