CALLING ALL READERS

In an era of decreasing commitment to literacy--how else to explain the failure of the state, for instance, to adequately fund the libraries?--it is no surprise that most students, too, are bypassing books. Instead, they look elsewhere for information, for entertainment, for experiences.

I would like to invite you to write to my high school students about your experiences with books, perhaps telling them what role books and literature have played in your life. I would be just as interested in hearing from the 6-year-old about her favorite book as the 60-year-old whose life was changed by the reading of a book.

Send your letters to Jim Burke, Burlingame High School, Burlingame, CA 94010. Thank you, and keep reading.

JIM BURKE

California Assn.

of Teachers of English

BURLINGAME