“Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?” For almost five decades, I’ve heard at least a few bars of “Auld Lang Syne” every New Year’s Eve. But despite some guesses, I never knew what that title actually… Read More ›
reflection
Sock Moments
Have you ever pulled a freshly dried pair of socks straight from the dryer and put them on your feet? If you haven’t, try to imagine that feeling of warm dryer heat covering your cold feet and then drifting up… Read More ›
Speed Dating with Books: The Power of Creative Nonfiction
This year I was thrilled to be back in person for our yearly 11th-grade Speed Dating with Books event. Though last year’s digital version was successful, it could not compare to the energy of a live activity. Amid the chaos… Read More ›
Looking Behind and Looking Ahead: A School Librarian’s Hurdles, Highlights, and Hopes
“Where did you go to, if I may ask?” said Thorin to Gandalf as they rode along. “To look ahead,’ said he. “And what brought you back in the nick of time?” “Looking behind,” said he. –from The Hobbit, by… Read More ›
Nonfiction November: Titles to Motivate High School Students
When the leaves begin to turn and the air becomes cooler here in the Northeast, I find myself turning more to nonfiction. With #NonfictionNovember a popular hashtag on social media, maybe I’m not the only one who craves reality-based stories… Read More ›
Librarians, Let’s Confer about Who We Are
This short volume of a post stands between bookends: #AASL21, which just occurred last week, and the upcoming #VAASL conference, which takes place next week. The word “confer” has been around for over five hundred years; its first known use… Read More ›
Stepping onto a Soapbox, Part One: Aesthetics
When we mention anyone getting up on a soapbox, we generally mean that they are speaking or writing about something that evokes strong feelings within them. The term, which was first noted in print in 1907, was once a literal… Read More ›
Listening to the Little Voices: Making Students Heard with Your Collection Choices
…It’s just a little voice and if you’re listening Sometimes a little voice Can say the biggest thing… –Sara Bareilles One of the first things that I realized when I became a school librarian and commenced my school librarianship studies… Read More ›
Bringing the Community Together with a Book Discussion
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 ›
Books to Celebrate Cultures and Foster Togetherness
There is so much misinformation circulating around the world these days. Hate has always existed but in today’s environment, it is front and center because of social media and other forms of technology that enable lies to spread in seconds…. Read More ›