Wow. These kids just eat up the media role of the "news guy." When I proposed that each of them pick a wild weather story from an old weather calendar, and then go in front of the camera to read the news, the energy in the room just went through the roof.
I've never seen kids write so enthusiastically. Several had their script down within 5 minutes and were set to go.
Fun, fun. Can't wait to finish these!
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Wow! Book Giveway is a success!
I'm sure we managed to give away about 300 books today at our giveaway table. These were easy picture books, mostly hardcover, that had been weeded. Most were at least 25 years old. Well worn. Looking for a new home.
Thanks to the four eager student helpers who earned their hamburgers and worked hard at making the signs and setting up the tables.
We spent all of today's lunch hour ripping off bar codes from the backs of books. Fun, fun, fun...
Thanks to the four eager student helpers who earned their hamburgers and worked hard at making the signs and setting up the tables.
We spent all of today's lunch hour ripping off bar codes from the backs of books. Fun, fun, fun...
Friday, September 22, 2006
Old Filmstrips
These were once the cutting edge. "Yay, a filmstrip!!" we used to say at school. The teacher would put on the record or casette and we'd be in multimedia heaven. I remember feeling so envious of the kids who got to flip the filmstrip from one frame to the next on the beep.
Now, it's dumpsterville for these things. No one wants to use them anymore. OUT YOU GO, you hoggers of shelf space and dust collectors!
Now, it's dumpsterville for these things. No one wants to use them anymore. OUT YOU GO, you hoggers of shelf space and dust collectors!
Who needs that table anyway?
There we were, it was lunchtime. I'm standing in the library talking to another teacher.
The administrator comes in with some guy; they pick up a table and say, "We need this at another school," and they walk out with one of my tables.
"Take a better one. That one's chipped," I replied, to no answer.
Luckily, I had another similar table holding up a huge pile of junk that I haven't disposed of yet!
The administrator comes in with some guy; they pick up a table and say, "We need this at another school," and they walk out with one of my tables.
"Take a better one. That one's chipped," I replied, to no answer.
Luckily, I had another similar table holding up a huge pile of junk that I haven't disposed of yet!
Little Boys who can't sit still
I'm gonna have to play hardball with these little pipsqueeks.
Nuff said.
Nuff said.
OK, so we need some work
Today was a day of reckoning.
My library is old. I'm just admitting it, okay? There are lots of old, worn out books. All the pages are brown when you look at the tops of the books. Fifty years of dust. The pages feel worn and soft, but many books are not happily worn out like a favourite teddy bear that is always handled by a loving kid, they are just old and hardly used. They look tired.
But there's hope. I'll be making a mess in there for the next few weeks. I can get rid of stuff and free up lots of shelf space. I can get my volunteers on board. And, I can put new material out on the shelves.
There's always hope.
My library is old. I'm just admitting it, okay? There are lots of old, worn out books. All the pages are brown when you look at the tops of the books. Fifty years of dust. The pages feel worn and soft, but many books are not happily worn out like a favourite teddy bear that is always handled by a loving kid, they are just old and hardly used. They look tired.
But there's hope. I'll be making a mess in there for the next few weeks. I can get rid of stuff and free up lots of shelf space. I can get my volunteers on board. And, I can put new material out on the shelves.
There's always hope.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Something's Gotta Give
Okay, so now the school has a half-time librarian: me. At first glance this seems like a major advancement to the school program and for the cause of literacy. But as I have come to discover, this may not be so easy.
First of all, I was surprized to find, when taken on a tour of the room by a librarian from two years previous, dozens of new books that never made it out onto the shelf. Purchased but never catalogued. Hardcover books needing dust covers which were never completed. Cupboards full of obsolete equipment and supplies.
And, as the first few days of classes unfold, I'm learning that just being in the library with kids doesn't guarantee anything. The opportunity to develop meaningful programming will be especially challenging, given the restrictions in the timetable placed before me!
Here's what I'm figuring:
The library is NOT open to all the students half the time. The library is open to one class at a time, three (sometimes four) periods a day. So, 75 kids get to go to the library each day, and the other 400 kids in the school don't.
Second, the library doesn't support the middle school program in any significant way. There are only a couple of middle school classes scheduled for "teacher/library" during the week. But not all MS classes are scheduled.
During the morning when I'm not in the library and teaching music at the other end of the school, teachers can't send groups of kids to use the library. They would have to bring their whole class. (After all, kids can't be in there unsupervised.) And, I wouldn't be there so the teachers would be on their own to circulate materials, etc. which in the past couple of years has meant: Nevermind, we won't bother. This means that the library can be of no use to any of the morning classes for enriching or supporting their program by pulling out groups of kids- e.g. reading groups. I've got a grade six "literacy" stream 6 periods out of 10 days, so even though I'm in the library, I'm preoccupied with this entire class.
Somehow the scheduling ought to be improved. As it stands, I'm locked into providing contractual release time for other teachers, which means I take their whole class. I don't get to have the liberty to receive smaller focus groups. Yet, this is where the EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT of the library kicks in.
Let's admit it. We have a half time- release time provider who is based in the library and who, in his after-school time and with a few volunteers, will do his best to manage and maintain the resource centre. But we do not YET have an available teacher-librarian who can provide enrichment and focused reading and research activities. We're getting there, but something's gotta give.
First of all, I was surprized to find, when taken on a tour of the room by a librarian from two years previous, dozens of new books that never made it out onto the shelf. Purchased but never catalogued. Hardcover books needing dust covers which were never completed. Cupboards full of obsolete equipment and supplies.
And, as the first few days of classes unfold, I'm learning that just being in the library with kids doesn't guarantee anything. The opportunity to develop meaningful programming will be especially challenging, given the restrictions in the timetable placed before me!
Here's what I'm figuring:
The library is NOT open to all the students half the time. The library is open to one class at a time, three (sometimes four) periods a day. So, 75 kids get to go to the library each day, and the other 400 kids in the school don't.
Second, the library doesn't support the middle school program in any significant way. There are only a couple of middle school classes scheduled for "teacher/library" during the week. But not all MS classes are scheduled.
During the morning when I'm not in the library and teaching music at the other end of the school, teachers can't send groups of kids to use the library. They would have to bring their whole class. (After all, kids can't be in there unsupervised.) And, I wouldn't be there so the teachers would be on their own to circulate materials, etc. which in the past couple of years has meant: Nevermind, we won't bother. This means that the library can be of no use to any of the morning classes for enriching or supporting their program by pulling out groups of kids- e.g. reading groups. I've got a grade six "literacy" stream 6 periods out of 10 days, so even though I'm in the library, I'm preoccupied with this entire class.
Somehow the scheduling ought to be improved. As it stands, I'm locked into providing contractual release time for other teachers, which means I take their whole class. I don't get to have the liberty to receive smaller focus groups. Yet, this is where the EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT of the library kicks in.
Let's admit it. We have a half time- release time provider who is based in the library and who, in his after-school time and with a few volunteers, will do his best to manage and maintain the resource centre. But we do not YET have an available teacher-librarian who can provide enrichment and focused reading and research activities. We're getting there, but something's gotta give.
Falling Over the Furniture
Torn between many duties needing attention:
-buying bulbs for overheads
-buying reeds and music supplies
-learning kids names- I took picture with them holding blank sheets of paper, then I print them up and write their names on the sheet. I can study them at home. I figure I've got about 200 new names to learn in the next month or so.
-cleaning up junk- old supplies that are obsolete, weeding old books, updating library cards, trying to find space for everything
One thing is that there is no open wall space for anything like a white board, or even a bulletin board. And, shelves of books that are on wheels are getting in the way. I think I want to be rid of them. I'll take a picture of these things and put it here.
-buying bulbs for overheads
-buying reeds and music supplies
-learning kids names- I took picture with them holding blank sheets of paper, then I print them up and write their names on the sheet. I can study them at home. I figure I've got about 200 new names to learn in the next month or so.
-cleaning up junk- old supplies that are obsolete, weeding old books, updating library cards, trying to find space for everything
One thing is that there is no open wall space for anything like a white board, or even a bulletin board. And, shelves of books that are on wheels are getting in the way. I think I want to be rid of them. I'll take a picture of these things and put it here.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Ready Set Go
OK, so here goes. I'm putting some new ideas into practice from the ETFO Arts workshop from this summer.
Me and Mr. Mah is the book. The kids are grade six. We are going to do some "Hot Seat" role play and we're going to learn how to ask questions of a story.
wish me luck.
Me and Mr. Mah is the book. The kids are grade six. We are going to do some "Hot Seat" role play and we're going to learn how to ask questions of a story.
wish me luck.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Everything is Gnu to me.
Here's my protege. The Gnu guy in town. Notice he's got his glove out and is trying to catch something. He's in the game. His stance is good. He's ready for whatever comes his way.I took the job as our school's teacher librarian, with a great deal of anticipation. I've always felt slightly more comfortable managing things and equipment, but out of necessity have had to become very capable at managing people along the way. So, here is a job that requires excellence in both areas. In fact, it brings the managing of things and people perfectly together.
Enabling
Helping
Assisting
Finding
Searching
Organizing
Inspiring
Connecting
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