tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post8500797012617076646..comments2023-10-21T11:44:45.588+01:00Comments on ResidentAlien: The Good Old DaysMary Witzlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-53103797834885803042011-10-20T12:07:50.099+01:002011-10-20T12:07:50.099+01:00I remember being taught to treasure books and to t...I remember being taught to treasure books and to treat them with respect and care. I still love books. <br /><br />I guess I-pads are the shelves filled with books galore. But I love the old fashioned kind. With pages and what not.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03828426520214270655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-23271511104410156132011-10-17T18:27:34.638+01:002011-10-17T18:27:34.638+01:00I still save up money to buy books and prefer them...I still save up money to buy books and prefer them any day over ebooks and pdf downlaods. There's a shelf full of used text books in my house that my brother and I used in school. My mom has kept them for my cousins who occasionally find them useful. <br /><br />There's still hope Mary. :)Falakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08321524864693512771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-53804686343312016522011-10-17T16:05:28.640+01:002011-10-17T16:05:28.640+01:00A book is a book is a book. Used or new I love the...A book is a book is a book. Used or new I love them all. Thank heavens for libraries and Amazon.<br /><br />I haven't had to buy a text book in a gazillion years. I can only imagine how much they cost these days.Bish Denhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13359927719391990534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-86209098855914055202011-10-17T11:56:02.045+01:002011-10-17T11:56:02.045+01:00I bless Amazon and buy lots of books from than inc...I bless Amazon and buy lots of books from than including second hand. Two have just arrived.Pathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01529798893653033970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-67707233703304509392011-10-17T02:25:52.777+01:002011-10-17T02:25:52.777+01:00Wow, I didn't realize how many kids aren't...Wow, I didn't realize how many kids aren't buying the textbooks. Two of my kids finished college just a year ago and it was never a question with either of them: Of course they bought the books. If you aren't buying the books, you might as well save your $ on tuition, too, because you're throwing it away. To us, when it comes to the texts, you bite the bullet and get them, although used if possible. BUT I'd yell about a $450 book.Marciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006966091789130047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-22126882396470237792011-10-16T22:20:24.800+01:002011-10-16T22:20:24.800+01:00Textbooks were always provided free of charge when...Textbooks were always provided free of charge when I was in elementary and high school. (It was a rare treat to get a brand new book, since they were usually very well used.) As a community college counselor, I empathized with my scholarship students who paid more for textbooks than tuition. It really would be wonderful if books were more valued--there are so many "things" competing for kids' dollars these days, including computers and cell phones.MG Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03584010470283038023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-79701801185403896992011-10-16T16:26:19.182+01:002011-10-16T16:26:19.182+01:00I discovered something very odd this week. I order...I discovered something very odd this week. I ordered some books on Ebay for the writing class currently running in Moffat. The reading list was quite comprehensive and I thought I would save myself some money by getting them second hand ( I know fiction is nowhere near as expensive as text books but a bargain is a bargain regardless of genre )<br />The thing I discovered is that while I'm happy to wear second hand clothes, use charity shop find furniture and fill my house with junk shop bric-a-brac I don't think I'll ever get used to buying used books. They don't smell or sound right. I'll do without new shoes, bags, clothes or technology, but give me a new book any day.Linnhe Marahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17960310077208873662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-1568985303926104012011-10-16T12:29:56.446+01:002011-10-16T12:29:56.446+01:00Back when I was in college in the early 70s--"...Back when I was in college in the early 70s--"the good old days"--textbooks were rarely over $20 and I tried to find the used ones for much less whenever I can. On the budget that most students have they are always looking for ways to save money. It all gets pretty expensive.<br /><br /><br />Lee<br /><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Tossing It Out</a>Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-27550856509066493542011-10-15T18:43:20.672+01:002011-10-15T18:43:20.672+01:00Maybe it's just the Chinese students who are d...Maybe it's just the Chinese students who are different now that capitalism is a good deal more functional in their country. Personally, I find that my students now would still rather buy clothes or "toys" (then it was video games, now it's phones) than books, just like their parents that I taught 20 years ago. However, there are always exceptions, and many kids still want books.<br />When I enter someone's home, I can't help myself; I check for two things: do they have art on the walls (even just good prints)? and do they have books (of any sort, really) on the shelves? It's a common thing in Utah to have only family photos and religious prints (Mormon temples and pics of leaders) on the walls, but no art -- not even cheap calendars or Thomas Kincade or other Hallmark-y stuff. But some folks do have books on their shelves-- and I immediately check out the titles. <br /><br />Your story about students buying grammar books on Amazon warms my heart. I'm a grammar nut. :)Lisa Shaferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08141316010311729143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-12654121070307626622011-10-14T22:29:05.255+01:002011-10-14T22:29:05.255+01:00Kit -- A few of my students refuse to write in the...Kit -- A few of my students refuse to write in their notebooks in pen. They use pencil instead and erase the marks afterwards so they can resell the books. These are kids after my own heart.<br /><br />But yes, I miss the textbooks too. They were always a big help when you wanted to refresh your memory.<br /><br />Charles -- I had a couple of boys a few terms back who insisted on sharing their textbook. They both failed the course, and although in their case, they'd probably have failed even with the book, they would at least have gained something. It's nonsense that kids will pony up for a fancy phone but not for a textbook. Plenty of hard work go into making both products.<br /><br />InLuv -- So it's not just the kids I teach! <br /><br />I don't get this rationale either, and it makes me feel so OLD. When I was at university, I'd have given my eyeteeth for something like Amazon or ebay. And new or used, I almost always bought the book if I knew I really needed it.<br /><br />Vijaya -- I agree. It's illegal to copy big chunks of text, and it's a headache to do it too, and a waste of paper. Most of the time, you can get used books for a reasonable price, so why go to all the trouble of Xeroxing when you can have a properly bound, legal text that isn't an embarrassment to carry around?<br /><br />MPax -- One of my professors had EIGHT textbooks on our book list. I rushed off to the library after the first class, but the two copies of the most expensive one had already been checked out. I confess that I borrowed a copy from a friend and Xeroxed the relevant five pages. But I got all the others, used.<br /><br />Mirka -- FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS? I'd have fainted! Were the bindings gold-plated? Was the book beautifully illustrated, filled with the Wisdom of the Ages and guaranteed to change your life in a good way forever and ever? If not, no way would I have forked out that kind of money for a MATH book! (shiver)<br /><br />If any of my students whine about paying £20 for an EFL textbook, I'll tell them about your son's $450 math book, you can bet.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-44534835272694439752011-10-14T17:07:31.076+01:002011-10-14T17:07:31.076+01:00DS also discovered Amazon/used in a hurry, when a ...DS also discovered Amazon/used in a hurry, when a single textbook for an advanced (and admittedly) esoteric math course was offered new for {{{gulp}}} $450. He was fortunate that the professor did not insist on a new edition. Used price was under a hundred dollars.<br /><br />But don’t get me started on the text book industry. That’s not what your post is about.<br /><br />I enjoyed reading about the difference between this generation of students and their parents, Mary.Mirka Breenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00653086859905415156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-88411551781132117132011-10-14T17:02:25.588+01:002011-10-14T17:02:25.588+01:00From being a student, text books add up so quick. ...From being a student, text books add up so quick. I did refuse to buy one because it was so much more expensive than the norm and there was no used option. Some just can't afford it.M Paxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14096697282530998519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-53812055118149054682011-10-14T16:32:56.409+01:002011-10-14T16:32:56.409+01:00I have balked at the cost of my children's tex...I have balked at the cost of my children's textbooks and workbooks ... but we bought them anyway. Many were used. I always scan the copyright page and list of credits -- these are the workhorses, people like me.<br /><br />Pet peeve: when teachers photocopy workbooks or large chunks of textbooks for their students. They don't realize they steal from textbook companies and writers (like me).Vijayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07876606729146077830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-69917303847792967142011-10-14T16:16:44.863+01:002011-10-14T16:16:44.863+01:00My two daughters in college come home with stories...My two daughters in college come home with stories about how many of their classmates don't buy the textbooks. It makes no sense to us. You're paying all that money for tuition; don't you want to do the best you can possibly do? I don't understand the rationale behind trying to get by without the accompanying text. Plus there are so many options out there - between ebay, Amazon, and now all of the book renting options. I guess it's the same lowered standards we see in the workplace -where kids just want to "get by" with no ambition to excel.Ruth Schiffmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02625363295823548969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-35796380555737481842011-10-14T14:42:08.060+01:002011-10-14T14:42:08.060+01:00I have plenty of students who won't get the te...I have plenty of students who won't get the textbook and as a result make "Ds" and "Cs" when they could have had "Bs." But they make a choice, and it's not like most of them are choosing between buying a textbook and eating. they're choosing to have a cell phone with all the bells and whistles and no textbookCharles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-56737654294798172972011-10-14T11:00:24.218+01:002011-10-14T11:00:24.218+01:00And here I was grumbling about the cost of buying ...And here I was grumbling about the cost of buying my son's textbooks for school... except that they no longer seem to be text books - they are mostly workbooks, which means they can't be bought second hand or kept for the next child. they are also designed one for each year, subject by subject. The good old days I remember had text books we hung on to year after year... sigh!Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11594062064082350697noreply@blogger.com