Just like adults, teens start the new year thinking about ways to improve, what they want to work on in themselves, new hobbies, goals for the future. The following is a list of the top 5 books that I will… Read More ›
Student Engagement/ Teaching Models
My Favorite Collaborative Lesson: Mixing Figurative Language and Coding
As a school librarian collaborating with classroom teachers is a key component to our role in the school community. Collaboration can come in many forms, but the goal is to move past just the curation of resources. The focus is… Read More ›
Chess, The Library, and The Queen’s Gambit
Inspired by Television Several students and faculty members are abuzz about a new Netflix series, The Queen’s Gambit. The series premiered on October 23, 2020. I was a little surprised that students are recommending the show, including some older middle… Read More ›
Get Ready to Make It New: Embracing Change in 2021
Attention is love, what we must give children, mothers, fathers, pets, our friends, the news, the woes of others. What we want to change we curse and then pick up a tool. Bless whatever you can with eyes and hands… Read More ›
Book Pairings to Motivate Teenagers
In the midst of our fast-paced society, it’s more important than ever to spark a love of literature in adolescents. Based on conversations I’ve had with students over the years, I’ve learned that teenagers have lost motivation to read for… Read More ›
Finding Joy in Our Library World
As part of the December newsletter for our Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL), I sat down to write my thoughts for the column I pen as the 2020 president of MASL. I had just gotten my first holiday card… Read More ›
Part 2: Polarization and New Techniques for Information Evaluation
Do We Need a New Technique for Information Evaluation? For years information professionals have created catchy ways to teach students systems for evaluation of information. School librarians have focused especially on websites and other online sources. Acronyms of all sorts,… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin and Felicia Marshall
Earlier this month I co-hosted a webinar on behalf of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) for librarians. In addition to highlighting the amazing collection that the NPG had to offer, we focused on how students could analyze and learn from… Read More ›
Your Partner Down the Street: School and Public Library Collaboration
It seems obvious, right, to collaborate with your public library partner, especially during this challenging pandemic year. But like all partnerships under crisis, it’s easy to fall into our respective silos. So I thought a post reminding us about this… Read More ›
Part 1: Polarization and Resistance to Fact-Checking Information
What Is True? Another presidential election is in the books. Or is it? The electoral college met on December 14, 2020, with its 538 electors officially casting their votes in the 2020 presidential election. However, before then, media organizations such… Read More ›