I Love "Good News" Stories

Reported by Nate Scott in  USA TODAY

The caption reads ...

One New Orleans steward came out to her Little Library and found this surprising note: “Thank You who ever you are for have-ing the book box. I’m 46 I learned to read 4 yrs ago & the libary how ever its spelled is to far. I just moved from Maine so I dont know alot of places. So Again Thank You! From a Neiphor spelled wrong sorry.” #givebooks

The Little Free Library is a free nationwide system of small, side of the road lending libraries where people are invited to drop off books, take books, and share in the wonder of reading.

Nothing To Do With Books ...

... but worth sharing anyway.

Read and Ride ... AWESOME IDEA!!

I am taking no credit for this post at all except to say that I think its a great idea and wanted to share it.  It is a straight cut and paste of an article posted by Upworthy and written by Mary Rindlesbach.  Now if only I could get motivated to do the same thing!!

 

Scott Ertl was reading a book while riding a stationary bike at the gym when he had an idea.

Like many busy adults, the only time he really got to read was when he squeezed it in while on an exercise bike.

 

These things are like the ultimate multitasking machines. GIF via "Reposessed."

At Upworthy, we tell stories for a better world.Like us on Facebook to get them first:

Ertl was an elementary school counselor in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the experience got him thinking, "I bet a bunch of kids would find it fun to read while exercising...we could get some exercise bikes and give it a shot." The principal at his school, Ward Elementary, was on board, so he hatched a plan and put it in motion.

The experiment started with a single bike in the corner of a classroom.

The solo bike was so well received that Ertl knew they needed more.

He's got legs and he knows how to use them — to get his mind and body moving! Images via Read and Ride, used with permission.

With the help of Craigslist and garage sales, he outfitted an entire spare classroom with stationary exercise bikes.

Teachers signed their classes up for 15- to 20-minute blocks of time in the bike room, and students brought a book or picked up an educational magazine. The program was dubbedRead and Ride.

Movin' and groovin' — and reading!

The kids loved it, and they were reading and moving more.

The school wanted to know if there were real learning benefits attached to Read and Ride. They compiled data that showed that reading test scores and proficiency were up — and the more time students spent in the Read and Ride room, the better they did on state reading tests.

Read and Ride programs now exist (at least informally) in 30 states across the country, and educators all over are getting behind the trend. They aren't just using exercise bikes —under-desk ellipticals, something called Bouncy Bands, and exercise balls used as chairs are showing up in classrooms, too.

Movement helps kids like these be more fully engaged in learning. It's a win-win scenario for everyone!

As an added bonus, these types of exercises are especially good for students who are, um, a little less gifted in the athletic department (*raises own hand*). Since the rider controls the speed and intensity, each student can set their own pace, and there's no scrutiny or pressure — and no one ever gets picked last. Score!

Getting smarter and more confident, one pedal at a time.

Most Read and Ride programs get their bevy of stationary bikes via donation programs. If you've got an exercise bike collecting dust in your garage, consider finding out if your favorite school would like to have it donated.

Today's Dose of "Good News"

I love it when: (a) kids love to read and (b) kids do the right thing.

I saw the young man being interviewed on Toronto's Breakfast Television. Jackson Dowler accidentally tore a page in a comic book he borrowed from the library.  It happened when he fell asleep reading (bless his little reader heart), the book fell from his hands and the page tore.  He went to his parents the next morning and they attempted to repair the book, but he felt an obligation to pen a note to the library apologizing for the accidental damage.

This is the LINK to the video but I don't know if its viewable in all areas.

Librarians are planning to frame the note and display it somewhere in the library.  In my humble opinion this young man deserves his "five minutes of fame" for writing his apology note so I just wanted to share.  The following is the article from CTV NEWS WEBSITE.

Fan-Yee Suen, CTV Toronto 
Published Wednesday, August 19, 2015 6:19PM EDT 
Last Updated Wednesday, August 19, 2015 10:17PM EDT

An eight-year-old Toronto boy who penned a hand-written apology note to a local library branch after a comic book he borrowed accidentally ripped received a gift Wednesday for being "so conscientious."

Jackson Dowler received a number of books from library staff at the Main Street branch of the Toronto Public Library, where he had borrowed a copy of an Asterix comic.

"It's wonderful that you can come here today because we got your note in the drop-box about the book that had a torn page. And we were thrilled to get your note because it told us so many things about you," a librarian told Jackson before presenting the gift.

"First of all that you're so conscientious … and that you love reading when you go to bed," she said.

According to Jackson's note, he was reading before bedtime when he fell asleep. The book accidentally tumbled off his bed, ripping a page from it.

"I just fell asleep and I didn't know because I tend to forget stuff when I go to bed," Jackson told reporters at the east-end library. "I woke up finding pages somewhere else on my bed."

Jackson said he was worried he was going to get a fine, so he decided to write the apology note after telling his parents.

"I (went) to my mom and dad and told them: 'Mom, dad, my library book ripped in my bed when I fell asleep,'' he said. "And then I brought up the idea that I should write an apology note so the library would know."

Jackson's note, which was paper-clipped to the borrowed book, was found by library staff. It was posted to the Toronto Public Library's Facebook page over the weekend with the caption: "Here's to many more nights falling asleep with a good book, Jackson!"

The post has been liked more than 4,100 times as of Wednesday evening.

In the sweet apology note written in blue, Jackson tells the library: "I am sorry that a page ripped when it fell out of my bunk when I fell asleep reading. It won't happen again."

Jackson says he's surprised by his newfound fame. The story has been picked up by a number of international media outlets.

"I find it kind of crazy because I've never gotten this much attention in my whole life," he said. "(I'm) really freaked out that I'm getting my 15 minutes of fame right now."

The Main Street library branch plans to frame Jackson's note and hang it up for other patrons to see.

Asked what other people should do if they accidentally damage a borrowed book, Jackson says they should let the library know.

"I think you should always write a note when you wreck a book because it's your fault."

File Under # Good News, # Way to Step Up and # Love to Read

I saw a post by Goodreads on my Facebook Page and the link led to the following story by Huffington Post.  I thought it was wonderful ... so thought I'd share.  I'm not tech savvy enough to share the video but this link will get you there if you'd like to watch it.

Here's the story ...

"Write a Nice Review"

I saw this on my FaceBook page this morning.  Usually when something tickles my fancy, as this did, I click "save as" and save it into a file on my computer for just such things.  With this one I ...

          1.  Wanted to make sure I gave credit where credit was due,

          2.  Thought the comment by Susan Dunham McGill was a brilliant idea and wanted to share that too

It's a little small in the picture but she writes, "I teach 8th grade ELA and give extra credit to any student who writes a review on Amazon, Goodreads, What Should I Read Next, etc.  They just need to send me screenshot once it's posted to get the credit.  They feel pretty empowered after doing one!"

and,

          3.  It was time I learned how to take a "screen shot" (YAY me!!)