>> Laura: RAINIER, THANK YOU  SO MUCH FOR COMING TO ALBUQUERQUE AND BEING ON THE  SHOW TODAY.

SO, I REALLY LOVE READING.

I TOTALLY LOVE READING, AND ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY  LOVE ABOUT READING IS IT'S LIKE KIND OF SUBVERSIVE AND  IT'S PRIVATE.

LIKE SOMEBODY SEES YOUR BOOK  COVER, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AND YOU GET TO  USE YOUR IMAGINATION AND IT'S NOT LIKE -- THERE'S  NOTHING ELSE IN YOUR WAY.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS  THAT YOU LIKE ABOUT READING?

>> Long: WELL, LET'S SEE.

IT TELLS YOU GREAT STORIES, FIRST OF ALL.

AND, I MEAN, BASICALLY ONCE YOU START A GOOD BOOK,  YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING AND GET THERE AS  QUICK AS POSSIBLE.

IT'S SORT OF LIKE, HOW DO I  PUT THIS?

LET'S SAY YOU'RE EATING A  REALLY GOOD ICE CREAM CONE, OR LET'S SAY YOU'RE EATING A  REALLY GOOD, I DON'T KNOW, QUICHE AND YOU WANT TO GET  THERE -- YOU WANT TO EAT IT OF COURSE.

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SAVOR IT UNTIL IT GETS OLD.

LIKE THE STORY GETS OLD.

IF IT'S A REALLY GOOD  FOOD/STORY, YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO EAT/READ IT OVER AND  OVER AGAIN.

AND ANOTHER THING SIMILAR  BETWEEN READING AND EATING, IF IT'S A GOOD MEAL OR IT'S  A GOOD BOOK, YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO, LIKE I SAID, READ  IT REALLY QUICKLY, BUT OF COURSE YOU MAY REGRET BEING  FINISHED WITH IT.

>> Laura: AS I UNDERSTAND  IT, YOU ORGANIZED A PROTEST AT YOUR SCHOOL REGARDING  LIBRARY TIME.

WOULD YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT  THAT?

>> Long: YEAH, OUR SCHOOL --  THIS IS A KINDER THROUGH SIXTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

CARLOS GILBERT.

SO, THIS IS MY LAST YEAR  HERE.

MY SEVENTH YEAR.

FROM KINDERGARTEN TO FIFTH GRADE, MY FIRST SIX YEARS,  THERE WERE FOUR SPECIALS.

LIBRARY, PE, ART, AND MUSIC.

EVEN THOUGH THE TEACHERS CHANGED, MOSTLY IN ART  CLASS.

ACTUALLY, ONLY IN ART CLASS.

THE BASIS OF THEM WAS THE SAME.

LIBRARY YOU READ AND ENJOY YOURSELF.

PE, YOU WOULD PLAY GAMES OR OCCASIONALLY JUST HAVE A DAY  WHERE YOU MAINLY USE A JUMP ROPE OR DO WHAT YOU WANT TO  DO.

MUSIC, WE WOULD LEARN SONGS  PREPARING FOR A CONCERT, OR WE COULD LEARN NEW WAYS TO  SING, BASICALLY.

FOR ART, WE WOULD MAKE  CRAFTS, PAPIER-MACHE, FREE DRAWING, WATER COLORS.

YES, THE BASIS OF THEM WOULD BE THE SAME.

THIS YEAR, IN SIXTH GRADE, THERE ARE FIVE SPECIALS.

THE EXTRA ONE IS TECHNOLOGY.

LIKE BEFORE, FOUR OF THE  SPECIALS ARE AN HOUR, JUST LIKE ALL THE GRADES.

EVERY SINGLE GRADE, THERE'S FOUR SPECIALS THAT HAVE BEEN  AN HOUR.

BUT SINCE SIXTH GRADE, THERE  ARE FIVE SPECIALS.

THE SPECIAL THAT IS NOT AN  HOUR IS GOING TO BE CUT DOWN TO HALF AN HOUR IS GOING TO  BE LIBRARY.

THAT WAS NOT FAIR FOR ANY OF  THE GRADES.

I DID HOLD A PROTEST,  STARTING WITH A PETITION.

THEN I ATTENDED SOME  PARENT-TEACHER-KIDS, MINUS KIDS, MEETING.

IT'S CALLED A PTK MEETING, BUT KIDS DON'T HAVE MUCH OF  A SAY IN IT.

I WENT TO THAT.

THAT WAS THE SECOND THING I DID.

THE THIRD THING WAS HOLD THE PROTESTS OUTSIDE DURING  RECESS.

I HOLD THEM DURING RECESS.

SO, YEAH, THAT WAS THAT.

WHEN THEY STILL WOULDN'T  LISTEN, I DID A SIT-IN PROTEST IN THE LIBRARY FOR  AN HOUR.

FOR MONTHS, NO ONE LISTENED.

THIS NOVEMBER, ACTUALLY THIS -- THIS NOVEMBER, YEAH  THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IT.

THEY DECIDED THAT THEY COULD  MAKE LIBRARY AN HOUR AGAIN FOR SIXTH GRADE, NOT FOR ANY  OTHER GRADES.

THEY HAD OFFERED ME THIS  BEFORE AND I TOLD THEM NO THAT WOULD BE FAIR SIXTH  GRADE, NOT FOR SIX GRADES.

>> Laura: WHY DO YOU THINK  STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE MORE LIBRARY TIME THAN TECHNOLOGY  TIME?

>> Long: I'LL JUST PUT IT  THERE.

I DON'T THINK THAT.

I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE EQUAL LIBRARY TIME AS  TECHNOLOGY TIME.

BECAUSE IF THE SCHOOL THINKS  THAT TECHNOLOGY IS WHAT WE NEED TO LEARN, I'LL GIVE  THEM THAT.

THEY CAN FORCE US TO LEARN  THAT.

I DON'T THINK IT'S WORTH  MORE.

I THINK IT'S WORTH EQUAL.

BUT THEY'RE TREATING IT LESS, SO THAT'S WHAT I --  THE REASON I THINK IT'S EQUAL IS BECAUSE, WELL,  THERE ARE ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF LEARNING AND EVEN  IF SOME LEARNING WILL HELP YOU MORE, HELP YOU OUT MORE,  AND ONCE AGAIN I'M NOT HERE SHAMING TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE  TECHNOLOGY, I'LL ADMIT, THE WORLD IS GETTING BIGGER SO  WE NEED TO USE IT.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO LEARN THAT  AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO READ AND WRITE, TOO.

YEAH, THEY'RE TREATING LIBRARY LIKE IT'S LESS.

AND I DON'T THINK IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN TECHNOLOGY.

I THINK IT'S EQUALLY IMPORTANT.

>> Laura: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING ON THE SHOW TODAY.

I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

>> Long: THANK YOU.