I am thrilled to finally share the news of a big change that is on the horizon. Next school year, I will be the upper and middle school librarian at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge. Friends and family who know me well have been a bit shocked by this news, as they know how much I LOVE my students, faculty, and library at Central Middle. It was a difficult decision for me, but in the end I knew this was an opportunity that I would regret passing up. Change pushes us out of our comfort zones and forces us to grow and adapt. I am anxiously anticipating the professional growth that I will experience in the coming years as I work with the incredible students and faculty at Episcopal.
As eager as I am for this new adventure, it is bittersweet. During my five and a half years at CMS (and nine years in the Central Community School District), the library program, the reading culture at our school, and the use of technology have come so far. Genrefying our library has helped increase circulation tremendously and self check-out has given the ownership of this space over to the students. I’ve developed relationships and professional partnerships with so many of the amazing faculty members here, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support, encouragement, and willingness to work with their crazy librarian. Of course it’s going to be difficult to leave behind my students that I’ve made connections with through our mutual love of reading. I am so proud of the library and school that I’m leaving behind, and I know that there are many great things ahead for the library, school, and entire district in Central.
The next year will be an exciting one — full of changes and new experiences. I’m looking forward to building relationships with a new faculty and group of students. I will be working with students in grades 6-12, so high school will be a new adventure for me. There are already some great projects in the works for next year that I’m looking forward to — I know it’s going to be a great year and I can’t wait to share all about it. Bringing my past library experiences and knowledge to a new setting is going to be a lot of fun!
Look for many blog posts as I make the transition (and start the process of genrefying another library)!
Congratulations to you! 6-12 will be so cool! I look forward to reading about your new adventures.
Thanks, Mary! I feel like 6-12 will be the best of both worlds — getting to do high school level research but still having some middle school age students…and I’ll stay with them and get to see them grow up!
We are so excited to have you at Episcopal!
Tiffany, you have been a key contributor to my professional growth. Thank you for intoducing me to ISTE, partnering with me in teaching my students how to blog, and being a model innovator who encourages and facilitates “out of the box thinking”. While I’m going to miss you greatly, I know that you are going to create exciting new learning experiences for many other educators and students who are going to benefit from your expertise just as much as I have. Thanks again for all you’ve done for me.
You will be great at the new school! Thank you for continuing to post here during this crazy time in your life. I look forward to heading into this adventure with you.