I had a doctor appointment so I passed my class to another teacher. They had a test to take. I thought the hour promised to be an easy one for him.

“What will I do when I am done?” asked “Maribel” quietly.

“I thought you could read,” I said. My colleague has a large library.

Maribel’s expression could only be described as dismayed. I had to run but I kept thinking about that expression as I drove. Maribel is a good student, one of my best. Would she read? If she didn’t, a number of others would opt out of reading as well. I did not want my colleague to suffer so I called from my cell phone to tell him where he could find a packet of work to give the class after the test. I was pretty sure most of them would do the one-page reading in that packet and answer the questions following.

Eduhonesty: It’s really sad when a pedestrian work packet about interest payments has a better chance of success than a freely chosen book or magazine.