Five Years Ago It seems like many long ages have passed since Lin-Manuel Miranda, accepting the Tony Award for Hamilton’s score, gave an emotional and heartfelt speech (in sonnet form!) that honored his own wife and also gave tribute to… Read More ›
reflection
A School Librarian’s Reflection of 2020
A Look Back at March To say the past 10 months have been rough might be the understatement of the year; however, it has also been a time of reflection and a time for school librarians to shine. Back in… Read More ›
The Original Plan vs. What It Really Looks Like
This year I have been teaching students who are face to face as well as those who are learning remotely. At the start of the school year, I had grand plans. I was going to do all the things and… Read More ›
Take a Deep Breath!
This spring was uncharted territory for everyone. Everything we thought we knew about how to do our complex and multifaceted jobs as educators was called into question. But this isn’t new for us school librarians. Innovation and iteration, thinking critically… Read More ›
What’s Next: Things I’ve Learned from Distance Learning
It has been almost two months since Virginia schools have shut down. Teachers and librarians have been adapting and changing so they can still connect with and teach their students. Changes for Next Year The question that I have been… Read More ›
4 Thoughts from the Elementary School Library Tour
I had the opportunity to participate in the Elementary School Tour as part of the 2019 AASL National Conference on Thursday, November 14. During the tour, the group visited two elementary schools in Jefferson County Public Schools. We started our… Read More ›
On Returning to School
Social media, while it has its share of detractors, has been great about keeping me in touch with many of my colleagues and professional friends who are turning their sights toward the end of summer and the return of another… Read More ›
5 Parts of the ALA Annual Conference
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., for the first time. This was made possible by receiving a professional development stipend from the Library of Michigan. As I reflected on my experience I… Read More ›
The School Wide Love for The Hate U Give
I am never one to turn down a free lunch. So when the invitation was extended by Khristi Jenkins (school librarian) and Wrenn Heisler (English teacher) at Patuxent High School to come and join in a lunch-time book discussion, I… Read More ›
The Joy of Lifelong Reading
New Year’s Resolution fanatics take over New York salad eateries! Not the exact headline, but reports noted that there were record lines at restaurants like Just Salad and Sweetgrass instead of McDonald’s. Eating healthy is a popular resolution. Another one is… Read More ›