Resources Resources

Even though I've been dreading Junior Theme, this week it occurred to me how lucky we are to be able to write such a complex paper and the resources we have to write it. I'll start by pointing out the obvious: we have computers. I don't know about you but I remember when we had a former student stop by during class first semester and tell us that he is teaching in a place where there is only one computer in the entire town. If I had to guess I'd say that we have close to 200 computers and laptops for students to use (but don't quote me on that). It would be pretty hard to write a 5-7 page paper by hand and then revising that paper. 

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 But even with a computer we would need books and that is where the library comes in. Our library is one of the biggest of any schools in the area and I don't remember the number (I'll post it after I ask) but we have a TON of books. While I was trying to find a book to read on my topic I found a good one but we we didn't have it in our school library. Ms. Gressel asked me give her the name of the book and she ordered it for the school library (too bad it won't be in time for me to read it). Just like that it was done. This is a harsh contrast of some of the schools even just 20 miles away. I found this article from a newsletter in the Austin area of Chicago (its a very very poor and dangerous part of the city) and it says that "164 Chicago public schools lack a library " . That is an incredibly high number and could you imagine how we would write or Junior theme without a library or the help of a librarian? And even if a school has a library it is most likely not funded well. The article says that some schools might have a library but not one librarian to work there. and that "Spending on school libraries in high-poverty areas has dropped 25 percent in the past year, from an average of $13,935 in 2009 to $10,378 in 2010."  Now here comes the most shocking part. Ms. Gressel informed me that our library spends $50,000 on databases, ebooks, and online encyclopedias alone. It just goes to show how lucky we are to have the resources we do. If we didn't have them, who knows if we'd be doing Junior Theme.