IF IT COMES UP LOST OR “MISPLACED” THE PARENT BUYS THE BOOK AND IT BECOMES A REPLACEMENT AND LIFE GOES ON.

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AND ONE MORE THOUGHT, HAVE A PARENT & STUDENT BOOK NIGHT BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS TO GET BOOKS AND SIGNATURES.**********

That is ONE solution. Yes, I know I’m being hard-hearted to even consider making people responsible for their own readers, so let’s try another tack: Have a number of readers available to be checked out by those who actually can’t afford to buy one to use for twelve years (assuming they don’t carelessly destroy them in the mean time).

Instead of handing out and collecting books each year, taking a goodly portion of two days of class time inspecting, signing, inspecting, signing, hand out the disks and get to work–never ask for them back. This would be especially useful if their textbooks were already on the disks they got last year, since they could stick to what they already had and not get a new one until later in the school year–if ever.

Remember I’m thinking one disk could have everything used in second grade level, third grade, ….., twelfth grade, including calculus, accounting, See Spot Run, Algebra, chemistry, shop, anatomy, shorthand, literature, physics, economics, home economics, art, philosophy, biology, auto mechanics, geometry, dual enrollment calculus. Just throw it all in there and pay royalties based on what was used every year, based on enrollment and assigned texts. (I’m also remembering how my brother in the seventh grade would bring his literature book home for me to read when I was just in the third grade. Some kids could get ahead without a hassle. Some kids could review without a hassle.)

But back to your original point: there is no way all students should be required to tote fifty pounds of books and the district buy another fifty pounds of books per student every two or three years just because some kids’ parents couldn’t afford both readers and beer or dope too.

Tie it all to proper computer tutoring in school and teachers can concentrate on those who don’t learn that way or who have problems and need extra help.

Consider the environment–less wasted resources.
Consider the backs of the smaller students–less pain.
Consider the taxpayers who have to foot the costs of lost materials under current situation–situation normal, all fouled up.
Consider the schools who don’t have enough materials because last year’s class was too thoughtless to keep up with text books other than to draw ponographics into. (some are quite detailed, most show they need to study art more closely)

David for saturating the world with information
and then daring people to claim they didn’t have a chance
or find someone else to blame

The little portable DVD players with screens run less than a hundred dollars. They aren’t programmed for what I am talking about, but could be. Very few children lack cell phones even though they cost more.

For that matter, the information for each book could be provided through cell phones or other electronic media. Most books run less than a megabyte of memory, assume a text book needs much more, call it ten megabytes. You can currently get an 8 gig flash drive at Wal-Mart for $20 or so. That would hold more than 8 hundred books.

We have the technology, just not the imagination and it costs us.

David knowing they’re going to have them anyway.

Give them the entire set of textbooks for the entire school system on a single DVD at the beginning of each year, never ask for it back.

If they lose one, charge them the dollar it would take to replace the storage medium.

Pay royalties based on which ones are used in class by how many students.

Use the good ones as long as they are still good, update if they get dated.

Less weight on child, no time spent trying to keep up with them, most likely last year’s disk has this year’s texts if in a bind. Those wanting to get ahead can do so at their leisure.

Less worry, less hassle

David for practicality

Everything else is this country is based on your credit report anyways…..right!