I have a special relationship with the people that work in the library at my university. I think that is because I love people who touch books every day and let books touch them.
We have such a challenge as educators, as the young people just don't read at all, and have no relationship to printed material. They don't know how to approach a book, they don't know how to touch a book, stroke it, ask reverently for entry.... let alone how to read it, absorb it, study from it or grow because of it. It is an issue I am talking to my colleagues about all the time.
I was so desperate about it recently that I went to the one Borders in Muscat ( Halleluja!) and bought 18 copies of the Alchemist and am reading it with my Language and Culture class. I have been showing them how to hold, smell, open, sense, start to make friends with it...
Several of them have never bought a book or owned a book personally in their lives other than the Holy Quran. These are bachelor students majoring in Geosciences, and others in IT.
May I add that I am supposed to be doing listening and note-taking, summary writing and seminar skills with them. Naughty me. And just in case my boss is following this blog,.. I do promise to cover all of the above before the end of the semester.Oh, and did you ask me recently why my attendance is almost always complete, even at 3.30pm in the afternoon?
I'm dwelling off the point.
I an wearing an Omani dress today. I have been debating with myself for a few months about whether this is appropriate dress or not for lecturing. But it is light and comfortable, colorful and certainly not against the dress code ( a different topic entirely). I thought to myself, if I can't carry it off, who can?
In any case, I walked into the library and started doing some copies. I also started having a little conversation with Jovelyn, our lovely Filipino library lady. Muneer, the other librarian on duty was quiet behind his desk.
In a lull in the exchange, he looked up and asked with a straight face, 'Stefani, have you noticed that it is quite cloudy today?' It is indeed quite cloudy and muggy today and I answered in the affirmative.
With a little smile on his face, he quipped, 'That's because the sunshine just walked into this library'.
I do love Oman!
And I have to be honest and say that I blushed. What a great feeling!
When last did you blush from your little toe up?
We have such a challenge as educators, as the young people just don't read at all, and have no relationship to printed material. They don't know how to approach a book, they don't know how to touch a book, stroke it, ask reverently for entry.... let alone how to read it, absorb it, study from it or grow because of it. It is an issue I am talking to my colleagues about all the time.
I was so desperate about it recently that I went to the one Borders in Muscat ( Halleluja!) and bought 18 copies of the Alchemist and am reading it with my Language and Culture class. I have been showing them how to hold, smell, open, sense, start to make friends with it...
Several of them have never bought a book or owned a book personally in their lives other than the Holy Quran. These are bachelor students majoring in Geosciences, and others in IT.
May I add that I am supposed to be doing listening and note-taking, summary writing and seminar skills with them. Naughty me. And just in case my boss is following this blog,.. I do promise to cover all of the above before the end of the semester.Oh, and did you ask me recently why my attendance is almost always complete, even at 3.30pm in the afternoon?
I'm dwelling off the point.
I an wearing an Omani dress today. I have been debating with myself for a few months about whether this is appropriate dress or not for lecturing. But it is light and comfortable, colorful and certainly not against the dress code ( a different topic entirely). I thought to myself, if I can't carry it off, who can?
In any case, I walked into the library and started doing some copies. I also started having a little conversation with Jovelyn, our lovely Filipino library lady. Muneer, the other librarian on duty was quiet behind his desk.
In a lull in the exchange, he looked up and asked with a straight face, 'Stefani, have you noticed that it is quite cloudy today?' It is indeed quite cloudy and muggy today and I answered in the affirmative.
With a little smile on his face, he quipped, 'That's because the sunshine just walked into this library'.
I do love Oman!
And I have to be honest and say that I blushed. What a great feeling!
When last did you blush from your little toe up?
so sunshine also blogs oh ha?! what a beautiful piece! continue to be an inspiring light to everyone:)
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