For the love of learning
The printed word opens up a magical world
Peopleimages.com / Colourbox
Books can transport us to the most magical places: explore the world of education with this month’s edition of The Norwegian American.
Lori Ann Reinhall
Editor-in-chief
The Norwegian American
Dear readers and friends,
Here comes one of my favorite issues with a focus on education. It has brought back many memories for me and many thoughts about the future.
“Look, look. Look up. Look up up up.” I’ll never forget reading those words for the very first time. I must have been about 4 years old. I remember standing in the living room facing my father, with my very first book, Fun with Dick and Jane, in hand. We had borrowed it for me from the local branch of the Seattle Public Library.
I remember the joy I had to be reading. Whether I actually was reading or simply memorizing something, I don’t know, but I remember the excitement of the moment—I had entered into a magical world.
Books have always been an important part of my life. I love reading and writing, both part of a good education. I had wonderful teachers throughout all of my schooling, and I spent many hours at the same public library where we borrowed that first book. It opened up many worlds to me to enjoy and share with others.
These days, information flows freely on the internet, and you can easily read books on electronic devices, but I have to admit that I am old-fashioned and love reading real books with physical covers and paper pages. These books give you a sense that a lot of thought and work has gone into them, and, indeed, in most cases, that is true. That may also be one reason why I love the print edition of our newspaper so much.
With a good book, you don’t need a virtual online world—the words on the page create that world for you in your mind. Reading can help stimulate your imagination and fosters creativity. Want to become a better writer? One of the best ways to do this is to read a lot of good books.
Like our newspaper, books can provide insights into other cultures, which not only expands your knowledge of the world but will help you develop more empathy and understanding for others, even if they are on the other side of the globe.
And if you are a student of Norwegian or any other foreign language, reading a book in that language will help you increase your vocabulary. We tend to learn new words best in context, both in our own language and in a foreign language.
Studies have shown that reading books is also very good for one’s memory. It keeps our minds active and is an especially important activity for older adults. Holding a physical book in our hands forces us to focus our attention, and studies show that students who read physical books have much better recall than when they read online, where there can be many distractions, with the temptation to surf around to other topics. There is something so relaxing about plopping down in a comfortable armchair with a good book—or a good newspaper—in tow. Somehow, you can escape your daily world for a few minutes, if not a few hours. It is no wonder why many people choose to enjoy a good book at bedtime. It can take you away from the stresses of the world around you.
For the love of learning
Yes, learning starts in childhood and continues throughout our entire lives, and with this issue, we are excited to bring you a variety of content, as you continue on your educational journey.
There are insights into the Norwegian educational system—including challenges faced there—and content that spotlights educational opportunities in our Norwegian-American community. I am always so proud of the many talented writers who contribute to The Norwegian American and am so proud to showcase their work—tusen takk, team!
I am also very proud to present the winner of our first “Editor’s Choice” student essay contest. This is a competition that I personally sponsored for students of Norwegian at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
For those of you who read Norwegian, you will be impressed with the winning essay, and for those of you who can’t read Norwegian, we have provided an English translation. Everyone can enjoy a very special perspective on Norwegian culture through the eyes of a young person with a great future ahead.
For the love of our newspaper
Photo: Ulf Reinhall
There is nothing Editor-in-chief Lori Ann Reinhall loves more than reading a good book or newspaper—especially The Norwegian American!
In my last editor’s message, I talked about the challenges our publication faces with increasing costs in the new digital era with unfair competition from social media and a world of distractions. This situation has not changed, which is why I am very openly asking you to help us in any way you can. There are number of ways to do this:
- Simply spread the word: tell everyone how much you enjoy our newspaper and encourage them to subscribe.
- Gift The Norwegian American to a person or organization special to you—they will thank you.
- Send us a tax-deductible donation—we’ll put it to very good use. Any amount, big or small, will make a difference.
- Keep your subscription up to date. It is so easy to do this online with your credit card, which enables us to save money on mailed renewal notices.
- Sponsor an event for your Nordic group. We love to travel and will come and present a talk that everyone will enjoy.
A special message to our PayPal print subscribers
In the past few weeks, many of you who subscribe to the print edition of The Norwegian American via PayPal may have heard from us via a phone call or email message.
We have been contacting you to let you know that we are currently in the process of phasing out the PayPal option to subscribe to the print edition because it does not automatically sync with our SimpleCirc subscription management system. This may result in your receiving renewal reminders when your payments are already scheduled—and we don’t want you to overpay your accounts.
The good news is that SimpleCirc offers the same convenience as PayPal plus more. Once your credit card is registered with SimpleCirc, your account will be set to auto-renew to ensure that you never miss an issue. It is also very easy to manage your account online. If you wish to opt out of auto-renewals, you will receive email and snail-mail notices. We want to give you the best service possible!
A steady commitment to you
With the world in a state of flux, our newspaper has been committed to serving our community since 1889: we believe in our mission and we believe in you. Together, we can take this newspaper into a new era. We hope you enjoy our Education issue, and, as always, wish you many hours of happy reading!
All my best,
Lori Ann
This article originally appeared in the August 2024 issue of The Norwegian American.
