And life comes along

I was doing great with the fall blog challenge until life came along and interfered. That's the thing about life, when you least expect it a curve ball comes your way. Do we teach our students how to deal with life's curve balls? Yes, it's important to teach them the subjects we teach, but what about the things beyond the content. How do we teach our students resilience in the face of challenge? How do we teach our students resolutions to solving the conflict? How do we teach our students that life is a unpredictable and we have to be adaptable? How do we teach our students to learn?

Another education video

This video will make you think and ponder what we are doing in education today...

My Life as a Writer

I love to write.  I love the flow of words.  I wish that I could put them together as well as the authors that I read do.  So, how do I write?  Blogging here occasionally.  Writing small posts on my school library blog.  But the majority of my writing is hidden in my journals.  There are my deepest thoughts, fears, joys and sorrows.  The writing there ebbs and flows.  Sometimes I write regularly and others days, weeks, or even months may drift by before I write again.  Before computer technology became mainstream, I wrote letters.  I have a box of letters that I received in high school and college from friends and family far and wide.  Rubber bands hold together the letters from each source.  (I know bad archiving technique!)  Once email came along, the letters stopped and the documentation is scattered across email addresses. 

I am annoyed by bad writing.  Call it the downside of technology or laziness or sloppiness.  Words that aren't used correctly because spell checker didn't catch the wrong use of there versus their.  The overuse of acronyms.  It's not just teenagers that do this.  I see it with college educated adults' posts on their social networking sites.  They don't think about what the words look like or how the post may read.  Use the edit or use the delete, but don't lose the art of writing. 

Small Moments

The small moments are what make teaching one of the most rewarding careers on the planet.  There have been so many over my 25 years in education.  The light of understanding on a student's face when the "click" goes off for whatever you're teaching them.  The unexpected thank you, smile, token of appreciation that comes your way when you least expect it.  The visit or email from a former student that lets you know you impacted their life in some small way.  All of these make up the small moments that overcome the bad day, the class that just won't listen, the beating from the media that all these evil teachers and unions are out to destroy our children, the endless meeting that doesn't seem relevant, testing and all of the other things that drag us down.  The small moments are the moments that make everything worth it!

This week my small moment was much more personal.  I received some disturbing news via a phone call that had me emotional and teary.  One of our special education students had come in with another staff member to move some books and he could see I was having a tough time.  His response to grab me and give me a big hug and tell me he "loved me".   That small moment put everything into perspective.  I may have my own challenges to face personally, but the students who impact my life can keep me grounded and grateful!

What Book Made the Biggest Impact on Your Life

Two books come to mind immediately  Forever by Judy Blume and Seasons of Passion by Danielle Steel
Forever because my parents took it away when I came home with it as a 7th grader.  They felt that it was too mature for me. I then went to the public library and checked the book out to read unbeknownst to my parents.  When I was in college, Mom cleaned out her dresser and found the book.  She gave it to me and said I was old enough for it. 

Seasons of Passion began my lifelong connection to Danielle Steel's books.  It's one that I've reread several times because it strikes me as a hopeful and sad story at the same time.  My copy is tattered and worn, but I still turn to it when I'm in need of a certain type of read.

My life as a mathematician

Prior to morphing into a school librarian, I taught high school math for 18 years. Math is near and dear to my heart and I continue to explore ways to incorporate math into my life.  While purists differentiate between mathematics and statistics.  My true love is statistics and how they can be used to manipulate ideas, perceptions and reality.  I use statistics to justify my library program.  Data collection is at the heart of education today.  News articles, blog posts, tv reports all use statistics to describe schools in positive and negative ways.  There's been much discussion in education circles on "value added" evaluations.  This is nothing more than manipulating statistics to add a numeric value to the evaluation process.  Of course, how does this translate for school librarians who certainly ADD VALUE to a school but don't have students that are tested in a subject area? It will be interesting to watch how this discussion and process proceeds especially when it comes to secondary teachers.  There are only four subject areas tested--Math, English, Social Science and Science.  How do you  evaluate "value added" the physical education, foreign language and art teachers? Ah yes, another mathematical conundrum perhaps?

What did you want to be?

Students often ask about how I ended up a teacher librarian. While my journey to this position is my own, one thing I could tell them is that I wanted to be a librarian when I was a child I just didn't know it then. Looking back at my elementary school years, I spent endless hours with books, and even wrote numbers on the spines to locate my weekly reader subscription books on the book shelf. I loved "playing school".

When I went to college I was planning on medical school. Did I like blood or dissections or have a fascination with the way the body worked when I was a kid, nope...

What did you want to be when you grew up? How close did you come?

My life as a reader

I read about this fall blogging challenge on the Dangerously Irrelevant Blog
This weeks post (October 4-10)
What is your life as a reader like? Do you read for work, pleasure, instructions or emails? What is your favorite author and/or genre? What is your favorite reading spot? What did you like to read when you were the age of your students?

So this is the perfect post for a librarian. My life as a reader has many parts. I usually am reading at least three books going at any given time.

There is the book I read on my lunch break at work and during our SSR time. It comes from my library collection and it is chosen to give me something to book talk. Sometimes they are new books. Sometimes they are books that the students have been reading so much that I try to grab it when it's returned on a Friday, so I can start it over the weekend. Currently, my on campus read is The Calculus Diaries.

Then there is the going-to-sleep book. These are my romance novels that I read for 15-30 minutes before I turn out the light at night. I've been reading these books since I was a teenager. I've tried to give up this habit, but somehow they are the brain candy* I need to drift off to sleep.

The third book is usually something weightier, heavier that requires more thinking. This is the book I read on the exercise bike or when I have time on a weekend afternoon to sit and read for an extended period.

I don't really have a favorite reading spot. Curled up on the couch, feet up on the recliner, on the porch on the glider. My favorite author dating back to those teenage years, remains Danielle Steel.


*brain candy is a term another teacher told me about her need to read pocket book mysteries. They have no substance but they satisfy my need to read.

I miss notes being passed

When I first began teaching there were no such things as cell phones. Notes being passed were the mode of sly communication for the teenager. I don't find notes on the floor or intercept them anymore like the old days. I've often said that if I'd kept all of the notes I picked up and intercepted during my early days they would've made an interesting book--Tales from the Classroom Floor.

This week a note was left on the floor in the library...typical of teenage love at its purest:

To my dearest (name withheld)
I got a poem for you (:

roses are red, violets are blue
every minute I'd be thinking of you
leaves turn green, bananas turn brown
whenever I'm with you, I never frown
you make me laugh, you never make me cry
you give me a reason to live, you give me a reason to die
you've lent me a shoulder to lean on and a helping hand and now I ask you
will you be my girlfriend?

In the midst of tragic news over teenage bullying and bad decision-making leading to suicides. This reminds me, we have to remember these are young adults trying to navigate the world of relationships and figuring out how to love and be loved. Regardless of who it is they choose to love.

I don't know who wrote this or who received it or what the answer is, but to me it's a poignant reminder of the innocence of youth.

Practicality vs. Security?

Last week our technology services department decided to reset all of the student passwords for computer login. The conclusion was reached that the system had been breached and security was compromised. I understand that and I know that student safety is a concern. BUT--there was no plan for how to reissue those passwords to 3000 students. NO PLAN! Today, I was told by the TS director that the reissue of the passwords was the "site's problem" not theirs. Can I say it again? NO PLAN!! Other than to reiterate: don't print lists, don't verbalize in the hearing of others and keep the passwords secure. (DUH!)

Guess who has spent the last four days issuing passwords on an adhoc basis and to assist teachers coming into the library? Guess who has born the brunt of NO PLAN? I've issued about 400 passwords to classes and probably another 100 to individuals using the library. That leaves a lot of students uncovered and again NO PLAN.

My principal's plan after 2 days: pull me, the textbook clerk and another secretary off of our jobs and have lines of students come up for their passwords. I put the nix on that plan. I had classes scheduled for the library that would've had to be rescheduled. The textbook clerk is in the midst of workbook sales/distribution and didn't need to be pulled off of her job either.

Did I mention it's only the third week of school? NO PLAN.

Alright I know one should never rant about work in such a public forum and with a little investigating someone could find out the names of those I'm ranting against. I really do understand the security and safety issue. I get it, but doesn't anyone get the fact that you can't do these things without A PLAN!

My advice--figure out a plan, now before you have to figure out how to reissue 3000 passwords on the fly!

Another video

Lately I only seem to be using this to post videos I like related to library world. Found this one on the Dangerously Irrelevant Blog.

Another Library Video

I seem to be in a video sharing mode on this page: Read about this on the AASL Blog:

Old Spice in Libraries

You've got to love a shirtless man promoting libraries!

Librarian Song Video

This just made me smile. But I may play it as classes arrive for library orientation in the fall.

Implosion...

An inward collapse...I can't think of a better word for what I've been witnessing with some of the teenagers in my life. I have more non-graduates in my realm than I can ever recall. I struggle with a question of what I could have done differently, but realize that there's really nothing else I could have done. I pushed, I offered help, I listened, I lectured, I supported...I did all I knew how to do.

These are implosions...each one knew what they were facing, they knew what they needed to do, yet they couldn't or wouldn't do what it took to make it work. Sad really...so many chances yet they didn't take the opportunity or meet the challenge.

What happens next? Each one is different. One will go to community college anyway. One has paid for the GED. One has no clue. Each one will have to chart their own course for what happens next in their life. My reality is that I may never know what happens in their future. I may never see the lessons they learn from not earning that high school diploma.

Maintaining Connections

I've been pondering social networking and its use in maintaining connections. Much has been made in the press lately on privacy concerns and young adults shutting down pages. I wonder what the impact of social networking will have as seniors graduate and move on to the next phase of life.

I've drawn a line in my own network that I won't friend a current student, but I do have several former students as "friends". This week, one of my seniors talked about staying in touch after graduation. After 25 years in education, I know their plans to come back to visit, stay in touch and continue to be connected to high school and their former teachers dwindles away as time goes on. But with social networking tools, has that dynamic changed? Will it be easier to stay connected?

I enjoy reconnecting with former students via Facebook and finding out where life has taken them into to their 20's and 30's. Weddings, babies and jobs are all shared and I get to see what small influence I may have had in shaping where they ended up. That's a powerful thing for an educator when you often don't know what impact you've had...

The Year End...

My library has been closed more often than it's been open in the last two months due to various testing needs. It's often frustrating, but the reality is the library is one of the only large spaces with tables and chairs available. Today, we reopened for regular business...whatever regular looks like in a school library. Classes working on research projects, students hanging out in their "spot", "study hall" students assigned to the library. I had the chance to catalog some books that had been shelved but not cataloged.

But we begin the countdown to the end of the year. 19 days of classes left and there is so much to be done. End of the year report to write up, last minute projects to assist students with, final purchase orders to be closed. An inventory project that is underway but may not be finalized, but for three years the catalog and the shelves don't match.

So much undone, that collaborative project on creating book trailers that the teacher and I ran out of time for, that creative activity I wanted to try with another group...how come there's never enough time?

Passion for students

Over the weekend, I caught up on some of the news video and articles on Poizner's visit to the Barnes & Noble closest to Mt. Pleasant High. Passion was running high among staff, alumni and students in reaction to some of Mr. Poizner's characterizations of the students and the school. One of my complaints about the book is the over-generalization in setting the scene. I had described it to someone else as making the school more "ghetto" then it really is. Of course, I put it down to the author trying to make a point about the sad state of our schools in general.

But as I listened to the passion being expressed by staff that I know, and the feelings that their students were being "attacked". It's amazing how protective we become as teachers of "our kids". It's why there are examples of teachers that stand in front of the attacker who's trying to hurt our children. As educators, we invest in our students and we believe in them and in their abilities to suceed. Most educators that I know truely want what's best for students. We may moan and groan, but if you look at the majority of schools in this country and the majority of teachers, the good, hardworking and dedicated far outnumber the bad. Unfortunately, the bad make the news.

Is there room for improvement? Absolutely! Is the system perfect? Far from it! But what I admire most about my former coworkers is their passion and protection of the kids...they don't want them to internalize the message that they cannot suceed because they're from the East Side...they are so much more than the part of town they live in.

Reflections on teaching...

I'm reading Mount Pleasant by Steve Poizner. I picked the book up because I taught math at that school from 1996-2002. I was connected to the school starting in 1964 because my father was a part of the original staff when the school opened until he retired in 2001. So, I admit to a certain bias and poignancy when I read someone else's opinion about the students and staff. To be fair, I haven't finished the book yet, so I don't know Mr. Poizner's ultimate summation of his one semester, one class teaching experience.

In reading the book so far, I appreciate his recognition that teachers in California's public schools work hard and have a lot of expectations placed upon them. The drive to highly traditional mathematics standards that stifled my creativity and ability to push students to think beyond rote memorization led me out of the math classroom. In my librarian capacity, I have much more freedom to be creative and interact with students where their interests are. I'm no longer burdened by a pile of papers to grade and 5 periods of students to keep engaged for 50+ minutes in a subject they may love or hate. One of my fellow librarians once described our job as the "hidden gem" of a school.

It may be a "hidden gem" but is it so "hidden" that no one understands that I still teach and touch lives? Does anyone know that the work I do one-on-one helping a student navigate our information rich world, finding just the right book, or helping them figure out the answer to a question provides me with the opportunity to help someone grow and learn? I don't work as hard outside of school as I did when I met with five classes a day and had 150-170 students that were "my kids". But inside school, I touch lives every moment...whether it be the 10 kids sitting in front of me now with an open first period, studying and socializing or it be the class of 30+ headed in for their research on the Middle East in a few minutes.

I look forward to finishing Poizner's book in the next couple of days. I will enjoy the conversation I have with Dad after he finishes it next. I wish I was able to join the group of former MP teachers & administrators tomorrow night for dinner to see if any of them have picked up yet, but I'm refereeing for our school "Olympics" event. It's interesting to see how others see you...

What do Teacher Librarians Do?

Saw this video posted on the Blue Skunk Blog. How often am I asked..."what do you do?" This shows the answer with real librarians and real students. Kudos to the United Teachers of Los Angeles and LAUSD staff for putting this together.

Follow up to blog article

As a result of the blog article, my principal asked me to present on blogs to the staff at yesterday's in-service. It was a quick (10 minute) presentation where I highlighted using blogs for professional learning. I gave the staff a list of blogs for different subject areas, trying to keep it short and not overwhelm them so that they never try. I then posted the list online for them, too. One department even created their own blog page after the presentation.

Bragging....

So I'm learning that I need to BRAG after reading the book for CSLA. Reading CALIB today I saw a post about a School Library Journal article (http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6712732.html) on blogging. I had answered some questions via email with the writer and didn't think much about it. Much to my surprise, I'm quoted at the beginning of the article. Professionally speaking, this is a huge honor. I immediately called my parents (do we ever not want them to be proud of us?). Then I emailed my principal, superintendent and district tech director. Finally, sent an email to my close friends/family and then posted on facebook and here. I'm bragging...I think my website still needs a lot of work, but it's nice to be profiled in such a positive way!