Friday, March 24, 2006

missing my new favorite lesson

Off sick today. I decided three days of not talking was not making me better.

The week always ends with the evil third graders. Each kid is not bad, though hardly a saint. So the third grade teacher and I work as hard as we can to make up interesting and fun lessons. The teacher has been spending time on teaching the kids about Caldecotts, mostly from appreciating the art of a book.

Last week the kids had to present books they thought were caldecott worthy. This week she has moved into them making their own Caldecott worthy book. So I suggested we catalogue and put the books in the library.

As I was putting together the lesson yesterday I realized it was the perfect way to do a several things: 1) show them what is important when finding a book (author, title, subject); 2) Thus show them how THEY can find books; 3) start teaching them about the elements of citing a book (publisher, copyright); 4) positive reenforcement.

Our third graders are just about the right age for having them look up books with the OPAC.

I'm one of those people, fortunately, who has an aide who is probably better than me. Everyone knows she is the hardest worker in town.

But that isn't to say I am not jealous of her starting this lesson. Though I should have let her anyways, at least since she is in charge of doing much of the processing --- putting on the barcode, call numbers and so on.

Of course taking a long nap makes up for it!

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

coach librarian

I have had a cold and now I have lost my voice.

I am whispering in the library.

In the next to last period and Merrill says, "what are we going to do in practice?"

I say, Dance

She says: "no seriously, what are we going to do?"

I say, play catch, jump rope then dance. After we do some drills, I am going to have you dance some more.

Merrill is a smart kid, but she doesn't believe me. What is frustrating is I am whispering because I got no voice. So I say, Have I ever joked with you.

She says, "yes."

Which is true.

I say, well we are going to dance, do you have a problem with dancing?

"I don't dance very well."

Well you will learn.

"We aren't dancing.…?"

So I go get my practice list and as I am walking away, she says, "He says we are going to dance," to the boys modified players around her. If I had any voice to get excited about, I would have told her: I can't talk, but I can hear you.

I bring back the form that has 'dance' written on it in two places. Fortunately she was facing the other direction so I couldn't see her roll her eyes...though I am kind of used to that with middle school kids.

I told my two managers they had their work cut out for them, they would have to teach Merrill to dance. They jumped at the opportunity.

Of course there was some preoccupation from Merrill about whether she thought dancing was better than 'Simon Says,' which she doesn't do well. Every time a girl messes up they have to run to the wall, Merrill spends a lot of time running to the wall. She is a good ball player, and she will be better.

"Are we going to do 'Simon Says'?"

Merrill you are the smart one, I can barely talk, do you think we are doing Simon Says?

Well at the end, I couldn't resist, I used the last two paragraphs left in me and did the Simon Says and Merrill ran to the wall.

Maybe they shouldn't have librarians coach softball.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

waiting for a basketball game

I can almost guarantee a fun time at the elementary school basketball game. Indian Lake is playing Wells. It seems like I remember that it was Wells that had one of those teams that plays it’s first string all the way though the game, so even if your team is winning at half time, when you let the other kids play they get crushed. Though I might be wrong on that.

There is a school board meeting tonight and the library is hopping right now as the laptops are being set up for the High School presentation. Like good teachers they have the powerpoint (have to have a powerpoint right??!?) presentations on the network, but they also have them on a CD as a back up.

Both the network guy and I are pleasantly surprised at the response to the laptops. The students really love them and --- so far --- see it as a privilege. We have about a 78 percent plug in rate. Of course the 22 percent of the times that we have to plug them in is kind of frustrating. We have wireless set up in the library for those laptops. For students going off to college, it is likely their computers will be laptops.

I would say on a whole, as much as the students like them, the adults dislike them. I am one of them, I can never get used to the mousepad or the keyboard.

I so would prefer to be napping right now, since I want to go to the school board meeting, but then I would miss the game. I think kids always know when there is a teacher/librarian in the audience. The younger kids seem to show their appreciation more too. Hmmm maybe after an hour I can sneak away for a nap.

I often thought of napping in the reading room on the carpeted floor, but after the first head lice scare, I have been saving my naps for the comfort of home. Even if school is my home away from home.

up early

Ah stress.

I don't think it is much different in a small school from a large school. A few kids do it all. You depend on the girls that are in national honor society to play softball, do the quiz bowl, act in the play, work on the weekends and to do the yearbook. (It does often seem to be girls.)

The only way they do that is with support. Parents who will drive them, cook for them, give them allowances for luxuries like clothes, etc. And teachers. Teachers who will coach them, direct them, instruct them and make allowances when allowance are needed. Things like changing deadlines.

So I am up now because I am worried about the yearbook, which I am the adviser.

No new faculty should ever be put in charge of the yearbook. Especially at my school where no one has had the patience to do the yearbook for more than two years. [Note to self, people who say they will help you, only want YOU to do the yearbook.] And it is partly because the students who do too much do the yearbook and from time to time, don't do the yearbook. I am sure they think I should do more, but I figure I am the adviser, they are the staff. But they are right, when it call comes down to the midnight deadline, I am the one who has to step in.

Every school should have a mentor program, but that mentoring should not be one person (in my case it was the math teacher), but several who will make time to instruct the new personal in areas they know. For example: I am coaching girls modified softball (not so smart considering the yearbook). I would love for one of the people who have coached to call me aside and say: "Here is how you reserve the gym for practice on Saturdays when custodians really don't want you in the school." or "here are the basic rules, 1) players can borrow mitts, but you have to sign them out. 2) etc..."

well enough of the chatter, got to get ready to go to school two hours early, so I might not have to say past 8 p.m. like last night.

Monday, March 20, 2006

my neck

so the cold has made an impact in my life. Fortunately working on the school yearbook for about four hours is kind of restful.. I like to believe that.

more could come, but I need sleep and my neck hurts, it needs to be cracked or something...