[bksvol-discuss] Re: reviews are not synopses
- From: Ann Parsons <akp@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 19:33:45 -0400
Hi all,
Original message:
Ann you can either ask people to write summaries of a book's plot or
yell at them for not looking up words.
I prefer to be understood.
Though I scored extremely high grades on the verbal part of the SAT
tests I know some people use smaller shorter less complex words.
Not everyone is as fluent as you. Everyone has their own skills.
Asking for something in a way which people understand probably means
you get it more often.
Interesting, E., you expect the staff to explain and to come up to
speed, but when I expect my fellow volunteers to take responsibility
for learning their job, you tell me I'm all wet. Sorry, my friend, but
cosseting our young people is one of the worst things which have come
out of this generation. People expect to be handled with kid gloves
these days, children expect that they will not fail at anything because
Mommy or Daddy will make sure that the big, bad teacher will not give
them an F.
The assumption is that everything will be done for them, and they will
not have to do anything themselves, not even initiate a learning
experience. We are volunteers who scan and validate books. As such we
have some words which are used in our job and not in other jobs. This
is true of many jobs throughout the employment sector. If you work in
Education, you're expected to know what an IEP is what a bell curve is,
what an auditory learner is, what a learning disability is. If you
work for Bookshare, then you are expected to know what a synopsis is,
period! If you have to ask somebody, or if you have to look up a word
in a dictionary, you have to do so. It's like asking for directions
when out walking or learning about your computer. It's *your*
responsibility to learn. I repeat, asking a question of somebody or
looking up something in a book does not make you any less intelligent
or less good or less anything! In fact, it makes you more of a person
because you show initiative. Heck, E., I'd much prefer to be taught by
someone who, when asked a question, says, "I don't know but I'll find out."
Here's your definition. A synopsis is a paragraph telling what the
book is about It's a short paragraph, usually, and it gives you an idea
about what kind of story to expect.
A review tells you about a book, but it puts a value on the book. A
review labels a book good or bad and if it is a good review, it tells
you why the reviewer believes that his label is valid.
<smiling with twinkle> Now that everybody hates me because they think
I'm a know-it-all, I'll just tell you all that I spent part of this
afternoon with my computer running Vista and a manual for vista. I
read and I took notes and I made note of things I wanted to ask about
or learn more about. I have to learn Vista. I don't want to learn
Vista, but I have to. So, I do, and I know that I'm ignorant, and I
will have to ask and I will have to read. And so it goes.
Ann P.
--
Ann K. Parsons
Portal Tutoring
EMAIL: akp@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.portaltutoring.info
Skype: Putertutor
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost."
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