tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79890952012-02-09T22:26:47.529-05:00thoughts from an elementary school librarianJannnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-83861055603549592422012-02-09T22:26:00.000-05:002012-02-09T22:26:47.535-05:00

Yesterday, I brought left-over Jambalaya for lunch.  I was a little worried about the shrimp smell permeating the library, but that's not what the first student in the door after lunch smelled. As he walked in, he asked, "Do I smell okra?!?!!?" Why, yes, Madison, you do! Love these kids.

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-29737376484355329252012-02-06T21:44:00.000-05:002012-02-06T21:44:23.424-05:00

As promised, here are some photos from the kids' work on Friday.  This first one is from the beginning of the book, in Harry's bedroom.  I love the toys inside the bubbles.  I'm not sure which toy this is, but it's perfectly recognizable as a toy, I think! The next one is from the middle of the book, in outer space.  It's a cat on the Milky Way, of course! And this last one is at the end of

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-41057040127462219992012-02-04T16:41:00.001-05:002012-02-06T21:49:29.579-05:00

Last fall, I presented at a librarians' conference about ideas for teaching our state readers' choice books in the library.  It was wildly successful with well over 100 attendees.  I made the decision at the start of the school year not to teach the books until later in the year, which meant that all the lesson ideas I presented were just theoretical.  I hoped they would work.  This past week

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-85276613150121083912012-01-18T19:59:00.000-05:002012-01-18T19:59:54.134-05:00

Today I taught a kindergarten class that has about six or seven ESL students.  One is Chinese, and the rest are Hispanic.  A few of the students had mini-candy bars, and I had them put them up on the desk so they wouldn't get all melty in their pockets. I was asking the students where they got the candy bars, and a couple of them told me, "from Mrs. Cut."  OK.  I knew we had a new ESL teacher, 

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-40230981861558854182012-01-02T15:43:00.000-05:002012-01-02T15:43:59.935-05:00

I just read in yesterday's New York Times that Simms Taback has died.  He died on Christmas day, and I hadn't even heard about it.  How did I miss this?  And why didn't I read about it in any of the children's literature blogs I follow? I love reading Joseph Had a Little Overcoat to the kindergartners as we study recycling/reusing--it's so perfect for that, and it leads to great discussions of

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-3162884563895488552011-11-20T16:17:00.000-05:002011-11-20T16:17:10.181-05:00

Can you tell that I am just a little bit excited about achieving National Board Certification?!?!?! After planning to release the results last Friday, the NBC people had a little bit of trouble with their servers, so we didn't find out until this morning.  I checked it as soon as I woke up, and, thank God, I passed.  Then I waited and waited for my study partner Vicki to share her news.  She

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-35200598244725045222011-09-25T10:48:00.000-05:002011-09-25T10:48:26.398-05:00

On Thursday after car riders' duty, I was walking four students to the office because their parents hadn't picked them up after school.  The students were all first or second graders, and one little girl said, "I guess my mommy overslept again." (It turns out that she works nights.) The other little girl said, "Is she nocturnal?" Just so cute!

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-49492119256199474262011-09-15T20:54:00.001-05:002011-09-15T21:09:59.513-05:00

I was talking with my sister tonight.  Her son is a kindergartner, and being a teacher, she is enjoying school from the perspective of a new parent, and not just as a teacher.  And by enjoying, I totally mean "barely coping with the anxiety of." So she was telling me about the books her son was reading in school, and of course, I asked about library.  He told her that the librarian read a book

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-15994669090690928122011-06-23T13:25:00.000-05:002011-06-23T13:25:24.781-05:00

Today is my first day of summer vacation.  I do still have work to do at school, and I do owe them one more day, but the tech people came by yesterday and wiped out our current computers in preparation for us getting new ones next week.  So, while I do have non-computer things to do, I am in no rush to do them.  What a great first day of vacation!!I slept in a little, got fitted for my new

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-40834574834144265962011-04-19T18:53:00.000-05:002011-04-19T18:53:18.583-05:00

We had such a great day with Henry Cole, children's book author and illustrator.  He was simply amazing, entertaining three HUGE student audiences throughout the day.  He kept the 2-5 graders for over an hour, and they never took their eyes off him.  I WISH I could hold their attention like that.  Wow.  And although Henry has his presentation down pat, each time I heard it, it was as if he was

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-61348026742696147302011-03-24T20:46:00.000-05:002011-03-24T20:46:33.617-05:00

...by the kindergartners.  Me: We are having a very special visitor next month, Henry Cole.  He is an author and illustrator.  What should we do to get ready for his visit? Kindergartner: Balloons? LOL.  I think Henry would like that.  I wasn't quite expecting that answer, but we kept going with this line of thought.  After balloons came ice cream cake, dressing up, writing notes, making a

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-11526077845904761402011-01-24T21:00:00.000-05:002011-01-24T21:00:52.718-05:00

Do NOT make your boss look bad in an email.  Especially an email that was cc'd to all the librarians, their assistants, and their PRINCIPALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stupid, stupid, stupid. (And no, it wasn't me.  But I got to read the back-and-forth.  Not pretty.)

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-81649296581441839772011-01-22T22:00:00.000-05:002011-01-22T22:00:37.862-05:00

One of my favorite things about being an elementary teacher is that I totally enjoy these age groups.  Not a day goes by that I do not laugh with the children (sometimes at them, but mostly with them...). Yesterday, my kindergarten class and I were reviewing the Readers' Choice program books for our state, as we'd finished reading all of them and it was time to vote.  I asked a little boy who was

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-25426166219071541992011-01-14T20:44:00.000-05:002011-01-14T20:44:52.621-05:00

The Most Important Need: The Need to Learn Edutopia I love this article. So what I needed to read, especially after I heard about two brothers at my school (different last names) who are moving out of their grandparents' home and into a house with their aunt, who will now be a single parent to seven--S.E.V.E.N.--children. If all I did for those sweet little boys was offer them a place of

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-4974699484038464462010-11-13T20:17:00.000-05:002010-11-13T20:17:00.476-05:00

Seriously?!?! Who is the fat lady with no neck in the rocking chair?!?!?! OMG.  It is not any fun to watch yourself teach.  Oh, my.  The videotaping itself was pretty good--we have to adjust the angle to show more of the students' faces, and I think the lesson is good, so we're going to try again next week. I successfully closed the library for 1/2 hour to tape the class, and that worked out

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-91107032789920991552010-11-10T20:23:00.001-05:002010-11-10T20:34:37.150-05:00

Let's just say it did not go well.  Thank goodness this was just a practice practice session--I just wanted to see what my lesson looked like before asking someone to film the official practice video.  In the first class, I had a kid who simply could NOT stop waving at the camera.  Really?!!?! Second grade!  Ugh. In the second class, which I was hoping could possibly go a little better than the

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-45311693032014768742010-10-30T15:32:00.000-05:002010-10-30T15:32:36.120-05:00

So that's what I was told! I am a natural presenter.  Woo-hoo.  I did have fun presenting at our state librarians' conference yesterday, although I was a sweaty mess at the end of each presentation.  There were lots of attendees at the sessions, and I gave away all 150 CDs that I made.  Yikes.  The evaluations from the attendees were very positive, so that was good. I suppose it was worth all

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-75927961618753005062010-10-04T20:14:00.000-05:002010-10-04T20:14:45.539-05:00

So excited!!! We are hosting Kim Norman, an author from here in Virginia.  She has written several books, and I'm enjoying reading them to our students.  Jack of All Tails is quirky and the kids love it! We incorporate brainstorming animals characteristics and also a little writing--what could be better than that? We are also reading Crocodaddy and Ten on the Sled.  The little ones love the

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-84523526688481289432010-09-30T21:20:00.000-05:002010-09-30T21:20:43.968-05:00

Friday is the kick-off assembly for Reading Year at my school.  Our theme this year is, "Virginia is for Readers."  I thought that was so fun and original, and then one of my new kids said that her school did that last year.  Oh, well.  So much for originality!Our students will be placed on teams that are named after the regions of Virginia--did you know there are five?  It was my job to write a

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-52618680137781912062010-09-09T21:37:00.000-05:002010-09-09T21:37:48.673-05:00

Those were the words uttered to me by a first grader this morning.  So I'm going gray.  So I gave up the hair-color fight.  So I got some highlights to blend the gray. Blonded?!?! Really?!?! I guess we'll see if blondes really have more fun.  :) And no, there will be no photo.

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-77927417603198999492010-09-03T19:16:00.000-05:002010-09-03T19:16:19.576-05:00

I am done.  Stick-a-fork-in-me done. This week has been so hectic in the library! I know that we had meetings only three mornings: Monday, Wednesday, and today, Friday.  But the week flew by! I worked until after 6 pm and still will have to go in on Sunday to at least resemble being ready to open on Tuesday.  Oh, my. The library was used for meetings this week, and we were cleaned up for the Open

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-63637813913257614932010-08-22T10:21:00.000-05:002010-08-22T10:21:10.839-05:00

It's my last Sunday of freedom. My last Sunday without the Sunday Night Dread.  Actually, I have a little dread since it's the last Sunday without it.  I know it makes no sense.  I love my job, I love my students, I love my administrators and colleagues.  Yet every Sunday, I dread the thought of another week of work.  I love summer so much.

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-64936284426644060632010-08-10T21:02:00.000-05:002010-08-10T21:02:06.142-05:00

Today, I met with a librarian who is new to the elementary school setting.  She's been a librarian for several years, but this summer got de-staffed from her high school.  The only other job in her district was at an elementary school.  Oh, my.  Let me just say, as an aside, that if the tables were turned and this happened to me, there would be tears.  Copious amounts of tears.  I do not heart

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-14415721402818053812010-08-02T20:09:00.000-05:002010-08-02T20:09:48.601-05:00

So many new things happening this summer at Summer Library!  I got TWO hermit crabs!  The visitors who came today voted for their favorite names for them, but I didn't have time to read the votes, so I will report on that next week and post pictures of our two new critters. I got a new Beta fish today.  His name is Booker the Third.  We've already had Booker and Booker, Jr.  This one is red. 

Jannnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-6446193185078302672010-07-26T20:53:00.000-05:002010-07-26T20:53:45.288-05:00

I am so very excited about my almost-finished addition to the library: a puppet theater! (or should I spell it theatre?) My student library aide built it for me today after we found the instructions last week online and I picked up the materials at Home Depot this weekend.  Here's how it looks so far: Here's the person who built the puppet theater posing behind his creation: I think it will be

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-59351884828235036602010-05-27T21:24:00.000-05:002010-05-27T21:24:02.102-05:00

I have been reading Skippyjon Jones books to the kindergarten students for the past two weeks.  We have laughed pretty hard, especially when we listened to Judy Schachner read her books aloud, although I have to say that my Antonio Banderas-inspired accent has definitely improved of late! The kids L-O-V-E these books and really did well with them.  They especially love how he bounces on his bed

Jannnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-8449861394245170912010-05-11T18:56:00.000-05:002010-05-11T18:56:18.291-05:00

It's been a rough month, this month of May (and here I thought April was the cruelest month).  My mom passed away last Sunday, rather unexpectedly, but certainly not outside the realm of possibility for someone living with Alzheimer's for over 10 years. I was with family for six days, and came back to work last Friday.  I definitely felt like I was just going through the motions of teaching, but

Jannnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-31504952367941280422010-04-13T20:37:00.000-05:002010-04-13T20:37:30.837-05:00

At the end of each day, I sit in a little TV studio off of the library, typing in the bus numbers as the buses arrive to pick up the kids.  One of our third graders passes through the library on the way to his mother's classroom, and he always yells out hello.  Some days, he brings me snacks.  He usually has a story to tell. Today, he said, "So I have a song stuck in my head.  My brother taught

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-14556462126215364562010-03-31T21:12:00.000-05:002010-03-31T21:12:58.929-05:00

My principal gave all the specialists a professional day today.  I used it to my full advantage.  Of course, I had a patrillion things on my to-do list but didn't get nearly as much accomplished as I'd hoped.  Sigh... I thinked my principal for the day today and told him that I didn't get ahead, but at least I felt like I wasn't drowning anymore.  And the sad part is that I take solace in that!

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-43660080803721570742010-03-20T20:37:00.000-05:002010-03-20T20:37:11.626-05:00

that's what my sister would say about my recent award.  It's one of her favorite sayings. On Friday, I was named Regional School Librarian of the Year.  Now, I am not much into bragging about myself, and certainly there were other librarians nominated who are doing the same kinds of things I do, but it feels really good to be recognized for all my hard work. My principal (the one I heart)

Jannnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-39730666891567094162010-03-10T21:12:00.002-05:002010-03-10T21:14:19.877-05:00

I don't know how to put a little heart in the title.  I should try to figure that out... So my principal sent out the list of people who would be going into classrooms to do interventions, and my assistant and I were both on the list.  I sent an email to the staff to let them know the library would be closed the last 1/2 hour of the day and went to my assigned classroom at the end of the day. I

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-39807378857279496642010-03-06T14:40:00.000-05:002010-03-06T14:40:54.088-05:00

I don't know where I've been.  I don't know what I've been doing for the last month.  Wait.  I know.  I've been teaching all day every day.  And I've been finishing up one reading program and gearing up for another one.  I've been spending every minute reading and writing for an online class I'm taking.  School is nuts.  I am constantly feeling behind the 8 ball.  I don't like that feeling, but

Jannnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-83933473385864186712010-02-08T13:03:00.001-05:002010-02-08T13:05:07.700-05:00

We are on snow day #7, and I've been staying busy working on school stuff (of course) and sewing and crocheting.  My first afghan is finished! It's brown and blue--I love that variegated yarn.  Those are some of my favorite color combinations.  The solid areas are a light brown.  It's very warm and cozy--perfect for cuddling up on the couch. I've been working on this since June, so I'm thrilled

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-92021415366809664802010-02-05T13:27:00.000-05:002010-02-05T13:27:16.278-05:00

of snow are falling.  They've been falling for about three hours now, and nothing is sticking to the ground.  The weather forecasters are predicting 18 to 24 inches of snowfall in our region over the next two days, and because this storm started as expected during the day, schools cancelled last night for today. It was great getting to sleep in and not having to wake up to listen for a delay or

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-42364729159218038632010-02-01T19:49:00.000-05:002010-02-01T19:49:03.552-05:00

I love snow days.  I love snow.  I love that I live in an area that can't clear snow in a timely manner.  We got about 9-10 inches of snow on Saturday, and school was cancelled today and it has already been cancelled for tomorrow!! How exciting is that! Today was a work day for teachers, so the only thing that changed was that we could work from home.  I went in to school from 11:30 to 4:00

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-64111201793622147052010-01-28T23:05:00.000-05:002010-01-28T23:05:52.592-05:00

A beautiful moment in the library on Tuesday: one of our little African-American students, when she saw the picture of Jerry Pinkney at the end of Little Red Riding Hood, said, "He's Black!" and then as we were discussing the book, she pointed to Little Red Riding Hood and said, "SHE looks like me!" And it was true.  I had been hoping that someone would notice that LRRH is a character of color. 

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-58839343583760686512010-01-24T20:30:00.000-05:002010-01-24T20:30:19.815-05:00

What if I didn't have an assistant in the library?  How would our program change? I am having a hard time even thinking about where to start--it would truly change our program for the worse, in many and every way possible. 1.  We'd have to limit open library visitation.  Students could only visit the library during their library class time. 2.  We'd limit the number of books students could check

Jannnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-74077818233250378582010-01-21T20:21:00.000-05:002010-01-21T20:21:39.967-05:00

I was just sad today.  An underlying sadness, and the tears were right at the surface all day.  The kids were good today, my lessons went well, but I just didn't feel much joy today. First, I overheard something this morning and when I asked about it later, I found out more of the story.  A colleague's husband is leaving her.  They have children, and he is just being stupid.  He doesn't even want

Jannnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-73443739282209302172010-01-19T20:57:00.000-05:002010-01-19T20:57:43.542-05:00

Thank goodness for Amazon PRIME shipping! I usually get my books the second day after ordering them, but my fabulous copy of the Caldecott Award-winning book The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney arrived today, barely 24 hours after ordering it! Thank you, UPS and Amazon-shipping gods. Sure, call me late to the party, call me a bandwagon-jumper, it's okay.  I know. I am not usually a huge

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-20671653014374265562010-01-15T21:12:00.000-05:002010-01-15T21:12:53.774-05:00

Today was Day 5.  It's the fifth day I've done this set of lessons.  I am, simply, tired of saying the same things over and over.  Day 1 is always a little rough, not too bad, but it's the first time I'm teaching the lesson.  Days 2 & 3 are great--I'm in a groove.  Days 4-6 just keep going downhill.  I just get tired of saying the same exact things again and again.  It's the first time for the

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-30890201776140277912010-01-12T21:18:00.001-05:002010-01-12T21:19:28.690-05:00

So I had this third grade boy say this to me today as we were talking about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  What will you be doing to think about MLK that day?  Apparently, he'll be shop-PING! I hate to say that I probably will, too.  Kohl's sent me a 30% off coupon. I'm not proud. In other news, my principal has added more to my jobs.  Now when we call the buses at the end of the day, I have to

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-23775453028649166872010-01-10T18:03:00.001-05:002010-01-10T18:05:27.491-05:00

What else is new? Well, actually, I feel really guilty that my lesson plan book has been mostly blank for the last three weeks.  Don't get the wrong idea: I've had meaningful lessons for my students and I have been aligned with the state standards!  No worries there! I have just been lax about writing down what I've been doing.  Some of the grade levels are in the middle of a several-rotation

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-4719048129166273872010-01-08T08:52:00.000-05:002010-01-08T08:52:44.424-05:00

Gotta love my mid-Atlantic state.  They are just not equipped to handle snow like my home state is.  We have less than an inch of snow, and my school district has cancelled school today.  It seems crazy to me, but I'll take it.  The gift of time.  It's my favorite gift ever. The school will open at 10 today, so I'm going to go in later today and do a little work.  I've always said that school is

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-759379937738539432010-01-05T21:05:00.000-05:002010-01-05T21:05:02.146-05:00

I am totally procrastinating tonight. I have checked email, Facebook, my RSS feeds, and now I'm even writing on my blog before doing my actual schoolwork.  I know tomorrow will be a bit easier if I do what I need to do  tonight, but I am just not feeling up for it. One of the "extras" I do at school is the morning announcements program.  We have a cast of 3 on-air personalities, one camera person

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-25079931619108418642010-01-04T21:40:00.000-05:002010-01-04T21:40:24.522-05:00

I could cry.  Over the Christmas holiday, sometime after the Blizzard of '09 as our 16+ inches of snow melted, a leak formed in two corners of our library.  One corner leaked all over the mounted TV and zapped it.  No big loss.  I can easily live without TV in the library--hardly use it at all, actually. The leak in the second corner, was, however, much more devastating.  Two entire cases of

Jannnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-86391706400988725842010-01-03T21:19:00.002-05:002010-01-03T21:19:32.360-05:00

I have it.  I always get it, but it's not too bad tonight because part of me is actually excited to get back to work.  I love vacations, I love summer, but I love the routine of work even more.  Bring on those kiddos in the AM!

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-10042781845872612122010-01-03T00:08:00.000-05:002010-01-03T00:08:44.700-05:00

That's the name of my most favorite Christmas present this year, the Barnes & Noble E-reader called the Nook.  I fell instantly in love with it the moment I turned it on and even thought of a great name for it.  The first book I read on it was South of Broad by Pat Conroy.  (I love his writing, even though I didn't love the story.)  I am now reading a Malcolm Gladwell book called What the Dog Saw

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-58435316140628867082010-01-01T21:47:00.004-05:002010-01-01T21:58:05.214-05:00

I am going to blog every day in 2010. I am laughing as I type this because I don't know if it is even possible. I am trying to think if there's at least one interesting thing I do each day. This might be hard at the beginning, but hopefully it will get easier as we go. I've often said that it's laughing with (and at) the kids that keeps me in this profession, so if I can remember the funny

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-40565641305126043542009-12-19T18:50:00.002-05:002009-12-19T19:04:12.012-05:00

A fabulous, beautiful, blizzard-ish snowstorm is still raging outside, more than 24 hours after it started on Friday evening. We have over a foot of snow, maybe close to 16 inches or so. It's hard to tell because of all the blowing and drifting. It's the most snow I've seen since I was a little kid. The dog loves it, and since our last two days of school (next week) have already been cancelled,

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-22261542720960239052009-12-09T21:21:00.002-05:002009-12-09T21:45:33.486-05:00

So I think my observation went really well. The principal uses this method where he writes down everything we say and then justifies (or not) why we say stuff. I think it's called the OATS method (Observing and Analyzing Teaching). I have to meet with him to go over the lesson, but he's out tomorrow, so we'll see if there's time this week. He came in during a second grade class and we had just

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-18231286200404807292009-12-03T21:16:00.002-05:002009-12-03T21:22:30.474-05:00

Still in SUCH a bad mood! What is it? Being moved out of my library because of bookfair? Feeling worried about my upcoming observation? Managing to do 101 things simultaneously well when others can't do two? Maybe not getting a bonus this year (let alone a raise) because the superintendent doesn't think I'm a teacher? Pissed because someone decided to unlock and dismantle a computer/projector

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-26318080842820461242009-12-02T20:59:00.002-05:002009-12-02T21:06:03.254-05:00

NOT. I am just so tired of bookfair. It is exhausting. I am very lucky to have our fabulous PTA and their many, many volunteers staffing the bookfair. I am more of a behind-the-scenes kind of girl, placing reorders, straightening piles, keeping the schedule running. Yesterday, I placed an order for books that were sold out. Everything sounded good on the phone, but when I got the box today,

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-37213227044767181252009-11-25T16:04:00.002-05:002009-11-25T16:14:31.477-05:00

My principal emailed me today. (He had to work 1/2 day; teachers didn't.) He wants to observe me in the next two weeks. It will be my first official principal observation in 9 years. Seriously, nine years. I think I was observed once back in 2003, or maybe it was 2004. The assistant principal did it; it was fine. I am a little excited and a little nervous all at the same time. Of course, he

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-2396603489118670172009-11-22T16:52:00.005-05:002009-11-22T17:42:08.581-05:00

Oh, my. I am seriously wiped out! I have done nothing more than sleep and read since I returned from the conference yesterday afternoon. I've slept most of the afternoon away, and it feels divine! I don't know if I've ever written about my friend Lynne Farrell Stover before, but I was hoping that she'd be at our state conference again, and she was! In fact, I was in the lobby talking with our

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-63618993842446669472009-11-20T23:15:00.003-05:002009-11-20T23:22:07.467-05:00

I am so excited that I get to sleep in until 7 am tomorrow. How sad is that?!?! Our state librarians' conference has been fabulous, but I am on overload. The past three days have been 16+ hours days of networking, sessions, tweeting, facebooking, eating, walking, and listening. Whew! I will look forward to a quiet 4-hour drive home tomorrow just to digest everything I've learned and decompress a

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-14799981752190284992009-11-15T19:51:00.002-05:002009-11-15T20:11:42.734-05:00

It has been a busy few weeks! Along with my friend Jenny, I've been busy creating lessons to go along with our state's Readers' Choice book list. We are sharing them at a session of our state's School Librarians' conference this week. I am not sure if creating lessons is the right phrase, exactly. I've been developing extension activities to go with the books on the list. It's been fun--

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-63493451087390006442009-10-19T16:56:00.004-05:002009-10-19T17:33:53.887-05:00

Yesterday, our building was open from 10-2. I got there right at 10 and stayed until almost 2 pm (I had a meeting at 2, so I left a little early), and what a difference it has made!!! It feels SO GREAT to get a little caught up. Sigh...I wish I didn't have to work on the weekends AT school to get caught up, but that seems to be the reality this year. I repotted some plants that I had purchased

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-70037002801936459042009-10-05T19:08:00.003-05:002009-10-05T19:28:41.508-05:00

Where did September go? I truly cannot believe we are already a week into August. Someone mentioned earlier today that we've started our fifth week of school, and that really surprised me. It seems like week three. My schedule is KILLING me this year. I teach 30 classes a week as part of the regular specialists' rotation. My assistant (I know how lucky I am to have one) and I are just

Jannnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-61306055153552739202009-09-08T19:05:00.002-05:002009-09-08T19:12:07.918-05:00

Whew!! And what a first day it was! Things were blissfully calm in the library today, unlike the hallways, classrooms, and bus ramp. Our last bus didn't arrive until about 25 minutes after school was supposed to start, but the principal really did come in and give his message to the kids during morning announcements. He has unbounding energy. I think I feel more tired just being around him--

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-87379776982310788842009-09-07T15:52:00.003-05:002009-09-07T15:54:04.131-05:00

I feel like I'm working in a sweat shop today. All afternoon, I've been sewing curtains for the library. I am enjoying it, but sewing lots of straight lines gets boring fast! When I finish this last one, I'll treat myself with an Eric Carle wall hanging I've been wanting to put together for a while. I know it's more straight lines, but it'll be fun!! School starts tomorrow with the kiddos.

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-14815441673424226652009-09-03T20:59:00.002-05:002009-09-03T21:05:25.704-05:00

I am very concerned. Our school board has decided that we will not watch the President's speech on Tuesday. This is the wording that was placed on the county's website: Because of logistical issues related to the first day of school and other concerns regarding the short planning window available, members of the XXX XXX School Board have elected not to have XXX's schools participate in the live

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-11617851693370767612009-08-16T19:42:00.002-05:002009-08-16T19:51:27.866-05:00

of vacation left. Actually, a little less than that. I do need to be at school in two Fridays to meet the new teachers at their orientation. I am not totally depressed about the end of summer, though, and that's definitely a change from years past. We have a new principal. He is quite young and energetic and that is contagious! I am almost, almost, excited to go back to school. He sent a

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-5849511815895682982009-08-07T19:14:00.001-05:002009-08-07T19:15:33.084-05:00

I got an email from my principal today. He got a phone call from the local paper; they want to do a story on me. He's going to call them back and find out the details. I am more than a little afraid.

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-39613493165346766212009-07-18T10:55:00.004-05:002009-07-18T11:07:50.081-05:00

I've just returned from a fabulous 3-day Teacher Institute at the Library of Congress. The Institute brought together 20 teachers and librarians from all over the country, and we explored using primary resources. We learned ways to incorporate them in our lessons, which was great, but the best part was meeting staff members from the LOC and going into the different reading rooms. I got a readers'

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-15022998723421612092009-07-10T11:46:00.003-05:002009-07-10T11:52:28.018-05:00

So yesterday was Thoughtful Thursday and I was the first recipient of my principal's thoughtfulness. Soon after my uncle and his wife arrived yesterday from Florida, the phone rang and I saw that it was school calling. (ugh) I picked it up and it was my principal, who said he'd hoped to reaching my answering machine (!). I chuckled and said I'd hang up and he could call back, but then he went on

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-6144994028019131482009-07-07T20:28:00.002-05:002009-07-07T20:32:35.138-05:00

Summer Library was fun today!! It wasn't as busy as even our slowest day last year, but I didn't do as much PR for it, so I half expected it. But it was pretty steady all day, usually two or three families in there at a time, so it was exceptionally manageable. A good start, really. Austin brought all his tools, even though we had nothing to fix, but I oohed and ahhed over them, the

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-86683702048543086762009-07-06T12:50:00.002-05:002009-07-06T13:01:34.047-05:00

starts tomorrow! I am excited, mostly. It's the third year for Summer Library, and now people are expecting me to do it. And they're expecting my fabulous hotdogs, so I went to the warehouse club today and bought the food supplies. The PTA is funding summer library (thanks, guys!) and so I spent almost $200 of their money buying drinks, paper products, snacks, hot dogs, and other goodies for

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-56721913863229442282009-07-04T10:38:00.003-05:002009-07-04T10:46:30.384-05:00

The fabulous trip to Italy, Monte Carlo, Greece, and Turkey is over. I am in those post-vacation doldrums, trying to get back on east coast time and doing laundry and getting the house back to the way we live in it (we had dog-sitters here for 2+ weeks). I'm also OD-ing on Internet--having been without it since June 18, I had a million and a half emails to weed through, and lots of blogs and

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-42047866886376781502009-06-17T19:40:00.003-05:002009-06-17T19:43:57.826-05:00

I am heading to a Mediterranean cruise of Italy, Greece, Monte Carlo, and Turkey tomorrow. I am skipping out on my last teacher work day to travel to Rome for the start of our vacation. I have been a bad librarian, though, doing virtually no preparation for this trip. I have been so busy closing out the school year that I haven't had time to even think about the trip! Ciao! Blogging will

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-79497646166470343892009-06-11T21:53:00.003-05:002009-06-11T22:02:17.756-05:00

That's how I felt today. I made phone calls for the better part of the afternoon, trying to get in touch with parents about their children's overdue books. I think I talked to four parents in person, and they each had no idea that their child still had books checked out. I left a bunch of messages, but the worst thing was the sheer amount of phone numbers that are disconnected or changed. I am

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-81181704325102555532009-06-06T11:20:00.002-05:002009-06-06T11:33:22.246-05:00

In our usual mid-Atlantic way, we've been hit by a few intense thunderstorms lately. On Tuesday night, our school was hit by lightning. It knocked out the phone lines, our media retrieval system, the fire alarm, and several of the air conditioners. When I got to school, the fire alarm was going off, and I found out that it had gone off 47 times that night. Yikes. We didn't even realize that

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-4154990081405342922009-06-02T19:56:00.002-05:002009-06-02T20:01:16.450-05:00

It continues. How long has it been? A week, two? A month? Ten years?!?! It feels like forever, but it is almost over. Today, I took my library show on the road. That was fun. not. I had to move a fishtank with my actual frog life cycle creatures on the cart down the hall to second grade. All the critters made it: the tadpoles, the froglet, two goldfish, and a frog. Later this afternoon

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-33458548798031795792009-05-20T19:41:00.002-05:002009-05-20T19:48:06.298-05:00

I really try to buck the librarian stereotypes we all know and hate. No bun. Not a cat lover. Rarely a cardigan. No glasses hanging from a chain. But today I was a shusher of the worst kind. Our state testing is happening all around the library (but thankfully not IN the library), and I was just so nervous about my kids disrupting the students testing. All day long I was shushing kids.

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-57433527616117018832009-05-14T20:34:00.002-05:002009-05-14T20:48:16.424-05:00

Today we had our last elementary librarians' meeting of the year. It was fine...inventory, state testing, etc. No big deal. Our supervisor is retiring effective July 1, and we weren't sure if her position would be posted, but we found out today that it will be, so that is good. She told me to dust off my resume, but quite frankly, I'm not really interested. I do not want to be in charge of

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-22616763456172471502009-05-07T19:59:00.010-05:002009-05-07T20:35:30.443-05:00

A kindergarten student made this book for me today. It is modeled after The Library Lion. I think it's even better. Check out my bling at the end. The student even included a title page...written and illustrated by Jessica. Just too cute.

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-3428318083928601632009-05-06T19:14:00.002-05:002009-05-06T19:41:54.918-05:00

A got an email today from a fellow elementary librarian who said he was burned out. I am feeling kind of bummed out now because he is obviously not loving what he's doing at his school. His exact words are, hold on--I'll copy and paste them from his email--"I'm getting tired of trying to convince teachers that I am capable of doing something meaningful with their kids." Hmmm...I have been

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-10853890279287889882009-05-04T18:54:00.005-05:002009-05-04T19:06:29.807-05:00

I love my fellow librarians (well, almost all of them). This afternoon, I was still trying to come up with a lesson for kindergarten (which was due to arrive at 3 pm sharp) and just not having much luck. I looked through their curriculum map to see what had been going on recently and what was coming up, and nothing struck my fancy.I thought I should do something on natural resources with them,

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-85379983309238820242009-04-30T19:00:00.002-05:002009-04-30T19:36:16.009-05:00

OMG My head is still pounding. What a day. We had our reading parties today--pizza parties for about 60 kids. I pre-ordered the pizza from our local Domino's yesterday, and tried and tried to call all morning (from 10:45 on) to double-check the order and give the school's credit card number. No one picked up, and about 25 minutes before we needed the pizzas, my assistant suggested I drive to

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-25090482225250420992009-04-27T20:31:00.003-05:002009-04-27T20:46:36.236-05:00

Oh, it was one of those days. Mondays are always so busy for me--I think that I come up with crazy ideas over the weekend, and my brain is just running on overdrive when I get to work. I had to make myself sit at my desk and answer some emails before starting on any of the new projects. At the elementary school, you know that we are run by the clock. We have six classes a day for forty-five

Jannnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-71310571881853210262009-04-23T21:19:00.005-05:002009-04-23T21:34:32.743-05:00

Three things: I paid for my dog-eaten library book today. $26.00 ouch. And now I have a souvenir to show my students. Meanwhile, I am loving my lessons this session. The days just fly by, and every period is different enough that I don't get sick of hearing myself talk. Mostly because I am not talking very much! (And that's the way it should be, I know!) This weekend, we have our state school

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-34079580470485922602009-04-20T20:29:00.002-05:002009-04-20T20:35:27.720-05:00

I was working on my curriculum map for the rest of the year this past week, trying to get things aligned with what's happening in the classrooms. There are only 8 weeks of school left! EIGHT WEEKS!!!!!!!! A couple of the lessons I'm working on last for several weeks, so there's hardly any time left at all this year. That happens every year: I feel like there's SO much time and it's only

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-19176360062216487102009-04-10T18:52:00.004-05:002009-04-10T19:15:02.624-05:00

Cosmo ate my library book. My library book from the public library. Uh oh. I feel like such a bad library patron. I am going to try to get Cosmo to reenact the crime so I can videotape it for my students. I think they would like to see it, and I'm pretty sure Cosmo will oblige. Hopefully, it will show the kids that mistakes even happen to their librarians. I want them to know that we are

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-10335430246423406172009-04-02T19:08:00.004-05:002009-04-10T19:17:29.160-05:00

I am not sure what I've gotten myself into. The PTA asked for interested adults to offer enrichment classes after school to the students, and I thought I'd offer a sewing class. A sewing class!! For kids!! Yikes. The reality of sewing with children is slowly dawning on me, and I am AFRAID! I just hope I can thread all those machines. I'm a little worried about that. What should we make? I am

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-3926592450559503462009-03-28T16:34:00.004-05:002009-03-28T16:51:01.458-05:00

I am completely blown away. An author commented on my blog. A real author. Author of the book I just got in the mail. Someone read my blog besides me. Last night, when I saw the comment, I was higher than the stars. Tonight, thinking about it, I am still there! I'll have to really start thinking about my book reviews now. Maybe it's time to get serious. Oh, that sounds like work now. At the

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-27085242573876576582009-03-25T18:58:00.003-05:002009-03-25T19:10:05.025-05:00

Ugh...I am sick. Sick as a dog, although my dog is never sick. It's just a cold, but woah--it has hit me like a ton of bricks today. I even called in sick this morning. The woman I called was like, "You never call in sick!" I know...I know. I slept all day, me and my dog curled up on the bed snoring together. I got a new book in the mail today from Amazon. It is so very cute, and I am already

Jannnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-81766174680860074682009-03-24T20:39:00.003-05:002009-03-24T20:49:12.512-05:00

Today, I did something very exciting. I got to speak to a college class of prospective elementary teachers about the library. About how they should hopefully use the library and librarian in their future schools. My number one focus was that librarians are instructional partners. I described how we can partner with them for student success. I talked to them about how our lessons correlate

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-90605637074941185262009-03-17T20:17:00.004-05:002009-03-17T20:36:40.455-05:00

I am feeling so let down today. It is a sad feeling that I've not shaken yet, even though it happened at 9 this morning. One of my duties is to run the morning announcements. We have a cast of fifth graders, a fifth grade camera man, and a kindergartner to say the pledge. I type up the script and we practice it and go live, all in the span of 30 minutes. Our new-ish PE teacher (2nd year teacher)

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-25954374015777828512009-03-04T21:19:00.006-05:002009-03-04T21:50:45.387-05:00

Two awesome things happened in my library today. First, a student made a comment today that completely blew me away. I was reading Henry's Freedom Box aloud to a fourth grade class (it's one of our state's Readers' Choice books), and on the second page a student interrupted my reading (interrupted!) and said, "Miss R., that was a simile." I stopped reading and set the book down. I asked him to

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-1951543128890154072009-02-28T11:36:00.002-05:002009-02-28T11:47:01.166-05:00

We had a great afternoon with Jerry Pallotta. He did two shows (his word) for the kids and signed books for almost three hours. We were set up in the activity room and he brought kids on stage and made them laugh. He had control of that very large room the whole time, and he even managed to include a little bit of teaching and learning in his talks. During his signing time, he was making deals

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-28725636830418314132009-02-25T20:32:00.003-05:002009-02-25T20:50:28.844-05:00

Even though I wasn't terribly excited about Be Excited About Math Day last week, I definitely got excited about Math Night this week. Well, I was excited at how awesomely our math specialist incorporated our upcoming author visit into her program. Author Jerry Pallotta will be at our school this Friday, and he has written many counting books and math concept books. The math specialist had a table

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-49038519870434952942009-02-13T20:14:00.003-05:002009-02-13T20:27:03.813-05:00

Aren't you excited? Aren't you excited about Be Excited About Math Day? I am not. Let me tell you why. Be Excited About Math Day is being held in the Library. If this were a school-wide event for students, I would Be Excited. Really, I love math! But this is a stupid district-implemented PR event for parents who are NOT Excited About Math. We're going to show un-Excited parents how Exciting

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-87302360799389788332009-02-07T21:30:00.002-05:002009-02-07T21:35:13.833-05:00

I've had a Christmas cactus in the library since the first holiday after we moved in, 2005. It had blooms on it that year and none at all since then. This month, it has started blooming and it looks fabulous!! We gently refer to it as developmentally delayed. I am just happy that it is flowering at all. People think I have a green thumb because there are lots of plants in the library, and

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-80433900550044461072009-01-16T19:35:00.004-05:002009-01-16T19:45:39.925-05:00

There's a cold-wave racing through our state this week, and that, coupled with our district's lowering the heat as a cost-saving measure, has made it pretty chilly at school recently. Our boilers apparently also conked out, and some of our classrooms were in the 50's today! The art, music, and PE rooms were all in the mid-50's, but the library was a comfy 64 degrees. So with about four minutes to

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-3813800293139503402009-01-15T20:23:00.002-05:002009-01-15T20:26:17.779-05:00

Today, another librarian and I had a meeting with our library supervisor to discuss advocacy. In this time of budget shortfalls and cuts, we want to do everything we can do increase our visibility and indispensibility in our district. She was all for it!! We brainstormed lots of ideas about how to do this, and I am very excited about getting started with it all. Advocacy intimidates me a lot;

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-43620179575787654502009-01-12T21:35:00.002-05:002009-01-12T21:42:08.645-05:00

So I found a new blog to visit, and it has totally inspired me to be a better librarian and a better blogger! The Orange Room is my new favorite place on the web, and one of the reasons I like it so much is that it is updated often. I started my new class tonight, Technical Services, and it went pretty well. The students were very excited about the syllabus, mostly because it contains

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-36181667662934185462008-12-14T20:52:00.003-05:002008-12-14T20:56:42.488-05:00

Fourth grade hosted a special reading extravaganza for their students yesterday in the library. There were about 200 people in the library from 10am to noon, and they each got a free book (even the adults!), had some hot chocolate and cookies, had their picture taken with our mascot, and checked out library books to read over the winter holiday. It was a great event, and the fourth grade

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-51484178716168379652008-11-11T20:06:00.004-05:002008-11-11T20:21:02.598-05:00

Our state librarians' fall conference was last week. It was, as usual, completely fabulous from the beginning to the end. I feel like I have so many friends throughout the state. It's like a family reunion. There were so many wonderful sessions to go to; some times it was hard to decide on just one to visit. A couple times, I tried to go to a session but it was completely full (

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-54532813111876384132008-11-03T21:43:00.002-05:002008-11-03T21:45:22.164-05:00

I am so lucky. Me and my Tomie. I sound like Rosie O'Donnell.

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-75867708410371082872008-11-01T21:44:00.004-05:002008-11-01T21:56:55.009-05:00

I got to meet someone great today. Tomie dePaola came to my town this afternoon to sign books. He has a new pop-up book that just came out (so cute!) and is touring independent bookstores and signing. What a treat. Tomie was delightful. Simply delightful. He was full of laughter, kind, gentle, and interested in those of us in line. (I had heard stories to the contrary, but I am happy to say

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989095.post-31310114262407152842008-10-30T21:11:00.003-05:002008-10-30T21:18:09.107-05:00

The State of Virginia is doing something new this year... it sounds right up the librarians' alley. LEXILE MEASURES" TO PROVIDE PARENTS AND TEACHERS WITH NEW TOOL TOPROMOTE READING & LITERACY ~ Addition to SOL Reports Connects Students with Challenging Books ~ RICHMOND * Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced a new initiative that will help parents select books that will strengthen

Jannnoreply@blogger.com0