Books That Teach

The other day I was with my fifth graders at the library. I was sitting at a table near the check-out desk, working on a lap top. All of a sudden I "tuned in" to the conversation between the librarian and one of my students who had a book to check out.

Librarian: Where did you get this book?

Student(pointing): On the shelf over there.

Librarian: Well, it's not scanning. It doesn't seem to be in our system any more.

At this point I looked up to see what book they were talking about. It was a book called Everything Your Child Needs to Know in Fifth Grade. The librarian handed me the book. "Since it isn't in our system," she said, "you can have it if you want it."

"Are you kidding?" I exclaimed. "Read that title! Of course I want it!" So I carried it back to class. I then told the kids how excited I was to get that book. "Do you realize," I said, "that absolutely everything you need to know this year is written on the pages of this book?"

I could hardly contain my excitement. I went on. "I think," I continued, "that I'll just keep this book here." I reverently placed the book on the pen tray in front of the room. "With this book, I don't even have to come to school anymore! Each day, one of you can be the teacher, and can just read to the class from this book. I'll be home with my feet up, drinking coffee and reading."

The class was abuzz. Was I kidding, they wondered. Of course I was, some said. But others, they just couldn't be so sure...