Times are changing, and unfortunately I sense that books are becoming a thing of the past.

Mom:

I'm not much older than my students in the sense that I am not old enough to be their mother. More like a much older sister (who acts like a mom by continuously reminding them to push in their chairs or that wrappers belong in the garbage and not in the little space under their desks). But, there is such a discrepancy in our generations. Books are our major discrepancy. Books. What is a book?

I absolutely LOVE to read, and I would do so much more of it if I had the time. There's just something about holding a book in your hands and flipping through it. It's nice to see that a lot of my students love reading too, but in a different sense. It's more like... starring at a screen. A lot of them have these eBook thingies, and really, what is the fun in that??? I guess the fact that I have to confiscate at least one cell phone per day (because I caught them texting in class) is an indication of where we are headed. That practice was unheard of when I was in high school.

I have a feeling that libraries will be obsolete in a few years. Why? Here is a conversation I had with my students yesterday:

Me: Ok, don't forget that we will be going to the library on Friday, so you can work on your projects.

Student: Why aren't we going to the computer lab?

Me: Because you may find some valuable information in books.

Student: Books??? It's so much faster to get it from the net.

Me: Not everything is on the net. There are some great books on this topic!

Student: But the internet has everything you're looking for. You have to LOOK for books, and it takes too much time. Besides, they're usually outdated.

Me: Books are not a waste of time, and history is never outdated. How many of you actually go to the library to pick out some books? *2 hands raised*

Student: We can use the computers at the library, right?

Me: Yes...


Need I say more?