So ... a perfect example of "just how things are" in my life ... was yesterday ...
LeAnna is in a program at school called the AR Program ... anyone with kids I'm sure is very familiar ... anyhoo - it's an Accelerated Reading Program that is used to test the comprehension of what the kids are reading ... they also earn points for every book read, and test that is successfully passed ... and the points usually go towards a "grand prize" ... well ... LeAnna's teacher has mapped out a nice little prize tour along the way towards the grand prize ...
To reach the grand prize you must have 100 points ... she has 17 1/2 ... ha!
yikes!
She is SO excited about reading though and according to her teacher, she is reading right at 3rd grade level now ...
First grade is amazing ... how they go into 1st grade reading "some" ... and then all of a sudden reading anything they want to ... neat.
So ... I "pinky-promised" that we would go to the library yesterday afternoon, after school, to look for more AR books ... we have gone through all the ones at home and she is having to read at least 3 a night ... so ... library was a must!
We get to the Bellevue library ... (I had already called once to see if they had AR listings, etc. and also been by there twice and both times they were closed a few days before!)
So yesterday I called first to make sure they were open and ... we went.
Got there ... went to the help desk and asked about the AR book for Nashville Christian (how nice ... already mapped out for me! Woo-hoo) (at home, we would have to go to a website and check to see if the book we wanted to read was an AR book - a bit time consuming - but okay - understand the process)
So ... the lady directed me to the book .... went to a table and sat down and said, "LeAnna - go find some books and I'll start looking them up" ...
At LEAST 10 minutes later she returned with one book ... oh my ... this is going to take FOREVER! Started pouring through the 3 inch book filled with tiny print ... luckily they had one section printed out by Author, alphabetically and then a section printed out by Title, alpha as well ...
Searched through both sections ... NOT IN THERE ... (with her waiting beside me no less NOT looking for other books) ...
hurry her along to find more books ...
She brought back two this time ... NEITHER in there ... OH MY GOODNESS ... WHAT IN THE WORLD!!!
Flip the book to the front ... read again ... this time ... VERY fine print ... "Approved Reading List For Nashville Christian" ...
well duh ... there you go!
so ... oh my ... okay ... decide to access the Internet through my phone to use the website to look for approved books ... can't get on line... WHAT?!?!?!
Ahhh ... library computers ... sit down at one (I've never done this before at a library ... I have computers at home ... the last thing I want to do at a library besides read a book is get on the Internet) ...
so ... push buttons ... nothing happens ... push more ... nothing ...
Go to the front desk ...
Me - "excuse me ... I would like to get on a computer and I'm having trouble" ...
Nice Man - "do you have a reservation?"
Me - "excuse me?"
Nice Man - "a reservation to use the computer ... you have to have a reservation to use the computer"
Me - "ahhh ... ok ... I would like a reservation"
Nice Man - (pointing) "see that computer over there? You have to go there, scan your library card and it will print out a reservation number and when your number is called, you can use a computer"
Me - (oh my dear goodness)
Nice Man - "but first, let me see your library card" (scans card) ... hmmm ... you have late fee charges that you'll have to pay before you can check out anymore books"
Me - "Aahhhh yes, I remember, okay, not a problem"
Nice Man - "whats your pin number?
Me - "aaahhh ... I dunno"
Nice Man - "ok, you'll need to reset your pin number ... I'm going to erase yours and you go over to that computer (pointing to yet another computer) and scan your card and it will give you opportunity to reset your pin number"
Me - "got it ... ok thanks!"
so ... go over to said computer ... scan my card ... message reads "you have an outstanding balance and must pay before going any further" OH MY GOODNESS ...
So back to the nice man with "counter intelligence" ...
Me - "I need to pay"
Man - "ok ... that will be $20 "something" (can't remember) ... (the remembrance of the late charge was from taking LeAnna and Kaitlyn to the downtown library on Fall Break (in October) getting them 3 books each and then they ended up on their book shelves and forgotten .... yep ... until one day I was cleaning and saw a "library book" in the playroom ... AAHHHHH ... yep ... took them back though ...
anyhoo ...
Me - (hand him check card)
Man - "we only accept cash/check"
Me - "your serious" as I keep trying to stuff my card in his hand ... hoping he'll change his mind ... ha!
Man - "sorry"
Me - (with no other choice) "ok, I'll just go put back this STACK of books (that we were going to check on the aforementioned computer) and we'll return another day with cash or a check ...
Man - (nod)
Me - (flippin out now) as we return the books to their respective cubbies
So ... we left ... now what?! Got to have books ... NOT going to Walmart or Publix for that matter and paying for 12 books to read the rest of this week!
AAHHHHH ... so ... happen to think ... we have McKay's ... used bookstore ... hmmmm ...
So that's where we went ... got there ... started looking for books ... FINALLY was able to access the Internet on my phone ... so I sit in the floor with my phone and each book LeAnna would bring me start entering the titles to see if they were in the system .... NOT ONE was in there ... WHAT??!?!?!?!?
by this time ... I'm frustrated and beyond knowing what to do ... it CAN'T be this hard to find AR books ... (any suggestions - please comment PLEASE)
So ... FINALLY we found ONE book ... and I was SO exited ... LeAnna looked at it and said ... I don't think I want to read this ...
In my playground voice I said ... "YOU Will REad This book!" ... she said, "ok"
yack ... I was just so over it already!
So ... we had one book ... what in the world!?!?!?!?
Finally ... after searching through the tiny crammed shelves I found one of the Critter books ... hmmm ... just maybe ... I looked ... it was there ... yes! then another one ... so ... I found 17 books by Author Mayer and I said ... "well ... it looks like you're reading critter books" ... she started going through them and separating the ones she didn't like ... however ... I stopped her with slight sounds meaning NO to each one she was setting aside and she finally just put her head down and said "ok"...
So off to the register we went ... 17 critter books in hand and 1 1/2 hours later (got out at 2:30, it's 4p at this point) ...
Whew! So ... we're good for 17 books ... at least.
We lead such a boring life ... it lacks excitement ...
Crazy I tell ya ...
happy day ... tammy
3 comments:
I was thinking while reading what types of books does she read? Could she have read the books at the library instead of checking them out? But I guess the problem was you couldn't find a list right? I'll see at school if they are the same. Do you know? I mean is there a separate NCS list? I used to have an AR list. But sadly we don't do it anymore. I'll see if I can still access it on the computer somehow.
Leanne
That's a great story, as all of yours are, Tammy. Never a dull moment. But you got to love McKay's - we "discovered" McKay's in Chattanooga - loved it. We visit there every chance we get, and we also visit the new one in Nashville every chance we get. We can always find something there we like. That's a good problem to have - a child that loves/wants to read. Maggie loves to read, and Lincoln is learning and loves to be read to. Thanks for sharing the story. Love the part about the big fine at the library. I'm always afraid that will happen to us.
Eddie
Ummmm are there not books in her classroom that she can take home and read. Mrs. Di last year had TONS that we would borrow and take back the next day when he would take his test. That is way to much drama girl:)
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