"The reasons for overhauling school meals are compelling," writes Debra Lau Whelan in our June feature, “Let Them Eat Kale.” "Approximately 25 million children are obese or overweight, making today’s kids possibly the first generation to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents." Read Debra’s feature to find out what some schools are doing.
Eggers to Give Teachers a Voice One writer, a pirate-supply shop, and a video diary about teachers just might help change our educational system. At least that’s the hope of acclaimed author Dave Eggers, who this fall plans to start shooting a documentary that will illustrate a year in the life of teachers—and hopefully school the public on the challenges educators face.
The idea grew from Eggers’ project, 826 National, a writing and tutoring center he dreamt of while finishing one of his books. The first 826 outpost in San Francisco originally housed his publishing arm, McSweeney’s, along with a tutoring site and a retail shop that caters to pirate supplies. read more...
Hot Picks
BOOKS Ever by Gail Carson Levine
From SLJ 6/1/2008 Gr 5-9–In this masterful fantasy told in two voices, Levine has created a mythology and society as rich and nuanced as the one portrayed in Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief (Greenwillow, 1996).
VIDEO/DVD Facing Sudan Gr 9 Up–Twenty years of bloody internal fighting in Sudan have left millions dead and displaced. Even though high profile celebrities continue to bring the mayhem to the forefront, most of the world’s governments have been unwilling or impotent to intervene in the genocide.
AUDIO Alphabet of Dinosaurs PreS-Gr 2–This read-along CD of the book by Barbie Heit Schwaeber (Soundprints, 2007) opens with an original song about dinosaurs, setting the tone for what follows: 26 short poems about dinosaurs, from Ankylosaurus to Zigongosaurus.
More school librarian layoffs are on the horizon. And this time it’s in California’s wealthy Las Virgenes Unified School District.
Faced with a possible $3 million cut to public education, Superintendent Don Zimring is proposing to lay off half of the district’s six certified media specialists, says Sheryl Weiss, a librarian at A. E. Wright, one of the district’s three middle schools. read more...
The Menasha Board of Ed in Wisconsin recently decided that a profanity-laced book documenting hip-hop culture will remain in a limited-access area of the Maplewood Middle School library.
The board decision was in response to a request by parent Guy Hegg, who for the second time in 30 days filed objections to school materials in the media center, reports the Wrightstown Post Gazette. read more...
Watch and Read: Spotlight on Media Tie-ins
Robot Romance
For film fans who are tired of superheroes and big-action blockbusters, WALL-E (not yet rated), a computer-animated motion picture, promises a breath of fresh air. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios, directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the movie will debut in theaters on June 27, 2008. read more...
Work in the heart of the Rockies, in a scenic area offering 300 days of sunshine each year, and easy access to world-class skiing, hiking, bicycling, and the beauty of the American West! read more...
To see all positions available through the SLJ Career Center, click here...
Gr 5-9–In this masterful fantasy told in two voices, Levine has created a mythology and society as rich and nuanced as the one portrayed in Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief (Greenwillow, 1996).
