My book fair is coming in a few weeks. I may be in the minority, but it is not my favorite week of the year. Not even close. This is not a reflection at all on the vendor I use… Read More ›
Advocacy/Leadership
Missing the Classroom
Can I let you in on a little secret? I miss being a classroom teacher. After teaching for 19 years, I became an elementary school librarian. With a fixed schedule, I teach all grade levels, but it doesn’t feel the… Read More ›
Advocacy Toolkit: Library Reports
Get the Word Out! “They won’t know what you’re doing unless you make sure they know. And if you don’t, your job will eventually end up on the chopping block and no one will know why you’re worth fighting for.”… Read More ›
Get Plugged In: State and National Opportunities Strengthen Our Profession
As president-elect of the North Carolina School Library Media Association (NCSLMA), I had the pleasure of traveling to Seattle to attend my first ALA Midwinter Meeting. The trip was a personal opportunity to get plugged in to the resources ALA… Read More ›
Circles of Concern, Influence, and Control
Everything we do in our work is an opportunity for advocacy, and we should take full advantage of each opportunity. Every email we send, every conversation we have, every resource we curate, and every event we plan all have an… Read More ›
Your PLN: Source of Inspiration or Thief of Joy?
Long before Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” The more recent phrase that expresses this idea, especially as it relates to social media, is “Compare and Despair.” When we see pictures of our friends’… Read More ›
Creative Communication Distribution to Staff
I try to be intentional about the communication the school library sends to building staff. If you send too many emails, there is a strong chance the staff will stop reading. I also have noticed our past print newsletters often… Read More ›
Finding Ideas for Professional Development
Last month I wrote about how important it is to offer professional development for our teachers. However, developing a schedule for professional development and finding topics to fill it up can be a challenge. To begin, I recommend offering professional… Read More ›
Project LIT in the Library
Inspired by the work being done by the current AASL Induction Program cohort, my co-librarian and I decided to start a Project LIT book club chapter to support a school reading culture and facilitate discussions on diversity, bias, and other… Read More ›
Canned Lesson Plans: Help or Hindrance?
“Checklist Planning Clipboard To Do.” Pixabay, Pixabay.com, pixabay.com/p-1614702/?no_redirect. Like most aspects of education, standards are never static. Here in New York City, we are in the process of updating our ESIFC (Empire State Information Fluency Continuum) to align with the new… Read More ›