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History (Education)

Literature professor explains how history changed whether people bookmark or 'dog ear' books

"Dog ear your own books. Fine. Do this to library books and I will find you…"

library, libraries, dog ear books, dog-earing books, bookmark
Image via Canva

English literature professor explains history of libraries and dog-earing books versus using bookmarks.

All bibliophiles have a personal method for marking their "spot" in books. Some are fans of "dog ears"—folding the top corner of the page--while others prefer to use bookmarks. If you're a voracious reader, it's a divisive topic that has a surprisingly deep history related to libraries dating back to the 16th century.

NPR's Andrew Limbong, a reporter and host of NPR's Book of the Day podcast, interviewed Ian Gadd, an English literature professor at Bath Spa University in England to explain the history of dog-earing books—and how the two camps evolved.

"In England, from the 16th century to the 18th century, dog-earing was not a big deal," says Limbong. "In fact, dog-earing a book like the Bible was a way of showing you've been keeping up with the reading."

 

In the interview with Gadd, he explains, "It becomes a sign of piety," adding that, although many people during that time were illiterate, it became a sign that they were "much more learned than they are."

However, attitudes began to change about dog-earing books in the 18th century. Limbong says that at that time, literacy had become much more widespread, with all classes and genders now partaking in reading—and the upper classes "feeling some sort of way about their precious books." Gadd added that with more information more widely available to lower classes, it instilled anxiety among elites who held power over them.

Additionally, people began to view and treat older, antique books as more valuable, just as subscription libraries were starting to become "a thing." Gadd explains that people were getting "very anxious" about lending out books for fears of them being returned "tattier than it was...you didn't treat them properly." The combination of these things led books to become "an extension of virtue, morality", Limbong says.

 books, reading, library, libraries, library gif Read Beauty And The Beast GIF by Disney  Giphy  

The informative interview got a passionate response from viewers, with many sharing their preference and opinions when it comes to dog-earing books versus using bookmarks. "Dog ear your own books. Fine. Do this to library books and I will find you…," one wrote in the comment section. "I’m a librarian in a public library and I cannot tell you the fury I feel when a book comes back dog eared!" another commented. Another shared, "I suppose my pov is that they get damaged quicker and sometimes some books are out of print and can’t be replaced when you go to reorder. The boring pragmatic point of view!"

Fans of dog-earring books elaborated on their choice to do so. "I’m all dog-ear. And margin notes. To me, books are to be in relationship with. We’re engaging with one another which inevitably causes some wear and tear, like a well loved pair of shoes🤷🏾♂️," one shared. Another fan added, "You’ll find dog-eared pages and scribbles in my books. Come. At. Me."

 book, books, book pages, reading, read home video book GIF  Giphy  

Others noted they simply liked seeing books dog-eared. "I do not dog ear books, but I kind of like seeing library books dog eared while I’m reading it. I feel like a connection with that random person- like they stopped and picked back up at this point. Like I *know* other people read library books, but seeing the shadows of a dog ear is like a little reminder."

Those in the bookmark club also expressed their opinions. "Anything can be a bookmark. No need to dog ear ever. Of course, if you own the book, do what you want. Many of my books are full of notes . And when I buy used books, I love coming across an odd note or a strange bookmark," one commented. Another added, "I collect art cards and postcards when I travel and they make great bookmarks!"

 bookmark, bookmarks, book mark, book marking, book gif public radio books GIF by WAMU  Giphy  

 

Others shared they are fans of both camps. "I do both-bookmark for place holding while reading and dog ear to return to certain pages. If I use a book a LOT, I DO love those slim mini post-its though…" one wrote. Another shared, "They serve different purposes… bookmark to keep place in current read, dogear for having the ability to return to something poignant later. To be clear I only do this with books I own."

Popular

Mom is completely embarrassed after kindergartner tells the teacher what she does for a living

“So I have to have a conversation with my son about how he tells people what I do for work."

A mom is embarrassed by her child.

One of the great joys and stresses of parenting is that you never know what will come out of your child’s mouth. When you have kids who are young and inquisitive, they can say really inappropriate things to people without knowing that they were being rude or possibly offensive. TikTok influencer Aurora McCausland (@auroramccausland), known for her DIY cleaning tips, recently told a funny story on the platform about how her son believes she makes a living. The problem was that she heard about it from her child's teacher.


@auroramccausland

so this wasn’t on my bingo card 🥲 #momlife #momtok #sahm #sahmlife #funnyvideo #fypシ

 

Mom is embarrassed by her child

“The other day, I went and picked my five year old up from school and when I get to his classroom his teacher pulls me inside and says, ‘Hey, today he wanted to tell us about what Mommy does for work and said that Mommy makes videos in her bedroom but only when I'm [he’s] not at home,” McCausland recalled.

Given her body language while telling the story, McCausland was clearly mortified after hearing what her child said to his teacher. It makes it look like she may be posting videos to adult sites while her child is at work, which most people wouldn’t want their son’s teacher to know about.

The good news is that another teacher was there to clarify the young boy's comments by adding, “I think she makes TikTok videos.” The uncomfortable situation was a great invitation to chat with her son about what she does for a living. “So I have to have a conversation with my son about how he tells people what I do for work,” she finished her video.


 teacher, funny teacher, teacher posing, kindergarten, funny kids A teacher folding her hands.via Canva/Photos

 

The funny video went viral, earning over 1.7 million views on TikTok, and inspired many people to share the times when their children had funny ways of explaining their careers.

"My son told everyone that we were homeless (because we don’t own our home, we rent)," KBR wrote.

"I work in ortho.. my daughter told her teacher I steal people's knees bc she heard me talking to my husband about a knee replacement," Aingeal wrote.

"My son told a teacher we were living in our car over the summer. Camping. We went camping," Kera wrote.

"In kinder, my son thought Red Bull was alcohol and told his teacher I liked to have beer on the way to school," Ashley wrote.



My niece told her teacher her mom and dad work at the wh*re house. They work at the courthouse," Ellis wrote.

"My husband works as a table games dealer at a casino. Kindergartener, 'Daddy's a Dealer!' We now start every school year clearly stating he works at the casino," CMAC

"My son said we lived in a crack house…There’s a tiny chip in the wall from the doorknob," KNWerner wrote.

"My dad is a hospice chaplain and officiates a lot of funerals. My son and nephew were asked by their preschool teacher if their papa was retired or had a job. They told her his job was to kill people," Tiffyd wrote.

"My son said "my dad left me and I'm all alone" to a random person at the zoo. My husband was just at work," Shelby.
"I am now in my 70s. In my gradeschool, during the McCarthy era, I told my teacher my dad was a communist. He was an economist," Crackerbelly wrote.

"In Kindergarten, my daughter told her teacher that mommy drinks and drives all the time. Coffee. From Starbucks," Jessica wrote.

"Well I once told my kindergarden teacher a man climbs over our fence to visit my mom when her husband is not home... It was a handy man who came to fix gates when they were stuck," Annie wrote.

Ultimately, McCausland’s story is a fun reminder of how children see things through their own unique lens and, with total innocence, can say some of the funniest things. It’s also a great warning to parents everywhere: if you aren’t clear with your kids about what you do for a living, you may be setting yourself up for a very embarrassing misunderstanding.

This article originally appeared in March

Bob Odenkirk talks about the sense of purpose that comes from being a parent with young kids.

Many of us think of Bob Odenkirk as a professional actor and writer, but it seems the identity he holds most closely is being a father.

Recently, the Better Call Saul star appeared on fellow funny man Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out podcast. The two chatted a bit about the craft, particularly about how anger can elevate comedy, before Birbiglia asked who Odenkirk was jealous of.

Without skipping a beat, Odenkirk answered: “Anybody who’s still got little kids at home growing up.”

If you think that’s sweet…keep reading.

 
 @mikebirbiglia Such a special episode of Working It Out with the legendary Bob Odenkirk. So brilliant. So much creative insight. So much heart. #parenting #bobodenkirk #bettercallsaul #jealous ♬ original sound - Mike Birbiglia 
 
 

Odenkirk continued, “There’s no question: I knew what I was doing when I had kids growing up. I was being a dad. I mean, that was my job, and I didn’t have to ask myself ‘What am I doing here? How can I be a part of this world? How can I be meaningful today?’ I didn’t have to ask that question because the f*cking answer is ‘Pick up everything between here and the door and make sure they get to school and have a laugh with them.’ Life was...I understood my purpose.”

He then recalled his Broadway stint performing in Glengarry Glen Ross earlier this year, and feeling “envy” towards his costars Kieran Culkin and Bill Burr, both of whom still had kiddos under 10.

“I envy them, as stressed as they are, because they have to do this job and it takes them away, [but] you know who you are when you leave here. You absolutely know who you are. You’re a dad.”

Birbiglia couldn’t help but dub this the "best answer,” and other folks were inclined to agree.

“This is so true. Kids give undeniable purpose,” one person wrote on TikTok.

“Being a dad is the best thing and there isn’t a close second,” wrote another.

Odenkirk's words ended up being a bit of a healing salve for tired, overwhelmed parents who had been having a rough go.

“I needed that after a long aggravating day with my kids. Thanks for the perspective, Bob Odenkirk.”

“Today was a long day, kids were a handful from the first to the last minute of the day. I’ve been a full time dad for over five years and I needed to hear this today.”

And then there were the viewers who were simply moved to being puddles on the floor:

"I'm SOBBING. As a mom on maternity leave this punched me in the gut.”

“This made me cry. I hope so badly to be a mother.”

This is certainly not the first time Odenkirk has publicly shared his love for being a dad. In 2023, he published a children’s book, Zilot and Other Important Rhymes, comprised of little poems he would write with his kiddos (Nate and Erin) when they were small—and some after they were already grown.

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

“[This book is] defined by those two kids, Nate and Erin, when they were 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, helping me to think about how they saw the world,” he told Romper when the book was released.

May the world be filled with more and more men who love being dads as much as Odenkirk does.

Watch the full Working It Out interview below:

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

Courtesy of Riyadh Khalaf/Instagram (used with permission)
When Riyadh found an egg, he had no idea how much it would change his life.

When we come across something that's wrong or amiss, we often have a choice. Leave it for someone else to deal with, or do the right thing. Taking action is hard, but it's a risk that can have absolutely beautiful results.

The story of Riyadh and Spike starts like the opening to a children's book: "One day, a man was walking along and spotted a lone egg where an egg should not have been…" And between that beginning and the story's mostly sweet ending is a beautiful journey of curiosity, care, and connection that has captivated people all over the world.

Irish author, broadcaster, and activist Riyadh Khalaf was out walking in Devon, England, when he came upon an egg.

"We just found what we think is a duck egg," Riyadh says in a video showing the milky white egg sitting in a pile of dirt. "Just sitting here on its own. No nest. No other eggs."

 duck egg on the ground, duck egg in incubator, duckling just hatched, humanity, kindness, ducks, animals, wildlife, conservation What would you do if you found a lone egg on the ground?  Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash  

Thinking there was no way it was going to survive on its own, Riyadh put the egg in a paper cup cushioned with a napkin and took it home to London, which entailed two car rides, a hotel stay, a train ride, a tube ride, and a bus ride. He said he used to breed chickens and pigeons, so he had some experience with birds. Knowing the egg could survive for a while in a dormant state, he ordered an incubator on Amazon. An incubator keeps eggs at a particular temperature and humidity range in order to allow them to continue growing. They mimic the warmth the egg receives from the mother birding sitting on it in the nest. Without that warmth, the fetus inside the egg will die.

With the egg tucked safely inside the warm incubator, te journey to see if the egg was viable began.

 
 

Even though it was "just an egg," Riyadh quickly became attached, and once it showed signs of life he took on the role of "duck dad."

Every day, the egg showed a drastic change in development. The incubator was working, and Riyadh's giddy joy at each new discovery—movement, a discernible eye, a beak outline—was palpable. He devoured information on ducks to learn as much as he could about the baby he was (hopefully) about to hatch and care for.


Finally, 28 days later, the shell of the egg began to crack. The baby was coming!

"I could see this very clear outline of the most gorgeous little round bill," Riyadh said—confirmation that it was, indeed, a duck as he had suspected. But duckling hatching is a process, and one they have to do it on their own. Ducklings instinctively know to turn the egg as it hatches so that the umbilical cord detaches, and the whole process can take up to 48 hours. Riyadh watched and monitored until he finally fell asleep, but at 4:51am, 29 hours after the egg had started to hatch, he awakened to the sound of tweets.

"There was just this little wet alien staring back at me," he said. "It was love at first sight."

Riyadh named his rescue duckling Spike. Once Spike was ready to leave the incubator, he moved into "Duckingham Palace," a setup with all of the things he would need to grow into a healthy, self-sufficient duck—including things that contribute to his mental health. (Apparently ducklings can die from poor mental health, which can happen when they don't have other ducks to interact with—who knew?)

"My son shall not only survive, but he shall thrive!" declared the proud papa.

Riyadh knew it would be impossible for Spike to not imprint on him somewhat, but he didn't want him to see him as his mother. Riyadh set up mirrors so that Spike could see another duckling (even though it was just himself) and used a surrogate stuffed duck to teach him how to do things like eat food with his beak.

He used a duck whistle and hid his face from Spike while feeding him, and he played duck sounds on his computer to accustom Spike to the sounds of his species. He knew that Spike could not stay and live with him forever, so he'd need to learn how to become a normal, every day duck.

"It's just such a fulfilling process to watch a small being learn," said Riyadh.

As Spike grew, Riyadh took him to the park to get him accustomed to the outdoors and gave him opportunities to swim in a small bath. He learned to forage and do all the things a duck needs to do. Throughout, Riyadh made sure that Spike was getting the proper balanced nutrition he needed as well.

In the wild, most ducks eat plants, small insects, seeds, grains, and fruits. Some species of ducks will even eat small fish. Contrary to popular belief, bread is not good for ducks. It's not inherently harmful, but it's basically candy to them — it has little to none of the nutrients their bodies need. So if they fill up on bread, they may eat less of the foods they really need. Riyadh had a lot to learn!

Check this out:

After 89 days, the day finally came for Spike to leave Riyadh's care and be integrated into a community of his kind "to learn how to properly be a duck."

A rehabilitation center welcomed him in and he joined a flock in an open-air facility where he would be able to choose whether to stay or to leave once he became accustomed to flying. Within a few weeks of being at the rehabilitation center, his signature mallard colors developed, marking his transition from adolescence. Spike has been thriving with his flock, and Riyadh was even able to share video of his first flight.

This is the where "And they all lived happily ever after" would be a fitting end to the story, but unfortunately, Spike and his fowl friends are living in trying times. The rehabilitation center was notified by the U.K. government in December of 2024 that the duck flock needed to be kept indoors for the time being to protect them from a bird flu outbreak and keep it from spreading.

Building an entire building for a flock of ducks is not a simple or cheap task, so Riyadh called on his community of "daunties" and "duncles" who had been following Spike's story to help with a fundraiser to build a "Duckingham Palace" for the whole flock. Riyadh's followers quickly raised over £11,000, which made a huge difference for the center's owners to be able to protect Spike and his friends.

All in all, Riyadh and Spike's story is a testament to what can happen when people genuinely care. If Riyadh had left that egg where it was, it may not have made it. If Spike hadn't survived and been moved to the rehab center, the ducks there would be in greater danger of the bird flu due to the costs of building an indoor shelter for them. Despite the ongoing bird flu threat, the story really does have a happy ending.

In an update from June 2025, Riyadh shares that Spike is currently living with Leanne Clarke, who built a rescue shelter called "The Quack Shack" in her home. Riyadh's story and fundraising made much of the construction possible. Spike is starting to remember Riyadh less and less, which is bittersweet, but means that Spike is thriving in his new safe, domesticated life.

Thank to Riyadh for sharing Spike's journey with us. (You can follow Riyadh on Instagram here.)

This article originally appeared in January. It has been updated.

Canva Photos

A 5th grade class erupted in controversy after an insensitive assignment about slavery.

The slave trade is an extremely dark and horrific part of American history. It's impossible to talk about the history of our country without it, but it's also difficult to talk about with the right level of sensitivity, respect, nuance, and context. Millions of people died directly because of the Atlantic slave trade, which is to say nothing of the inhumane cruelty that the survivors of enslavement suffered.

How do you explain something so unimaginably awful to children? No one would ever say it's easy, but outdated curriculums and even insensitive teachers have been bungling it for decades. Poorly thought-out slavery lessons have been a problem in American schools for a long time now.

In an effort to help kids make sense of something so truly senseless, assignments often try to put kids in the shoes of slave owners and ask that they understand the reasons and logic behind the practice. This is the wrong lesson, and stories like this one show exactly why.

In 2019, 5th grade students at Blades Elementary School were given an assignment on the trading market of early Colonial settlers. One of the questions was completely outrageous.

According to a photo posted on Facebook by Lee Hart, the assignment read:

"You own a plantation or farm and therefore need more workers. You begin to get involved in the slave trade industry and have slaves work on your farm. Your product to trade is slaves.

"Set your price for a slave," it continued, offering a blank space for children to write in their answer. "These could be worth a lot. You may trade for any items you'd like."

The post went viral in local Facebook groups at the time, quickly attracting media attention and outrage among fellow parents.

"Unimaginable that a teacher would think this way okay," one commenter wrote.

"How stupid, insensitive, racial, unbelievable in today’s world. The teacher needs to be penalized for this," someone said.

"Any teacher, as we approach 2020, should be educated and sensitive enough to know that there are better examples that could be used to teach this lesson, which would not make anyone uncomfortable," another user added.

See the assignment here. It's hard to believe without seeing it with your own eyes.

 

 slavery, assignment, american history, slave trade, plantation owners Lee Hart  www.facebook.com  

 

You can see immediately where the assignment went wrong. Instead of teaching about the horrors of enslaving another human being, we're building empathy for the poor slave owners who just need someone to work their land so they can get by. While the context of how the early trade-based economy worked is important for children to learn, how we talk about it is even more important.

Can you imagine an assignment that prompted children to put themselves in the Nazi's shoes during the Holocaust? Exactly.

Assignments like this one have been going home with students for years. This is just one of the latest examples and, somehow, incidents like this one are still happening.

 slavery, early america, united states of america, education, schools, classroom, parents, controversy, colonial america, civil war Parents of the 5th grade students were outraged.Canva Photos

In another school, children were asked to share the pros and cons of slavery, including giving at least three "good" reasons for it. In another incident, kids were asked to write fake Tweets from the perspective of slave owners, and the Tweets were printed and posted in the school's hallway with jaw-dropping hashtags like #slaveryforlife. In yet another assignment, middle school students were asked to brainstorm punishments for slaves in ancient Mesopotamia.

Some powerful parties in America don't want schools teaching the real, ugly truth of how our country was founded, and that's undeniably making this problem worse. The 1776 Commission was launched in 2020 by then-President Donald Trump and was re-commissioned again in January of 2025. It pushes for what it calls "patriotic education." You can guess what that means.

The official report is full of hemming and hawing and explaining away of the atrocities of slavery, harping on why the practice was a necessary evil.

"Many Americans labor under the illusion that slavery was somehow a uniquely American evil," the report says.

It argues that, because other countries did slavery first, that it wasn't so bad that America partook in the cruel practice. It also bends over backwards to applaud the founding fathers for half-measures and minor compromises, like George Washington freeing his own slaves shortly before his death in 1799.

The federal government doesn't control the minutiae of state curriculums, but can withhold public school funding when it's not happy about what's being taught or how the money is being used. PBS writes that over 20 states have passed laws that "restrict how history can be taught in public schools" in the last 10 years or so.

 slavery, early america, united states of america, education, schools, classroom, parents, controversy, colonial america, civil war The classroom is supposed to be a safe space for all students.  Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash  

For the school's part, the principal of Blades Elementary at the time apologized for the incident and the teacher was placed on administrative leave after expressing their remorse.

"Asking a student to participate in a simulated activity that puts a price on a person is not acceptable," Superintendent Chris Gaines said according to ABC News. "Racism of any kind, even inadvertently stemming from cultural bias, is wrong and is not who we aspire to be as a school district."

Being a teacher is hard, especially with immense pressure coming from the very top to speak of American history in only pre-approved, white-washed ways. But we've definitely got to do better than this.

Family

Mom who planned entire family vacation was met with nothing but complaints. Other moms rallied.

“Just Irish goodbye one morning, go to brunch alone, hit the spa or a pool and come home after dinner."

@a.millennialmama/TikTok

Thankfully this story has a happy ending.

Even for those who enjoy the thrill of making vacation itineraries…it’s work. And obviously when the planning has to be done for an entire family, there’s even more effort needed to be put in. Imagine going through all the rigamarole of booking flights, hotels, rental cars, restaurant reservations, entertainment venues, last minute store runs for toiletries…without getting so much as a “thank you.”

Odds are you’d be a little miffed, even if planning is your thing. This was the scenario that a mom Alexis Scott found herself in after planning a summer vacation for her husband and two teen children. Thankfully, the now-viral TikTok post venting her frustrations inspired several folks to give her some much deserved support.

In the video, Scott began, “I'm on a family vacation right now with my two teenagers and my husband. We flew in late last night. We think we got in at like 12:15 a.m. and headed to get a rental car and then got to our Airbnb. And I am frustrated.”

Scott had tried and tried to get any input from her family about what they might want to do, and each time got the same reply: “‘Whatever you want, mom. I don't care. Okay. I don't care.’”

“Great. Glad I'm planning this vacation for everybody to not care,” Scott lamented.

Still, she did the planning—cause someone had to do it. But as soon as the vacation started, all her decisions were met with complaints. From being called “cheap” for getting too small of an SUV rental car to being told “Mom is never going to be in charge of booking the Airbnb again. She can't even this, that and the other,’” after the family found out their AirBnb was three stories with quite a few stairs.

“Then this morning, we wake up and it's an urban setting. We live in a very quiet suburban setting and my husband's saying how he barely slept and this and that. And I'm just like, enough!” she said.

All of this happened within the first 24 hours of the trip. It’s easy to see why Scott needed to vent.

Her video concluded with:

I have been the only one to put in all the effort in planning this trip. And I know there's videos on mental load, but this is prime time example of me. I'm shouldering the mental load for my entire family and everybody has something to say about it. So, yeah, I'm frustrated. Please pray for me that we can all turn our attitudes around and have a great day.”

Down in the comments, viewers could totally empathize with Scott for feeling burnt out and disappointed.

“Oh gosh the mental load of planning every detail and then knowing is something goes wrong or isn't’ perfect it’s all on you. Been there,” one person shared.

Another added, “I tell my husband that I haven’t been on vacation since I was a child and he’s alway confused bc to him, ‘we’ go on vacation every year. Only other moms would understand what I mean.”

Many suggested that she do something for herself instead.

“Just Irish goodbye one morning, go to brunch alone, hit the spa or a pool and come home after dinner,” one person wrote.

“Go and do whatever you want to do!! Spa day sounds perfect and take yourself out for fabulous meals!!” echoed another.

On a positive note: this story does have a happy ending. In a follow-up video, Scott shared how she showed her family the TikTok video she made, and it did turn things around.

 
 @themillennialvoice Replying to @thisisntaboutme 🍉🍉🍉 absolutelt no apology video… but they listened to my feelings and we have had a good day so far ❤️🙏🏼 #momsoftiktok #grateful #teenagers #millennial #millennialmom #vacation #travel ♬ original sound - Alexis | 40+ Millennial 
 
 

“We have actually had a really, really great day today,” she said. “Everyone has had positive attitudes. I've heard a lot of thank you's and my kids have been buying their little side purchases with their own money and not even asking me to pay for it... but they have been really self-sufficient in that space.”

All in all, Scott recognizes that her family is “human,” and a big part of being human is apologizing when a mistake is made and moving forward.

“We love each other. This was a learning experience.”

The thing is, when families do the travel planning together, it often ends up being a more rewarding experience for everyone. There are lots of ways to go about it—watching movies featuring the upcoming locale, having every family member choose one activity, selecting lodging as a group, voting from a handful of selected excursions, etc.

 mental load, motherhood, family vacation, vacation, family, invisible labor, weaponized incompetance A family enjoying a vacation together. Photo credit: Canva

Of course, this requires willing participation for every family member, which is what Scott (like many other moms) certainly did not have. But hopefully other moms facing this same laissez-faireness can whip up this video to inspire some gumption into their vacation companions.

This article originally appeared last year.