And locally …
Post columnist Marc Fisher writes about Mark Lewis, a rare reading specialist in the D.C. public school system. After meeting Lewis a long time ago, I've gotta say he's a great guy.
He was a regular visitor at the Cheshire Cat bookstore when I worked there, and he was always looking for new books for his school kids. He'd typically browse for an hour or so, much longer than most, and want recommendations from everyone. Even from the high schoolers (whose names he'd remember). He'd sit in the table at the back or in the front on the floor, and the books would stack up.
Half the time, it seemed like, he'd run into one or two of his kids. Little ones. First, second, third grade. They'd usually be shy and point him out to the parent or babysitter along on the trip, and finally they'd push over to say hi. When Lewis looked up and knew them, the students would light up. It was a kid coup. Not only did they see their teacher outside school, but he went to the same bookstore as them and liked to read too.
January 7th, 2010 at 12:35 AM
[...] five more minutes later: Adding post tags, just found I blogged that Fisher column in '05. This marks the first time ever I've blogged something twice without realizing. Still on the [...]