Last year, I had a 6th grade student return a book to me that had been damaged. His explanation was that he had spilled iced tea on it. I took the book from him, placed it on my desk, and sent a letter to his parents requesting payment for the damaged item. Since I like to make sure I follow up on the payment for damaged items, I usually leave the item on my desk as a visual reminder to collect the funds. The library clerk and I picked the book up many times over the course of the next few weeks while moving stacks of things around on my desk, etc. After the item had been paid for, I proceeded to thank the student for taking care of his responsibilities. His response? “No problem, Ms. Bell. It’s the least I could do since my dog peed on your book.” My response? ICK! I ate my LUNCH at my desk every day for five weeks with a PEED-ON book sitting next to me! I’m still grateful that both the library clerk and I are fanatical about hand-washing… so many germs in the library!
And my life lesson? I now put damaged books in a drawer (tied in a plastic bag if it looks like it’s been spilled on) and place a post-it note on my desk!
Kimberly Bell
Library Media Specialist
Summit Pointe Elementary
Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Deb Wesch
Loved this story. I can even imagine an illustration for it.