Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eirrehs]

im working at an all boys middle school and currently the student library doesn't have a single book in english.

this year there is a budget of 1 000 000won to buy books. it doesn't seem like much money for a library that has nothing.

with such a small budget to work with i'd like to help get the most out of the money. so i'm wondering what do you guys think are "must have" books to start out our english section?

your ideas will be greatly appreciated

[sulperman]

Save your school the money and do not buy any of those sets of 50 classic books like Jane Eyre or David Copperfield or Little Women. Every school I have worked at has tried to push those books on the kids. It might seem like I nice idea in theory to have them reading the classics, but it is just not going to work.

Also, please don't buy a massive set of expensive bible comic books like my religious co-teacher did.

I personally think that comic books are a good way to go, especially if the kids are going to be choosing books on their own to read. You know, educational ones, not like batman.

And series of books are a good way to go, like goosebumps, or whatever else is popular these days. That way they get hooked and want to read them all and sometimes they even compete with friends to see who can read more.

[The Goalie]

Picture dictionaries are good, as are young learner dictionaries. My library is packed to the rafters with story books and whatnot but the students rarely, if ever, go to them on their own initiative. You might want to take a look at Kyobo or somewhere and find the books you think look good, write down the titles, etc., and have the school order them. Books about animals, dinosaurs, bugs, etc., with lots of pictures and large print, minimal writing are good (I'm elementary school but this is true for me, too, as one who studies Korean... lots of small writing is really intimidating).