Recording Favorite Sections of Books

In the book The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay there is a section I like.  Doc says, "Always listen to yourself, Peekay.  It is better to be wrong than simply to follow convention.  If you are wrong, no matter, you have learned something and you will grow stronger.  If you are right you have taken another step toward a fulfilling life."
Doc went on to say, "The more you know, the more you can control your destiny.  Man is the only animal who can store knowledge outside his body.  This has made him greater than the creatures around him.  You brain, Peekay, has two functions; it is a place for original thought, but also a reference library.  Use it to tell you where to look and then you have for yourself all the brains that have ever been."
Peekay says, "He [Doc] taught me to read for meaning and information, to make margin notes and to follow these up with trips to the Barberton library...."

Not only is this wise counsel but it is also a reminder that we want to help our Esperanza scholars keep a record of their favorite sections, quotes, descriptions, etc. of the books they read. 

The Power of One

I have been reading the book The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay.  Last night we watched the DVD.  This book has a great message as Marilyn Green Faulkner states in Back to the Best Books--"...help us believe in the value of each individual and in the power of each individual to triumph over adversity and make a positive contribution to the world." 

Although this particular book and movie are probably not appropriate to share with elementary students they are reminder to us as educators that we need to remember this message and find ways to help our students understand it.  Involving our Esperanza scholars in quality service learning and social action is a pathway to do just that.