“As the weather starts to change, take on some of these books highlighting the best of theatre. From retrospectives by the original Broadway cast of Hamilton to a novel about resetting your career, these reads are great with a snuggly blanket or outside at the park as the days grow longer.” Did somebody page escapism? “How do you know if students are empowered as readers? How do you know if they believe in themselves and their reading abilities? As a classroom teacher and principal for the last 20 years, I’ve had firsthand observations of confident readers in action. I am also fortunate to have witnessed my own two children become bibliophiles. Five indicators come to mind that tell us we have empowered readers in our midst.” I don’t see or use the term “empowered reader” used nearly enough. Fixing that now. “I work a 60-hour work week, six days a week, and I’m here a lot. I get here between 7:30 and eight o’clock in the morning and I usually don’t leave until six o’clock. It’s a wonderful store, and we hope to be here many, many more years. But something like this can make a business disappear. I realized it was a big deal when I saw people panicking and hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer. It impacts not only my business but other people’s businesses on this island. It impacts my employees. This is their livelihood. We are trying everything we can to make sure that our staff stays healthy, and they all know to communicate with me if anything should happen, because their health is my utmost concern. As a business owner, I have to make sure that I can help them the best that I can. If one of them gets sick, all of us are affected. I have bills to pay, so it’s concerning. You don’t realize how much support you need and what you banked on for years.” I hope they (and all of us) can weather the storm.
