Move over floating libraries here comes a floating school September 8, 2014 – Posted in: Content, Reading / Literacy

During the monsoon season in Bangladesh it is almost impossible to get around. Every year from late June to October one third of the country goes underwater! Consequently, flooding is “the main reason for school drop outs in rural Bangladesh” says Mosammat Reba Khatun. For the last ten years Mosammat has been the teacher on a floating school on the Gumani river in northwest Bangladesh. She teaches 90 students, mostly girls, Bengali, Maths and English. The school collects children…

The Most Challenged Books in our Schools and Libraries for 2013 April 14, 2014 – Posted in: books, Libraries, public libraries, public school libraries

At first glance you might think it was a list of some of the better selling books but these are the top 10 most frequently challenged books at American libraries and schools for 2013. The list is compiled by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and from the over 300 challenges across the country in 2013 these are the top 10. 1. Captain Underpants (series) by Dave Pilkey Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence 2.…

Reading Positions and more from Warby Parker August 1, 2013 – Posted in: Illustration

READING POSITIONS INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Stretch 2. Grasp book 3. Assume position (see above) 4. Hold position for required amount of time 5. Cool down Art: Patrick Kearns Eyewear company Warby Parker clearly leans bookish . Who is Warby Parker you ask? He was plucked out of the journals of Jack Kerouac! We’ve always been inspired by the master wordsmith and pop culture icon, Mr. Jack Kerouac. Two of his earliest characters, recently uncovered in his personal…

Summer reading list for Long Island school district littered with errors July 10, 2013 – Posted in: Reading / Literacy

This must be what it feels like to hit rock bottom. The Hempstead, Long Island Public School district recently released its annual summer reading list for its pre-K to “twelve grade,” students and it reads like a testament to incompetence with over 30 mistakes, including misspellings of authors’ names and book titles. Some glaring examples include: The Great Gypsy by F. Scott Fitzgerald Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bonte Animal Farm by George Ornell Their Eyes Were…

Don’t Fail Idaho: A Campaign to Improve Education March 26, 2013

They rank 48th in the country in K-12 education. 60% of 4th and 8th grade students have poor math and reading skills. and only one in ten will go on to graduate from college. Completely unacceptable. So what to do – well, Buck came up with this animation for the ad agency Drake Cooper to help spread the word about Idaho’s failing public educational system for the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation. Fingers crossed.