Author: librariantiff

Change. And things I’ll miss.

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So I haven’t blogged about my move yet. It’s been very emotional for me, even though it’s been in the works for many months. I just wasn’t ready to put it out there onto the Internet (and into reality for me, maybe?) until now. Plus I wanted it to be approved by the School Board and all that formal stuff, which went down a few hours ago.

So on January 10th (my official date) I will no longer be an elementary school librarian. I will be moving to the library at Central Middle. Middle school has always been where my heart is. It’s where I originally taught, and their librarian is now retiring. I was asked to come back and it wasn’t an easy decision for me. I know that in the long run, it’s what I want to do. But it sure is hard to leave the blood, sweat, and tears I’ve put into my library for the last few years. It’s also hard to leave the faculty and the wonderful relationships I have formed. As a librarian, it’s not easy to build working relationships and street cred from teachers, and this year I was finally feeling like I’d gotten to that place. I’m so proud of the elementary school library that has been created (not from scratch, but from a big fat mess) and the program that really TRULY fosters a love of reading. It’s going to be hard for me to let go. But I am so grateful that I’ll be walking into a much more organized library and don’t have to start at the bottom again.

So over the next few weeks and months I’ll be sharing lots of things that excite me about my new opportunities. I’m looking forward to my move to middle school, but there are lots of things that I’ll miss about my little ones. I want to take some time to reflect on the things I love about working in an elementary library. Here are a few of the things I’ll miss most:

1. Precious little smiling faces. Smiles still full of baby teeth. Smiles full of gaps from lost teeth. Smiles that are growing into the ones they will have as adults.

2. Reading beautiful picture books while I have their rapt attention. Especially when we get to that point in a story where they all gasp because they are so completely engrossed in what’s happening.

3. Their innocence. There are always a few who are losing theirs too young, which is heartbreaking. But for the most part they are still so innocent. And that innocence allows them to be so imaginative and throw themselves into whatever they’re doing.

4. Holidays. Every holiday is such an event for them. They require decorations, celebration, holiday themed stories, arts and craft projects, singing, and snacks. This includes birthdays, which are IMMENSELY important when you’ve only had 8 so far in your life.

5. Reading is cool. Books are fun and something to get excited about. And when they take the leap from picture books to chapter books — I love that.

I’m going to miss the teachers and administrators desperately. There are so many great things about the school that can’t even be described unless you’ve worked there. I will always be grateful for the support that I’ve had, particularly from my administration, that has helped shape my professional path. The few years that I’ve been privileged to work with 2nd and 3rd graders alongside so many amazing educators have given me experience and perspective that I will always carry with me. The transition will be bittersweet for me. I am sad to leave such a great crew, but I so look forward to the experiences to come. And I’m going to end here before I start bawling.

LACUE part deux

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So I’ve written about the keynote by Vicki Davis, Leslie Fisher’s Gadgets session, and a little from Brian Mull’s session on Internet Responsibility. And of course lots about my session on free tech tools. I have to say that I’m still feeling like a rockstar after my first big presentation. I’ve gotten such great feedback in the form of email, tweets, and comments. I had such a great time presenting and felt like the many prep hours I spend was well worth it. Presenting is something that I definitely want to do more of in the future…after all, what’s the point of soaking up so much info if I don’t share it? My hubby knew I would love it. The first thing he asked when I called him after my presentation was, “So are you hooked? What are you going to do next?” I can’t wait to see what’s next!

I went to lots of sessions, so I’m going to share the highlights:

Jefferson Parish has got it going on with their Techneaux 21S program. They have formed partnerships with many museums and historical sites and students are researching and creating podcasts and videos to be used by these organizations. I hope that I can follow their lead and form similar partnerships here in Baton Rouge for my school. The authentic learning experiences that take place in these projects are absolutely incredible.

My pal Paula Naugle presented on Web 2.0 Lessons Learned. She did an amazing job of sharing how she manages web tools in her classroom and overcomes the obstacles that they sometimes present. Paula is a pro with so much to share and so much passion for what she does. I was able to have lunch with Paula on Friday after both of our presentations, and I really appreciated the chance to visit with a like-minded thinker.

I was also able to catch the last half of Brian Mull‘s presentation on Google Maps. Google Maps is something I have not had the chance to mess with too much, but after Brian’s session I really want to because the possibilities are endless! I’m really glad that I had the chance to meet and connect with Brian through LACUE and Twitter. Yay for a growing PLN!

LACUE was such a great experience for me. I realized that I’m much more of a hardcore tech nerd than probably 95% of the educators in my state, but I’m okay with that. In fact, I kind of like it 🙂

I survived!

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I, Tiffany Whitehead (aka librarian tiff aka Mighty Little Librarian), survived my first big presentation! After two weeks of completely immersing myself in preparing for this, I presented my “Free Tech Tools You Can Use” session at LACUE. The room was PACKED. Standing room only, with people even sitting on the floor. I’m not exaggerating, look:

Even though I wasn’t able to use my laptop, I got set up and was able to access everything through my wiki. I dressed like my Go! Animate avatar, which was way fun. I shared all of my favorite things and as many examples of them in use as I possibly could. I really hope everyone left with something that they’d like to try!

I fit a lot in to my 50 minute session. Hopefully I didn’t completely overwhelm too many people. I also tried my best to hold everyone’s interest. I’m loud, energetic, and a spaz so I think that helps. I also did a text-in Poll Everywhere survey to try and break it up. And I tried not to take it personally that one lady in the front row kept dozing off…

I really enjoyed myself and can’t wait to do more presentations in the future! I got a great response from the audience afterwards, so I definitely felt encouraged!

See all resources from this presentation on my fancy new presentation wiki at: http://librariantiffpresents.wikispaces.com

Thanks to my awesome administration for coming up and supporting me today. My principal even brought the camera and took these pictures ^. How awesome is she?!

Thursday at LACUE

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PHEW! It was a busy day at LACUE! The keynote session by Vicki Davis (aka Cool Cat Teacher) was freakin’ awesome. Here are my tweets from the keynote:

It was quite a motivational speech. We all know about the power of being positive and striving to be the change that you want to see, but she really laid it out well. Basically, YOU are the only thing that you can change. Whining and complaining don’t accomplish anything — they just foster more whining and complaining. Instead of harping on what we CAN’T do, focus on the positive and the things that we can do. We all know this to be true, but it’s so easy to lose focus and want to change EVERYTHING at once. Ain’t gonna happen. But doing what’s best for the kids and being proud of what you do can inspire others to change. So I’m now feeling inspired, thanks Vicki!! This keynote totally made me think of my great assistant principal who is always reminding me (and everyone else) of the power of being positive — so here’s to you Mr. Fountain!

My first session was Gadgets by Leslie Fisher. It was pretty much awesome and here are some links she shared that I jotted down to check out later in case you’re interested:

www.eventbrite.com – Manage event invites, guest lists, sign-in sheets

www.rockmelt.com – Social Media based web browser, still in Beta

www.tripit.com – Free planner that compiles all of your travel info

www.evernote.com – Store all of your notes in one place

www.ustream.tv – Record a stream for free

www.mozy.com – Free up to 2gigs of backup

www.istockphoto.com/lesliefisher-offer.php – use this for 15% discount

www.smugmug.com – for photo sharing

She also shared about a bajillion other things, so you should check out her resources on her website www.lesliefisher.com to learn from a pro.

Next, I went to Brian Mull’s presentation on Internet Responsibility. He shared some great points about being smart and aware when it comes to teaching students, teachers, and administrators to consider responsible Internet usage for students. See his wiki at www.brianmull.wikispaces.com. One thing I LOVE that he introduced me to is Jing. I just downloaded it and it’s pretty sweet.

Many other sessions that I will have to revisit and share about later. I’m off to a Tweet-Up and my battery is about to croak. I had to spend a lot of my blogging time taking screenshots of my resources for tomorrow’s presentation — I fear that LaCUE’s Internet access will fail me!

LACUE on Friday!

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I’ve been sort of missing around these parts lately because I’ve been in massive preparation for my first non-school presentation. That’s right, I’ll be presenting at LACUE, our state technology conference, on Friday. I’m a planner and an obsessor, so I’ve been consumed with hammering out my presentation. However, I am not one to plan what I’m actually going to say — which makes for interesting presentation planning. My preso is on “Tech Tools You Can Use,” and all of the tools I’ll be sharing are FREE! I hate going to a conference session that’s trying to sell you stuff. So in my 50 minute session, I’ll be cramming in as many awesome tools (most with awesome examples) as I possibly can!

Today I did a “dressed rehearsal” with some of my AWESOME co-workers at school. All of my planning paid off, because my timing (which I was concerned about) was pretty much on point. I’m quite the talker and low self esteem has never been my struggle, so I don’t generally get freaked out in front of an audience. Plus, I’m rambling about things that I LOVE and know, so I’m pretty comfortable.

The best computer teacher in the world (I love you, Steph!) videoed my preso, so I’ll see if I can stomach my obnoxious voice to see how I did. I felt good about it, but hate watching myself since I’m a spaz (what can I say, I talk with my arms). I’ve compiled some pretty sweet resources into my presentation wiki, so you should check it out and find a new favorite toy! I’ll  update after the big event, too!

My Edublog Award Nominations

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The Edublog Awards are such a great way to discover new blogs to follow. I love reading everyone’s nominations and it’s pretty much impossible to pick a favorite for so many of these categories. So here are my picks! Make sure you make yours and submit them before Friday, December 3. Click on the banner above and it will zap you to where you need to go for instructions!

Best Individual Tweeter: Steven Anderson @web20classroom

Best Resource Sharing Blog: Kelly Tenkely at iLearn Technology (everything she shares is pretty much the BEST)

Best series of Tweets: #ISTE10 – from the conference that changed the life.

Best Teacher Blog: Mrs. Bluebird at Bluebird’s Classroom (I absolutely, positively love reading her posts!)

Best Librarian Blog: Gwyneth Jones at The Daring Librarian (I want to be Gwyneth when I grow up)

Best Educational use of Video/Visual: Doug Valentine with Hot Dog Book Reviews

Best Educational Wiki: School Library Websites Wiki

Best Educational Webinar Series: TL Virtual Cafe

Lifetime Achievement: Joyce Valenza at NeverEndingSearch and everywhere else where she shares her sheer awesomeness.

Recent Reads

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It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted an update on what I’ve been reading. Hopefully I’ll be able to remember them all and share. I’ve decided that instead of throwing in my recent reads at the end of random posts, I’m going to start updating every few books with a “Recent Reads” post. I’m not into writing reviews — there are plenty of other places on the Interwebs where you can find those — try Amazon, GoodReads, or my fave for YA at StorySnoops (holla!). I’m just going to give my thoughts, impressions, feelings, and ramblings on the books. Because I know that’s what you’re all dying to hear about! Oh, and you should probably be my friend on GoodReads, too!

So like I said, it’s been a while. Here’s what I’ve been reading:

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

I’m into reading about polygamist societies…I find it to be so intriguing and disturbing. However, I had never read a polygamy centered book from a YA perspective. This was a quick read and I was completely entranced as I read it. It fit the mold of a typical polygamist story but was interesting from the teen perspective. I’d recommend it for someone who’s interested in this genre.

Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

This book was amazing. AMAZING! Several books before this one, I had read (and loved) Mockingbird, which was also written from the perspective of an adolescent on the Autism spectrum. I thought it would be hard to follow that, but this was another amazing, eye-opening book about living with Autism. I felt like I truly understood Jason, and my heart was wrenched by his struggles — particularly his miscommunications with his mom. Love, love, love this one and recommend it to anyone who knows (especially those who teach) a child with Autism.

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell

I know how much my kids LOVE the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Seriously, the most frequently asked question in my library is, “Where are the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books? Are they all checked out??” This book has a similar diary-style format with sketches sprinkled throughout. I thought this one was cute and I know girls would devour it — particularly reluctant readers. Definitely a girly book that makes me, like, wanna talk, like, OMG!

The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong

On a recent trip the the public library, I grabbed several books that are nominated for the 2011 LYRC Award for 6-8 grades. This book was the first that I read. After Dork Diaries I needed something not so, like OMG. The Great Wide Sea is not my typical read (it had a bright yellow “ADVENTURE” sticker on the spine), but I gave it a shot anyway. I could not put this book down! It’s such a well written, emotionally charged page turner. A good recommendation for boys who are into books like Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. I honestly think it’s one of the best books I’ve read lately — I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Boys are Dogs by Leslie Margolis

This book was at my Scholastic Book Fair last year, and its sequel (Girls Acting Catty) was on the preview for this year’s Fair. It’s also a LYRC nominee, so I figured it was time for me to read it. It’s a cute and relatable story for middle age girls. The feelings of being new at school, moving in with mom’s long-time boyfriend, and dealing with adolescent boys are quite realistic. I’ll be reading the sequel to find out what happens with Annabelle and her friends.

The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman

My third LYRC book was another pick for the boys. Gordon Korman is a rockstar author for middle grades, so I had high expectations. I loved Son of the Mob, which I read several years ago. Much like that one, this book had great characters. Yes, it’s quite an off the wall story and the ending was questionable for me, it was still a fun read and one that boys would love.

In Autumn, beautiful leaves fall.

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Last week was blissful (or stressful?) madness as the Book Fair took over our school library. It was incredibly successful and our sales were the highest they’ve been in the three years that I’ve been at the school. The kids had an awesome time and bought some great books! Favorites included The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, and of course Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth.

I took a wonderful trip this weekend to North Carolina. My BFF and I saw our FAVORITE band (Hanson!!!) play and then visited my beautiful nieces for the rest of the weekend. We were able to experience the beauty of fall that we miss out on in south Louisiana. The trees were incredible with their brightly colored leaves. Ours just turn brown and fall, we miss out on the vibrant colors.

Seeing all of these leaves made me think about how my kiddos at school miss out! So I brought a few ziplock bags full of colorful flowers home with me for this week’s lessons. Looking around made me think of one of my favorite fall stories — Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson and illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke.

This is a great story with stunning illustrations that just BEGS to be read aloud. Fletcher comes to understand what happens to trees in autumn. After our story, we are doing leaf rubbings with the leaves that I brought back from my trip. I’m telling you — the kids think these leaves are fake — most of them have never seen anything like them. It’s a fun activity and I used it for my formal observation today. It went very well and my assessor really enjoyed the activities. It’s great to have fun with my lessons the week before Thanksgiving break!

The Plight of the School Librarian

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Librarians have it easy. I want your job. All you have to do is sit around and read books all day. It’s not like you really have to do anything in here…

It’s the stigma of the school librarian — that it’s the cushy job and that librarians really don’t do much. I think maybe the stigma is magnified in elementary schools, so correct me if I’m wrong. I know I work my butt off, I’m constantly trying to improve, I’m always willing to do what it takes. I push myself, stress myself out, make myself sick, try to do too much. I try so hard to detach myself from the stigma and prove my worth. I know all of the things I do, how hard I work, how far I go above and beyond. I’m good at what I do, like really freakin’ good. Because it’s my life and it’s what makes me happy. But every now and then (okay, more often than I’d like to admit) someone throws a little comment my way and it deflates me like a balloon.

You mean we aren’t having library ancillary this week? (We’re having the Book Fair, so no.)

Forget the fact that I nearly killed myself last week trying to get everyone’s library books traded in anticipation of Book Fair.

I just feel like it’s never enough. I try so hard to do my job, do it well, and make the teachers’ lives easier. Maybe I’m just being whiney and needy. I know I need to learn to just brush it off and get over it. But I’m not there yet and just needed to vent.

If you’ve overcome this type of frustration and have seen the light, please share your wisdom with me…

AR Celebration

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My school has come a very long way with our implementation of Accelerated Reader in the past year. I’m still not completely sure how I feel about the program — how it aligns with my philosophy of reading and all — but I’ve committed to helping my school implement it with fidelity. I attended the AR Symposium last November and learned a lot about how the program is designed to be implemented. I came back and we started taking steps to start pushing our program in the right direction. We started having school-wide silent reading time each day. Last year, the focus was put on having students earn 100% on quizzes. I gave incremental prizes for earning so many 100%s on quizzes (and just about lost my mind trying to keep up with that.

I went back to the drawing board this summer and thought about everything I’ve learned about AR. I decided that it was time for us to move toward goal setting. This would fall to the teachers, which I HATE to do, but it really is the way Renaissance Place wants you to do it. I just don’t like feeling like I’m piling more work on the teachers. So I laid out the plan and walked the teachers through goal setting. For this first nine weeks we set fairly modest goals because I wanted it to be achievable. Each student’s goal is based on their STAR results and they kept track of their progress in their AR folders.

The nine weeks ended the week before last and the kids were ready to CELEBRATE! I told them that if they met their nine weeks goal, they would be invited to a celebration. At the intermediate and middle schools, they use AR goals to give a reading grade. We didn’t want to go that route, so we decided a celebration would work best for our 2nd and 3rd graders. We had our celebration this afternoon — a coke float party. About half of the students at our school met their goal this time around, which is pretty good, I think! I think that even though we are bumping up our goals this nine weeks, we will still see progress.

Photo credit: ginnerobot
How do you use Accelerated Reader at your school? What are your feelings about the program?