With the much tighter school budgets these days, parents and teachers sometimes wonder if their slim programming money would be better spent on an entertainer who might have a 'message' to convey to their students (Don't do drugs, etc.) or on bringing an author to the school. Which one will help the students more? (Which one can they justify best to the administration?)
Why spend the money on a published author, when there are self-published authors who will do the job for free. (provided, of course, that you allow them to sell their self-published book to the kids. How could you lose? You get a free speaker. What a deal?)
Members of CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers) have created a list of Frequently Asked Questions that address that very conundrum.
Use it the next time a school asks, "why they should invite YOU/ what's in it for the students?"
Also be sure to use the information you gather on Alexis O'Neill's blog, school visits Experts.com which offers you even more ideas about doing school visits.
-w
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1 comment:
Wendie - Thanks so much for posting this very important topic! Librarians, teachers, administrators and author who know the unique benefits of author visits need to make sure that this valuable experience for kids and for teachers continues in spite of today's perceptions of lack of time or money. When we value an experience, there's always a way to make it happen.
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