Comments on: Should You Join the Schoolbook Borrowing Program?

By: Allan Katz

Allan Katz — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:37:26 +0000

The question parents and of course teachers should be asking is whether textbooks have a role in education other than reference or resource material in a educational system driven by kids ‘ questions and curiosity and project based learning. If we want kids to look at thing s with some depth and understanding throw out the textbooks

Like or Dislike: 0 0

By: MiriamS

MiriamS — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 11:54:47 +0000

In the US we used textbooks for about that amount of time. But they were hardcover and bound to last. I doubt the ones here are.

Also we didn’t have workbooks, except maybe in grades 1-3 I don’t remember. If they would start with real textbooks earlier, that could be passed along, that would ultimately save money.

I’m not sure if this system is going to put enough burden on the schools to buy good books and keep them. I guess if only as a motivation for them to *make* money maybe it will.

Like or Dislike: 0 0

By: Yosefa

Yosefa — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 11:52:04 +0000

Maybe it’s a good thing that kids learn not to write in any books. I never wrote in books as a kid. I even kept my workbooks pristine and traced everything. I just hope the teachers take some responsibility. I don’t want the teacher to stand by idly watching my kid write in/tear/loose a book, just to send home a note saying I need to pay for it.

Right now, my daughter has no cubby or good safe place to keep things, so I have had to replace many lost items. And last week, my daughter doggy eared a page in her siddur. *GASP* No child of mine should be writing in books and doggy earring pages!!
Yosefa recently posted..Sprout Report (dofollow)

Like or Dislike: 0 0

By: keren

keren — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 09:05:24 +0000

Agree with Mrs S.
Our school seems to keep the same books all the time.
I have a son going up to 6th grade.
I already have all the books needed for 6th -8th grades in his school including Sifrei Kodesh.
I am not sure that I will be paying less money if we use this system

Like or Dislike: 0 0

By: Ruth

Ruth — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:36:58 +0000

Thanks, Ariella and Vasilisa!

Like or Dislike: 0 0

By: vasilisa

vasilisa — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 06:44:20 +0000

no- unfortunately they keep changing editions slightly
At least never had this luck till now

Like or Dislike: 0 0

By: vasilisa

vasilisa — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 06:40:15 +0000

We enjoyed it for years in high-school (Tihon Masorati Braunshveig). It is very convenient (not to say environment friendly). When some problem arise, you can always buy spare one. It is still cheaper (and I bought second-hand everything I could) So we are looking forward to its extension on the elementary school.
Two problems I am worried about are:
-lesser availability of schoolbooks for emergency purchase (7.30 in the morning). We had two stores next to our home selling those (and having lists for each grade of each nearby school)-convenience school store (sweets- coffee- cigarets (????)-school T-shirts and hoods-books-writing supplies) and book store both care to open early to accommodate us. I am afraid it would be less interesting for them after the reform, and I would have fetch and search where to get the MISSING book.
-writing in notebooks AND carrying around huge quantities of paper inside schoolbooks meant for writing in it. We already had one like that this year ( teacher banned writing in the book for “educational reason: it is a nasty habit to write in a book”
But I LOVE THE IDEA STILL

Like or Dislike: 0 0

By: Ariela

Ariela — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:37:11 +0000

Ruth, no you won’t. The trick is that they change the editions and the old editions are no longer good. I have had this with my three oldest.

Like or Dislike: 0 0

By: Elana Michelson

Elana Michelson — Thu, 31 May 2012 21:59:49 +0000

In my sons school, for second grade the cost of buying the books in the system is 56 NIS and for the program it costs 280 NIS. go do the math there. For my fifth grader it may be more worth it, except for that he is extremely absent minded and I could see him constantly losing books which I’d have to replace anyway (as he does now).
so I have to think about this one.

Like or Dislike: 0 0

By: Mrs Bore

Mrs Bore — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:22:51 +0000

To back up Julie, in the UK we never paid money for books. The school would issue us with textbooks, we would write in notebooks only, never on the textbook and the system worked fine. Everything was paid for by the school.

Books always seemed to be kept in a good condition.

It actually seems a bit shocking to me that it isn’t this system everywhere and that parents have to buy books. Seems bad for the parents and bad for the environment.

Like or Dislike: 1 0