Library Books

26 February 2009
Library Books

Over the past couple of months I have been slowly but surely gathering, dusting, organizing and reorganizing all of the library books at my higher primary school. They have moved rooms several times, gone through countless sorting and many have been lost to the “out dated” pile but some in the end we have got a solid set of books. We’ve got books in English, Sepedi and Afrikaans on everything from computers to the Tour de France; from traditional African stories to classical English poetry; from beautiful picture books to wonderful chapter books. And just last week I finally felt like we were ready to be open for business!
So I thought to myself, what better way to get kids into reading and used to the way a library works than to take some of the wonderful books into each class and spend some time reading. Well Grade 5 was first on my list and I picked out 60 of the best books to take to them.
First let me tell you a little about Grade 5. There are 56 kids in the Grade 5 class, and collectively they speak English at about a 1-2 year old level. They have been instructed in English for a year, but don’t really understand any of it. Their classroom is the furthest out in the building, and they spend a lot of their day unattended. So like any group of 11/12 year olds they can be a bit…let’s say: rambunctious.
I arrive in Grade 5, arms full of books, to find them lounging around a very messy room. So first things first, I have them spend a couple of minutes straightening desks, picking up trash and sweeping up the floor. After about five minutes of cleaning I am ready to have them settle down, but they won’t quit cleaning! I keeping putting the brooms away, only to have another kid grab it to continue sweeping. Finally, the room is fairly clean and everyone is back in a seat. So I start in on my introduction to book reading:
Mma Taylor: “Good morning!”
Grade 5: “Good morning Mam’”
Mma Taylor: “Today we are going to read some books! To begin…..”

Midway through my first sentence they all jump up from their desks and run toward the table of books and me. It is a tidal wave of kids crashing over the table, books and each other. Everyone is grabbing at books, pushing others out of the way and yelling at the top of their lungs. It is a mosh pit. Probably louder and more earnest than a lot of mosh pits.
At first I am shocked, I can’t believe what is actually happening. Then I remember that I am suppose to be in charge to I ask them all repeatedly with increasing volume to put the books down and go back to their seats. Finally I am yelling the one Sepedi command I know: Dula Fase! Dula Fase! Sit Down! Sit Down! While trying unsuccessfully to pile up the remaining books, which continue to be pulled from my grasp by frantic fifth graders.
After what seems like an eternity, most kids have a book in their possession and are now just hovering around the table like angry bees, but I am able to shoo them back to their desks. So I go on to Plan B, which apparently is giving them all a book to read right now.
Now everyone has a book that they are reading; some actually read the books while others just look at pictures or continue to talk to their friends. We work out a pretty good system where if they raise their hand, I will come and exchange the book they are reading. Which for some kids is every ten seconds.
I try to read to them in English, but no one really understands. So I have a few brave souls read to them in Sepedi, but mostly they just talk over who ever is reading.
In the end I decided to let the brave souls who read out loud pick a book to take home for the night, but I apparently don’t explain it well enough because soon there is another mosh pit for the books. Finally it gets so loud that the teacher from the next classroom comes over to make sure they haven’t mutinied. With his help, I explain to class one more time that the two girls get to take home books as a reward, yada, yada, yada. And that I need all of the books back so that we can use them again….
I haul my books back down to the library only to be called back to the class again. The learners have discovered a few books that “accidentally” made their way into a few backpacks. It was at this point I had a realization. They are just books, and they are there for the enjoyment of the kids. I am not going to stress out about making sure all of the books get back in perfect condition, instead I am going to remember that books are fun and interesting and meant to be read. So I am going to keep braving the Grade 5 mosh pit to keep up their unbridled enthusiasm even if it means a few lost books and not being able to hear as well.