Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/11/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Actually, Mark, I think our kids are about the same as they are anywhere. We are just very lucky. Partly, we (my wife and I) have had a consistent and relentless policy of reading from the very beginning. When they were younger, we'd read for them every single evening. It was the night-time ritual. Everything from kiddy books (Richard Scarry) to "chapter books" (full length books), every evening for about 45 minutes. They like books. My daughter's favorite poet is Karin Boye: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kboye.htm Book in her backpack? Impossible to say. She borrows stacks at a time from the library (10 to 15). But the newspaper bit is something I'll have to give our local paper credit for. They realized that they were going to miss the young reading public if they didn't do something. So they dedicated a full-page everyday on weekdays and a double page on week-ends to kids. It's not only dedicated to kids, it's entirely written, edited and composed by kids. Every six months they change "editorial teams". They put out an ad and young people can apply, explaining why they want to be on the editorial team and writing an essay to demonstrate their skill. They must have a an editor with his or her finger on the pulse of youth. They have consistently, for years, put together good teams. Here's the current editorial group: http://www.gp.se/gp/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=535 They have their own facilities at the newspaper offices. They're made to feel like part of the team (and the _are_). Every morning all three of my children have gone straight for that page as soon as they come into the kitchen. The page is called "Graffiti", but that's just a title. As they grow older the kids started turning to other pages of the same paper. I appreciate that kind of marketing. They have been working on their audience in sympathetic way and have won them over. So in our case, I have to give a lot of credit to the local newspaper. Just a small-town rag (G?teborg is about the size of St. Louis, smaller if anything), but they played their cards right this time. I am one of many parents who really appreciate their work. They're making money on it too, I'm sure. Daniel On 11/15/05, Mark Rabiner <mark@rabinergroup.com> wrote: > On 11/14/05 6:18 PM, "bill harting" <vintagebill@verizon.net> typed: > > > I am amazed to find a young person apparently reading a newspaper -- > > perhaps > > it is the beautiful light. > > > > bill h > > > > > In Europe I think people read, I think we win (US) in the anti > intellectualism department and non valuing of education. > AND we rule the world! > Lets hope the burgeoning Visigoths and the ravishing hoards on horseback > from the East give us a hand in the smarts department. > How many kids do you know over here have a favorite Poet? A book in their > backpack they are reading not a textbook. A favorite author? I bet many of > us cant think of one. And if we do he gets beat up every day on the way > home > from school. > > > Albert Brooks being beat up by the bully in the playground: > "Okay, take this: You'll never leave South Boston and I'm going to see the > whole damn world. You'll never know the pleasure of writing a graceful > sentence or having an original thought. Think about it." > Broadcast News > > > Mark Rabiner > Photography > Portland Oregon > http://rabinergroup.com/ > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >