Day 5

Today in the library I was able to spend time with students, helping them find the just right book.  I have noticed some things as I work with students:  they tend to prefer books that have Reading Counts tests, and the older ones almost always ask about a book's Lexile level.  I have tried to suggest titles from the S. C. Book Award nominees list as well as books that I have read myself, but most students avoid those unless they meet one or both of the aforementioned criteria.  This concerns me because they are missing out on some really great books, but more so because I fear that we may be crushing a possible love of reading.  Too many schools today focus solely on a student's reading level before ever considering interests.  While I do see a place for this in a classroom setting, I do not think this should spill over into the library.  We see this issue in the school where I work as well.  Since our collection is not leveled, students are encouraged to do the "five finger test" where they read a page and count mistakes to determine readability.  I just want kids to read and to fall in love with a book, a character, an author.

Day 4

Today's focus was professional development for teachers.  I was able to observe as the media specialist helped teachers "add a little polish" to their websites during two different planning times.  The presentation itself was set up through Google Slides and presented on a Smartboard.  Teachers brought their laptops so that they could work on things in live time.  I picked up several useful tips from this day:

1.  Bring a treat/snack...in this case cookies.
2.  Make the slides eye-catching but easy to follow...red circles, finger pointer, screenshots
3.  Keep it short and sweet...in this case about 15-20 minutes...teachers appreciate that you realize their time is valuable.

In between groups I was able to ask some questions about how often they meet like this as well as how they come up with the topics.  What I learned is that topics are generated as needs arise.  Websites have to be regularly updated, so this was a necessary skill.  Other times, new technologies are presented.  Sometimes teachers' requests are covered.

Overall today has helped me to feel more confident about planning professional development opportunities for teachers.  I think the main goal is to be flexible and to be aware of their time and needs.

Day 3

Today was a very busy day in the library.  With a completely flexible schedule, the HSES library is open throughout the day for students to visit.  They come to check out books, do research, take Reading Counts tests, read, and even to study.  Today, a visitor needed a guest wifi password and a substitute needed assistance accessing laptop links at the same time.  This meant leaving the assistant in the library alone while we tried to resolve these issues.  Neither issue was easily solved, and we had to called our IT department for help.  Although the day was a bit chaotic, things all worked out.  This was a good lesson learned:  no matter how hectic things become, keep calm and be positive.  I actually really enjoy problem-solving!

Day 2 in the Library

Today was another great day of learning!  I was able to practice so many things and even learned a few new tricks.  First off, I was able to assist with technology this morning by checking out and distributing Chromebooks.  I was able to see the organizational strategy used and plan to implement a checkout system at my school.  In addition, I was able to spend some quality time with 5th and 1st graders offering reader's advisory as needed.  It was wonderful!  My mentor knows her collection so well that she can offer suggestions off the top of her head.  This is a new goal for me...to read as many books as I can so that I can better assist readers.  Finally, we began an analysis of a section of the library.  There were several things to consider including a Titlewise report for aged books and the number of checkouts.  We now have a list of titles that may need to be weeded and will start that process later in the week.  My favorite part of the day was working with students and hearing about books and authors they enjoy.

Day 1 in the Library

Today was a great day!  I arrived at school at 7:30, signed in, and found my way through the school to the library.  Along the way I was struck by the peaceful atmosphere.  There was soothing music playing throughout the building, and students were eagerly heading to their classrooms.  In one room I passed I heard a squeaky toy ans was surprised to see a little dog there on a rug.  As I began to backtrack to the doorway, several students noticed my surprise and said, "Yeah, that's our dog.  He is for therapy."  Wow!  In the library I was welcomed and shown to a place to house my things and do any work I needed to complete.  I was able to discuss and work on a timeline of activities.  We also discussed areas that I would like to improve and I assisted as needed with shelving books and putting away Chromebooks.  After one day, I have learned that media specialists are expected to do many things, sometimes they have to work late to get the job done, and issues are mostly the same in all schools.  I can see that Mrs. Edgerton has a great knowledge of children's literature, and I cannot wait to hear her booktalks.  My goal is to be helpful in any way I can as I practice various skills.  I have a feeling that we will learn from each other as the days go by.