Every year, Schreiber students receive copies of books for their English classes. Chances are, these books have been used by countless students before them. Furthermore, since most of these books change hands at least once every semester, meaning that after only a few years, they can begin to show major signs of wear and tear. 

Since students bring their books around with them everywhere in school, it is easy to see how these books are damaged so quickly.  From food spills in the cafeteria to being randomly left in places around the building, English books have many opportunities to become destroyed.  In addition, many books have simply run their course of time throughout their many years of circulation through the generations of students. 

However, as a result of the harsh treatment of the books, they are left in increasingly worse conditions year after year.  With each new student, they become more tattered and torn, with pages that are ripped, faded, stained, or just plain missing.

In some books, large sections are coming undone from the binding, making it a challenge to even read the books.  Such wear and tear is not only harmful to the appearance of the books, but it can make it hard for students to read them.

Folded, ripped, and torn pages can cause problems, as they take students’ attention from the story at hand.  They can also detract from a student’s appreciation of the book, due to the distraction of having to deal with missing words or pages.

Therefore, it is proposed that the books distributed to students are held to higher standards of care by the students themselves.  In addition, the condition of books should be checked before and after they are handed out to students.  If books are significantly damaged after they are returned, it should be the student’s responsibility to replace them.

Furthermore, old sets of books that have seen decades of use should be replaced by the school once they become too damaged.  These steps would ensure that students are provided with copies that are in the best condition and that Schreiber maintains a set a high-quality books for everyone to use.