Author Archives

I am the librarian at Detroit Country Day Lower School in Bloomfield Hills, MI. I have worked as a librarian for the past five years. I was a classroom teacher for four years prior to that. I have worked in charter, public, and private schools. My favorite thing about being a librarian is the opportunities I have to work both with students and teachers. I love the co-teaching opportunities and connections I have been able to make! I have served on AASL committees as a member and chair.

• Advocate with Food: 5 Reasons I Host Bagels & Books

  By Kelly Hincks on 12/07/2016 • ( 0 )

  

  Each year I purchase great new titles to add to our library. Many of these books connect to classroom curriculum and support a variety of reading levels. After spending countless hours making these decisions, I noticed they were not being… Read More ›

• When Research, Writing, and a Field Trip Live Happily Ever After

  By Kelly Hincks on 11/01/2016 • ( 1 )

  

  In September, the second grade teachers shared their concerns about fitting in both their writing and social studies curriculum as well as preparing their students for an upcoming field trip. As a result of this conversation, a project was born!… Read More ›

• Journey to a Flexible Schedule: Part 1

  By Kelly Hincks on 10/06/2016 • ( 5 )

  

  A year ago I shared a post called Momentum in a Fixed World. In this post, I shared the goal to move to a flexible schedule. Just as planned we transitioned to this type of schedule with the first- and… Read More ›

• Three things I Need to Stop Saying: Impact of Teacher Language

  By Kelly Hincks on 09/01/2016 • ( 1 )

  

  Each year, the faculty I work with is given summer reading homework. The chosen book deals with a best practice in education. The expectation is that we read the book. Then, there is an open discussion when we return to… Read More ›

• 5 Ways to Advocate without Being in Your Face

  By Kelly Hincks on 08/02/2016 • ( 0 )

  

  Recently, a colleague and friend reminded me that sometimes the louder we get the less people listen. As librarians we know the importance of advocating for our profession. It is our responsibility to share with others what we do to… Read More ›

• It Came Full Circle: Connecting with an Author Changed Everything

  By Kelly Hincks on 07/05/2016 • ( 0 )

  

  Have you ever had a lesson that just worked!  A lesson that truly left its mark. I would like to say this happens all the time, but if I am honest with myself I think those really “special” lessons are… Read More ›

• Flipping In the Library

  By Kelly Hincks on 06/01/2016 • ( 0 )

  

  The Idea: The flipped classroom model has gained popularity over the past several years. It has students watch a lesson at home and then apply it at school.  This method allows students to do the practice and hands-on experiences in the… Read More ›

• Summer Reading Challenge: 11 Challenges, 12 Weeks, Unlimited Adventure

  By Kelly Hincks on 05/04/2016 • ( 3 )

  

  Summer reading has been a topic of discussion by educators for decades. “Summer slide,” where students lose the gains they made during the previous school year, is a topic of conversation this time of year. This learning loss has a… Read More ›

• 5 Reasons to Volunteer for an AASL Committee

  By Kelly Hincks on 04/05/2016 • ( 2 )

  

  Having just finished my second year as an American Association of School Librarians (AASL) committee member, I feel it is important to share the value of the work that has been completed as well as encourage you to volunteer too…. Read More ›

• A Librarian’s Book Club

  By Kelly Hincks on 02/29/2016 • ( 0 )

  

  We all know about book clubs!  We run them, are part of them, and encourage others to join them.  So I thought I would share how we are using a book club to move our program forward. So it begins…… Read More ›