Reading for Pleasure AND Fun!
As a librarian, I take great pleasure in interacting with students around their reading requests. Both Melinda and I always move student requests to our highest priority. Recently I had one of those experiences that makes us happy. A student came up to me and said, ‘Mr. Bell I am looking for some books to help with motivation. We went looking in the proper section, and it was awesome to see that we had some general motivational books and some books specifically targeting things like creating good habits, maintaining a strong sense of happiness, organizing yourself, and others. However, we were light on the newer motivational books. I promised the student I would do some looking and bolster up that collection as soon as possible.
I went right to work reviewing, reading, and investing in some of the most popular and research-based titles targeting motivation. As it turned out, this is really a hot topic in some circles right now. In looking, I stumbled upon this very cool site called ‘Epic Book Society‘ They had a list of books, ’15 Enlightening Books like Can’t Hurt Me’, a book by David Goggins. This list had everything from Covey’s ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, ‘Deep Work’ by Cal Newport, and one of my favorites, ‘Shoe Dog’ by Phil Knight. All books have a variety of ways of thinking and doing to keep yourself motivated.
However, the good part of this story is the response by the student. I let him know that I got a few ordered. He came in right away and to my surprise, checked out half the books. Then he had conversations with some of his teachers, and they came and checked out some more of the books. It then came out that Mr. Mees’ classes are reading Viktor Frankl’s ‘Man’s Search for Meaning‘ that kids are reporting LOVING. It immediately made me think, ‘I’ve struck a nerve’. It was exciting to have the interest, highlighting the need for some of our students to get books focused on self-improvement. It is encouraging and exciting.
Bell’s Recommendation
Hotel Magnifique – by Emily J. Taylor
A hotel that only appears every once in awhile and promise untold fun, mystery, and travels. Each time the hotel arrives, it seeks new visitors who are pay a high price to enjoy an adventure that only magic can provide. However, behind the scenes this traveling hotel holds secrets. Secrets about the employees, about its purpose, and management. It is an exciting story about two sisters who end up rising up out of difficult times to go to work for the Hotel. The magic that encircles the hotel is alluring and promises them riches and travels. But do they actually get what they are looking for? Is there love in the cards of one of the sisters? These are only a few of the questions that will come to mind when reading this exciting new book meant for Young Adults and Adults alike.
Technology Tools
There is a lot of buzz as many of you know, about the different AI options available. It’s definitely a lot to take in, and arguably who has time for something else? That said, I am going to recommend one that I have been using that is very easy to use yet super powerful. Bearly is an AI app that will run in your browser. As you land on any website page, you can click the extension, and it will give an ‘Executive Summary’ of the page, 3 Key Takeaways, and Counter Arguments. It will help save time by letting you know if the article or page is worth continuing to read. If you use all the features, it will help you write a more robust response and provide questions that could drive conversations. It is a powerful time-saving tool for researchers and readers of all types.
Digital Citizenship
I’ve been talking with my Tech Council about the importance of soft skills. These are generally students who are already very tech-savvy. They are also very academic, so for the most part, this is a wonderful group of students. However, often they are missing some of the skills of communication or other soft skills that are just as necessary for success in the world. Here is a great article by Future Learn, titled, ‘Soft Skills: What they are and how to Develop them‘. Have look and see what you think.
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