Teachers Please Read This!!!!!

Ok somewhere I have written I work in a bookstore. This is for all the teachers who assign reading. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure the book you want the students to read is in this order

1. IN PRINT IN PRINT IN PRINT
2. EASILY AFFORDABLE EASILY AFFORDABLE
3. THAT THE STUDENTS CAN GET IT IN TIME FOR CLASS
4. THAT MEANS THAT THE STORES HAVE COPIES FOR STUDENTS TO BUY (On that note what ever happened to the school buying required books? My mother and I were on welfare part of the time I was in school and barely scraping by the rest of the time. We couldn't afford to eat half the time let alone buy books for school--have any of you bothered to think that parents can't afford this?? probably not or probably don't care or probably both.)
5. IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON ASSIGNING BOOKS A HEADS UP AT THE LOCAL BOOKSTORES WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

What brought this on you say??? That is an excellent question. Today we had many calls from both frantic parents and students. A teacher in a junior high school the next town over assigned S. E. Hinton's "The Outsiders". We had 3 copies the bookstore across the street only had a few also. We both sold out very fast. The city these kids live in doesn't even have a book store. So, even though we a fairly close with gas prices over $3.00 per gallon people can't afford to go driving around to find a book needed for class in 2 days.

So, I had one girl start crying because everybody was sold out and she didn't want to fail because she couldn't get the book. I only wish I still had my copy. I would have actually driven it over to her house at 10:30 at night to give it to her. The teacher knew on Monday she was going to assign the book, but the kids found out last night and today the hunt was on for them and their parents.

One of the lucky ones came in with her mother, whom by the way works at the same school in the same department, knew Monday night the teacher was considering the book. She was upset too, because this has become common practice for teachers to decide on a book without bothering to find out if it's even available for the students to get.

This is happening from grade school through the college levels. I've had people say they've had to drop out of a class because they couldn't get the specific book the teacher wants. That's just unacceptable.

START THINKING OF THE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR A CHANGE INSTEAD OF JUST DECIDING ON SOMETHING.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST THEN ASSIGN THE STUDENTS HOMEWORK.