During the pandemic, something I discovered about myself was that I absolutely adore live webcams. Whether it was laughing at baby kittens play with each other, watching the sunset in Croatia while eating lunch, or experiencing heavy snowstorms in other… Read More ›
There were many issues that people disagreed about this past school year. What staff, students, and parents had in common, though, were high levels of stress. When an English teacher colleague approached me about co-hosting a community book discussion, I… Read More ›
Collaboration can take many forms. It does not always have to be a co-taught lesson or one with many parts. It just needs to be one where the school librarian and classroom teacher support each other’s curriculum to help extend… Read More ›
In October 2016, I attended the School Library Journal Leadership Summit and was honored to hear YA author Shaun David Hutchinson speak about the impact of his mental health and sexuality on his writing and his life. He said, “I… Read More ›
Pivoting and flexibility have become critical to teaching and learning during the last year. The ever-changing nature of the pandemic has kept educators on their toes and ultimately upended the education system around the world, forcing districts, schools, teachers, and… Read More ›
Selling the Language of Poetry It’s hard to persuade teenagers to read novels in their spare time but when it comes to poetry, it’s an even tougher sell. Each year I teach poetry research lessons to English classes. Though I… Read More ›
If there is one consistency in our ever-changing school library profession, it is the need to tell the world who we are, what we do, and why we’re essential workers. Remote Collaboration Collaboration is always difficult for educators. But this… Read More ›
As school librarians, we know that collaboration is important. I am fortunate that many of my colleagues love to work together. They understand the shared vision and benefits that collaboration can offer. Below is a project that was developed alongside… Read More ›
In my high school, teaching To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a requirement for all freshman English classes during second semester. This year I had a teacher approach me wanting to brainstorm ways we could make this book… Read More ›
This year has required us to do things a bit differently, to say the least. Planning for World Read Aloud Day was no exception. This event has always been about allowing my students to gain a larger view of the… Read More ›