Dear Editor,
My 9th and 11th grade students frequently do school work that
requires resources available only at our community library. My
older students have part-time jobs. With the library already closed
on Mondays, their time to use these resources has been further
compromised.
Dear Editor,
My 9th and 11th grade students frequently do school work that requires resources available only at our community library. My older students have part-time jobs. With the library already closed on Mondays, their time to use these resources has been further compromised.
I am an English teacher of 25 years at Gilroy High School who is keenly aware of the severe cutbacks in education. Our own school librarian position was cut several years ago. Like the other sites in our district, a clerk “mans” the GHS library. Unfortunately, this situation is complicated by the fact that what used to house the library is now under construction, so our library is currently reduced to a classroom, and most of the books remain in boxes.
You may think that most of what students need is readily available to them on-line at home. It is not – biographies, novels, and many other references and research materials are only available at the library. In addition, many students still do not have home computers.
I implore you to support Measures A and B to ensure that our community library remains open. We must continue to prepare students to face the challenges of college and the kind of thinking required in the work world beyond high school.
Joan Martens,
GHS English Instructor
