"We will all be fine."

It is easy to lament the state of education today. We know that the fight for attention has intensified, and we hear that kids can't focus without a literature lesson offering shiny objects, fast-moving animation, approachable (that means unelevated) vocabulary. It is a fact that many students no longer read complete plays by William Shakespeare, but condensed versions in contemporary English (not his Early Modern English). Statistics show us that too many students graduate from high school having never read a complete novel.

Well, this here is good news: I am sharing a post I found on Facebook, a public posting, that extolls real learning going on in a public school in the USA...to remind us that teachers and kids are engaging in critical thinking and actually learning good stuff. As the author of the post says, "We will be fine."

Facebook post, by Sylvia Baer

In case you need to feel better about things today: In her fifth-grade class my 11 year-old niece was given the assignment to analyze 4 poems for figurative language and to discuss the meaning of the poems. This is a public school. Look at the choices suggested and the focus of the assignment. My niece asked my help only to suggest poems. I gave her a lot of titles of famous ones, and she did choose two (the one below, and one by Edna St. Vincent Millay) of them, found two more, and went to work. She sent me her finished assignment.

See? Schools are still teaching kids to think, to analyze, and to enjoy literature of all kinds. And kids still do.

We will be fine. We will all be fine...

_____________________

From her assignment:

Figurative Language Analysis of: Don’t Go Into the Library, by Alberto Rios

“The library is dangerous” Hyperbole

“You know what will happen.

It’s like a pet store or a bakery” Simile

“Those novels with their big eyes.

And those no-nonsense, all muscle” Personification

“The deli offerings of civilization itself.

The library is the book of books,” Metaphor

“The library is dangerous, full

Of answers. If you go inside,” Hyperbole

“You may not come out

The same person who went in.” Metaphor

Poem Interpretation:

The poem “Don’t Go Into the Library” by Alberto Ríos is about how powerful and exciting libraries can be. At the beginning, the poet says the library is “dangerous,” but he does not mean it is a scary place. He means that books are so interesting that they can pull you in. Once you enter a library, it is hard to leave without wanting to read something.

The poet makes the books seem alive by describing them in fun ways. He talks about novels having “big eyes,” which makes it feel like the books are looking at him and calling him to stay and read. He also compares some books to having “big muscles,” like strong dogs, to show that those books are serious and full of strong information. These descriptions help readers imagine that the books are inviting and powerful at the same time.

In the last part of the poem, the poet explains that reading can change a person. Books are full of knowledge and answers that help people learn new things. When you read, you might think differently or see the world in a new way. That is why the poet says you may not come out the same person who went in. The poem teaches that books can guide you, teach you, and help you grow.

Don’t Go Into the Library

By Alberto Rios

The library is dangerous

Don’t go in. If you do

You know what will happen.

It’s like a pet store or a bakery

Every single time you’ll come out of there

Holding something in your arms.

Those novels with their big eyes.

And those no-nonsense, all muscle

Greyhounds and Dobermans,

All non-fiction and business,

Cuddly when they’re young,

But then the first page is turned.

The doughnut scent of it all, knowledge,

The aroma of coffee being made

In all those books, something for everyone,

The deli offerings of civilization itself.

The library is the book of books,

Its concrete and wood and glass covers

Keeping within them the very big,

Very long story of everything.

The library is dangerous, full

Of answers. If you go inside,

You may not come out

The same person who went in.

Published on Facebook, Sylvia Baer, December 15, 2025