End of the 40 Book Pledge

So I was definitely on track to clear 40 books by the end of the year, and then COVID-19 hit.  Some of my colleagues found themselves reading more books during this time, but I found I was reading less.  My mind would wander, and I couldn't concentrate.  I guess that was my brain trying to process the whole situation.  Some found comfort in books while I found comfort in keeping up with family and friends and long afternoon walks.  I didn't quit reading altogether, but I definitely slowed down.  Having said all that, I made it through 36 books this year.

I started off writing about each book in an actual pen-and-paper journal.  I ended up with a lot of blank journal space, but at least I recorded my books on social media.  What did I learn?  I really need to find a digital format for me to record my books next year.  I thought I was a pen-and-paper girl, but I have truly evolved into a digital native . . . or maybe digital exchange student.

The physical book club started off strong, but started fizzling in January.  We ended up finishing the club on the library's Remind account, and that seemed to be okay.  I still didn't hear from everyone.  What did I learn?  Maybe I need a hybrid club - some meetings face-to-face and some online.  Maybe a Canvas class?  That is my district's learning platform - like Google Classroom.

The average number of books read by the students was 8-10.  Many of them mentioned that the year before, they only read whatever was assigned in class.  So that's a win.  I had one student make it to 30 books, and then 2 students who had all 40 read after Christmas break.  That is a definite win!

The teachers who participated really stretched themselves as well.  The average number of books the adults read was 15-20.  Many of them said it was the most they read in one year.  One teacher made it to 34 and then one went way past 40, but she also walked 3 miles a day after work and burned through 1-2 audio books per week.  I'm a little jealous.  Maybe it's time to switch to audio books . . . and start walking more.

I am pretty proud of the reading I accomplished this year.  I know I didn't make it to 40 books, but 36 isn't bad.  Plus, I think it is important to model for the students that even though you didn't reach your goal, you should be proud of what you accomplished.

The last 3 books I read were all fantastic.   I highly recommend them.

Fewer Things, Better is definitely for those of you who are teachers on the verge of burn out.  Lots of practical information.  Not much is new, but it is good to hear.  Some of us need to hear things more than once before the information sinks in.  Good professional development read.

If you are a Jane Austen fan and skipped this one as I did, do yourself a favor.  Read it.  Same witty humor as in her other books, again used to illustrate the quandary of polite society.

First one I have read from this author, and WOW!  It was based upon true events, and I believe it.  What is that about the truth that is stranger than fiction?  This one is crazy good.  Makes me want to go out and buy all of Tiffany D. Jackson's books.

Hope you have a great summer!  Keep Reading.

Still Here . . . Distance Learning from Home

Being a librarian, even in the best of times, is a struggle.  You are constantly having to justify your job when anyone "can just Google it."  When I hear that phrase (or something similar), I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes.

Just as one teaches you how to use the calculator, the other teaches you how to use the Internet.  In addition, when I hear this line of talk (and believe me, I hear it a lot), I also get a little sad.  It means that person never had a real librarian in their life, and I think we are pretty fantastic.

OK, I am digressing just a bit.  My original thought was to declare that being a librarian in the best of times is not easy.  So amid the COVID-19 crisis, it is even harder especially when the situation catches you unaware.  Who knew when we left for Spring Break we would not enter the building for the rest of the school year?  Who knew we were going to teach completely online when not all of our students (or teachers for that matter) had devices or WIFI?  Who knew how much we were going to miss our students & how depressed we were going to be when the Governor of Texas declared that school would continue online, but not in our building?

In saying this, I do realize that there are people out there who are struggling WAY more than I am.  I have a job that I can safely do from home.  I am still collecting a paycheck, and I know what my next meal will be (leftover chicken with macaroni and cheese).  That knowledge makes this situation even harder to process.  We are in the 21st century, and you are telling me that we have to shelter in place as the people did in 1918 during the Spanish Flu!?!  You would have thought that modern medicine would have come a bit farther in 100 years.

Back to the library . . . I guess I am doing some of the same things I did when I was in our physical space.  I go to teacher PLC meetings to listen while thinking about what resources we have to support their, now online, curriculum.  I also make myself available for our students in case they have any questions.  I guess that is where my struggle lies.  The part of my job I miss the most is the daily contact I had with our students helping them with their technology or reading needs.  I also loved having activities in the library.  My challenge became how to do all of that online.

After listening to other librarians in our region talk about what they were doing, I was able to picture what I wanted.  So I started doing virtual library activities each week.   I mean, why not, I do have some time on my hands between PLCs.  Also, I find that part fun.  I have always enjoyed planning fun activities in the library.  So here is what April looks like.

Then I created multiple ways students can find me.  I use the library's social media accounts to get this out to the students.  I also have this same information on my library website.

I am slowly hearing from some of the "library regulars" which makes me happy.  Hopefully I will hear or see more students in the future.

Just for a bit of fun during National Library Week, here is the Mansfield ISD high school librarians debut video . . . Currently Reading.  

Technically, I showed Pride and Prejudice which I am not currently reading.  However, I am reading Northhanger Abbey, but it's on my kindle and not a good visual.  So I picked another Jane Austen novel for the purposes of this video.  LOL! 

Thanks for stopping by.  Be safe out there!

Drowning in Resources during COVID-19

The good news is there are lots of companies who want to help teachers plan their online content, and the bad news is there are lots of companies who want to help teachers plan their online content. There is a plethora of resources out there, folks.  Some of it is good, and some of it is distracting. This is where my journey begins . . . 

At first, I couldn't keep up with the tsunami of free resources, eBooks and activities. I knew that if I was overwhelmed, so were the teachers.  I started out by keeping a running list, looking over the information, and then curating a top 10 Wakelet to send out.  I decided not to email the teachers with this because they were buried under a lot of emails already.  I decided to share the lists on the library's social media accounts.  Then if a teacher needed information, I would be ready.

So the first 3 weeks of information looked like this . . . 

• School Closure Activities - Week 1
• School Closure Activities - Week 2
• School Closure Activities - Week 3

I also curated 2 collections of resources for the ELAR teachers . . . 

•  SHS Library eBook Collection
• SHS Library Digital Resources

These last 2 lists are already on the SHS Library website, but I curated them in a different format so the teachers could easily share the links in their online classes.  Our campus is using Canvas.  In order to get to the digital resources from our traditional website, the students would have to navigate and click on more than one link.  If you know kids, they stop at one click.  So this was the "one stop shopping" answer that seemed most appropriate.

As I was posting my top 10 lists each week, I also joined a PLN (Planned Learning Community) through Region 11.  We meet once a week via Zoom.  One of the topics was "dumping" information versus "feeding" information.  Both have their places, but is that really what I wanted to do at a time when so many other resources were being dumped? This made me rethink my delivery.  Then another point was made that the library website should also reflect what is happening, and that it should include online learning resources, carefully curated resources.  We are looking for quality, not quantity.  Makes sense.  This led to a lightbulb moment for me.  I was concentrating on social media and Canvas.  I totally neglected the traditional library website.  Taking all of that into account, I created the 24-7 SHS Library which was inspired by the Virtual Reference Desk of Castleberry ISD. (okay - maybe it was more stolen than inspired)

This seemed to solve all of my issues at once.  First of all, I didn't want to dismantle my traditional website as we are 2 months away from the end of the year.  Then have to face coming back next year to fix it all over again.  So I put the link to the 24-7 library at the top of the traditional website, which can then be removed once the shelter in place has expired.  In addition, the 24-7 library can also house my resources - which I disguised as virtual library activities.  Instead of a Wakelet with a list of resources, I highlight one resource a day and add a family activity to go with it.  Learning in context is always the best.

So here is what the list of resources looked like this week.  It's more fun this way as I always like to have physical activities in the library.  Here is a way to do that virtually.  Thank you, Castleberry ISD.

I am happy with what I have now, but it took me a month and some guidance to figure it out.  By the way, if you are in education right now, I highly recommend that you find your own PLN.  There are lots of groups on both Facebook and Twitter.  There are lots of Zoom meetings and webinars.  Find one.  It is a good way to stay connected to your field of study.  No matter how long we have been in education, there is always room to learn something new.

Stay safe out there, and don't forget to wash your hands.

COVID-19 Shutdown 2020: Let's Talk Schedules

I think it is important to have a schedule whether you have 1 person to organize or 20. It looks like we are in this shutdown for the long haul as many surrounding school districts have closed indefinitely. Not many people (or students for that matter) like a schedule, but most of us benefit from having one.

There are so many schedules out there, and after analyzing many of them, I think it's best to find what works for you. Many of these schedules posted assume there are 2 or more adults in the house, or that the 1 adult in the house only has 1 job - to supervise the children as they go about their day. When, in fact, there are many adults who have been sent home to work as well.

I think the right schedule is the one that works for you and your household. Hopefully it is something between "best practices" and "household chaos."

As my district transitions to our online learning platform, Canvas, and start delivering instruction, I am still grappling with my schedule. No . . . I have no children of my own, and my husband is pretty self-reliant. So why have a schedule? Without one, I would sit on the couch, eat & drink whatever I wanted, and watch Hallmark movies all day. So being in charge of me is not easy, and therefore, I have to take matters into my own hands. I have a pseudo-schedule for now, but I realize it may not work after this week. Once I know my duties within our virtual platform, and we begin our online journey next week, there is a chance I will have to adapt to something different.

So here is what I have so far . . .

I originally had my day spelled out from 7am - 5pm. I quickly backed that up to 8am. I am usually up way before that, but I need some sit-there-and-drink-tea time. So now my schedule goes from 8am - 5pm. We'll see how this goes.

I read a FB post from a mom who is working at home with 2 school-aged children under the age of 8, and the father is still travelling for work. Their school district started online learning yesterday. After a chaotic morning of thinking they would all work at the same time, she decided to alternate time blocks for the afternoon. Her kids now have 2 hours of academic time where she can supervise and help them. Then they have 2 hours of down time where she can passively watch over them but concentrate on her own work. This just proves my point; there is no "right" or "wrong" plan. In addition, there is nothing set in stone. I am sure many of us will be adapting as our circumstances change.

Good luck! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Half Way through the 40 Book Pledge

The end of December marked the half way point of our school year.  So this is a good time for me to reflect on my 40 book journey.  As of now, I have 27 of the 40 books read.  I haven't kept to my original plan, but I'm still reading.

At the beginning of the year, everyone participating planned out their 40 books by genre.  My plan looks like this.  (The number in black is what I plan to read.  The number in red is what I have actually read so far.)

• Adventure - 3 (1)
• Biography/Memoir - 3 (2)
• Dystopian - 4 (2)
• Fantasy - 4 (5)
• Graphic Novels/Manga - 2 (1)
• Historical Fiction - 3
• Humor - 0
• Mystery - 0 (1)
• Picture Books - 3 (3)
• Poetry - 1
• Realistic Fiction - 6 (5)
• Romance - 4 (4)
• Science Fiction - 5
• Sports - 0 (1)
• Thriller - 0
• Nonfiction - 2 (1)
• Classics - 0 (1)

If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, you have seen my book journey up to this point.  Some books were chosen for me because I belong to a small (but enthusiastic) book club that meets once a month at the Barnes & Noble in Cedar Hill, TX.  Other books I selected from a school list because the new high school TEKS are coming next year, and the English Curriculum coordinator needs help vetting new novels for our 9-12 grade English classes. A few were assigned to me by my editor at School Library Journal.  The rest I have chosen on my own based upon my mood at the time I needed a new book.

Looking back at my plan, the thing that surprises me the most is my science fiction and fantasy books.  I usually gravitate to science fiction over fantasy, but my actual reading journey says otherwise.  Of course the dystopian genre is a sub-genre of science fiction.  So that might account for the big goose egg I have next to science fiction so far.  I guess it's time for some sci-fi choices.

In case you are curious about the books I have read, here is the breakdown.

Adventure 

• Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Biography/Memoir 

• It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Dystopian

• Zone One by Colson Whitehead
• Internment by Samira Ahmed

Fantasy 

• The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
• Lolly Willows by Silvia Warner
• Hello Now by Jenny Valentine
• Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen
• Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

Graphic Novels/Manga

• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

Historical Fiction

• 
  

Humor

• 
  

Mystery 

• The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre 

Picture Books 

• Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
• Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin
• We are America by Walter Dean Myers

Poetry

• 
  

Realistic Fiction 

• A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
• The Stone Boys by Michael Gurian
• American Street by Ibi Zoboi
• Loser's Bracket by Chris Crutcher
• The Sound of Letting Go by S. Ward

Romance 

• Pride by Ibi Zoboi
• Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper
• Hometown Christmas by A.M. Williams
• The Billionaire Banker by D. Goodman

Science Fiction

• 
  

Sports 

• Swing by Kwame Alexander

Thriller

• 
  

Nonfiction 

• Mobituaries by Mo Rocca

Classics

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I have enjoyed each of my books so far, but my favorites for now are . . . 

 

December was a Dud

In my quest to help other librarians, it is good to be as transparent as possible.  I'm going to be honest here, my December was a dud.  There were only 2.5 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas break anyway; then I had jury duty the first day back from Thanksgiving break which morphed into a whole week.  So I arrive back at school with 8 days left, too many fun activities and projects I wanted to do, and not enough time.  At first, I was super depressed (especially when I realized that 4 of those 8 days were school-wide EOC retesting days).  I had no time to plan anything new, and I had to reschedule my clubs which led to lower turn outs since we were meeting on a day that didn't follow our normal schedule.  Then I had to cancel a lunch which I am still trying to reschedule for my aides.  However, I seem to be running out of calendar days.

The first couple of days back were BUSY & paralyzing at the same time, if that makes any sense.  I could hardly catch my breath, and panic definitely set in.  Then on the way to work the following day, I took a deep breath and decided whatever I can do will have to be enough this year.  Not every year is going to be like this, and I need to own it and keep going. So I put on my big girl panties, recycled my Christmas decorations and revised my "12 Days of Christmas" scavenger hunt from last year.  The library isn't as festive as I had planned, and a lot of my activities are missing, but this is what I can do.

 However, it is hard not to be super jealous of those libraries who have created book trees or other fantastic decorations, hosted a Christmas-themed hour of code event, made ornaments with their 3D printers or Christmas movies with a green screen, and/or enjoyed hot cocoa by the fireplace constructed of discarded books. (yes, that is a thing . . . )

 Having said that, it is just as important to know your limits and forgive yourself for the things you had planned but cannot do. For those of you who need to hear this, my December was a dud, but I'll live.  I think I'll start planning my winter activities for January & February.

Happy Holidays!

Spooktober Fun in the Library

It seems so hard to believe that October is in full swing.  Our weather is finally starting to reflect the fall temperatures one would expect.  Last week we were steadily at 92*F until Thursday when we went from 92 to 42.  Now we are somewhere in between. Today's high is 81*F.  So Yay!  It's Fall.

The library has a few things going on during the month of October.  Our "Bathroom Book Talks" are back up for another year of "Potty PD."  This month we featured Graphic Novels.

We are also running a "Spooktober Bingo" reading challenge . . . that I totally stole from a generous librarian who posted her resources on the Future Ready Librarians FB page. Thank you!

We just had our second meeting of the 40 Book Pledge.  So far we have members who have finished 15 books and some who are still finishing up their first book.  No matter where the students are on the journey, they are welcome to come each month and talk books.  Today was a good day.  I book talked a few of my favorites, and the students talked about their current reads.  We also made name tags, which we should have done the first time . . . but oh well!

In talking about fun October activities, we can't forget the LEGO club.  It is going strong this year.  I moved it from after school to all 3 lunches, and I am having a bigger turn out this year.  This club meets 2 times a month.  The club had so much fun on October 8, they came back for an encore on October 9th.  Who am I to say no to an enthusiastic club?

The first day, we had LEGO tic-tac-toe.  Build 3 in a row and win.  The second day, the students came up with their own timed challenges.  Loved that!

This week, I am heading to the English Hallway with my Pop Up library to try and get some of those overdue books.  Later this month, we are going to give out Halloween treats for checking out/renewing/returning books.

In the midst of this activity, we still are seeing classes, checking out books and helping individual students who come to the library looking for assistance.  Did I mention that we also had Year Book pictures in here earlier this month?  Another BIG THANK YOU to my library clerks, Ms. Truong and Ms. Walters.  Without them, none of this would be possible.  They are truly "Wonder Women."

 And . . . just in case you were wondering, here are our usage statistics for the first 6 weeks of school.

Have a fabulous day!