Catching Up!

I know that I have been an absent blogger of late so I am going to take a few minutes to catch you up with the goings on in libraryland.

American Education Week wrapped up.  Lots of visitors to our school and to my library!  I had a large display in the hallway showcasing what the library has been doing and the resources available from BCPS.  I saw families taking a peek at my Book Character Pumpkin Display and reading the tweets and emails from authors.

I also launched two new ways for kids to interact with me and each other.  The first is a display called, "Where In the U.S.A is Mrs. Bixby?"  As you can see, I placed a large map in the hallway and students ask yes/no questions in order to try to "find" me.  When I am found, I make a short video for the morning announcements, using MovieMaker, that gives some history, main attractions and such for the state I was in.  I want to start mystery SKYPE but I first wanted to gauge the interest and questioning of my students.  So the interest is there and Mystery Skype will hopefully be happening in the Spring.

The second interaction was "Caption This" where a large drawing hangs in the library and students write a caption for it.  (I know - my title is beyond clever!) Take a peek at November's contest.

My students took the SpeakUp survey and we participated in Hour of Code.  I have a bunch of coding junkies now!  Just in time for indoor recess as the weather turns colder after the holidays.  The exciting thing is brothers and sisters who went home and talked to families and siblings so when I introduced the coding in class they were saying, "I know that.  My brother told me about this" or "My sister showed me this."  LOVE IT!  The students also went home and coded on their own and stop back by the library to share what them made after clicking on Khan Academy tutorials. 

We also received our racetrack from HotWheels - fun!  I am loving the conversations occurring during Makerspace time.  Watching them work together to process how to create a loop and have a car travel fully through it with no pushing on their part is priceless.  I need to videotape the awesome STEM occurring but I always forget because I am so wrapped up in it.

And...stay tuned because tomorrow I can FINALLY reveal my secret that I couldn't tell before!

It's American Education Week!

Facebook has this really neat feature that lets you "see" your memories from previous years.  This is what popped up for me today and I think it bears repeating.

Sandy Fletcher Bixby

November 17, 2013 · 

Tomorrow begins the start of American Education Week. Please don't tell your children you are coming and then not show up. It crushes their little hearts and makes for very uncomfortable/awkward moments as the teacher helps them work through their disappointment while others (including other parents) look on. Better to say you aren't coming and surprise them.

Please take a few minutes to look around and see all the wonderful things being accomplished in your child's classroom. But don't compare your child to another. Life is not a competition and we all have unique strengths and weaknesses.

Speaking of looking around, see how much your child's teacher goes above and beyond. Those bulletin boards, book displays, locker and desk tags don't just magically appear by little school elves. smile emoticon

Please remember this is not about you and your friends. Put away the cell. Don't talk to your neighbor. In short, if you wouldn't want your child to do it while learning is happening, you shouldn't be doing it either.

Remember, this is a day in a life. One tiny glimpse into life in a classroom. You wouldn't want to be judged for your job on just a short moment. Be fair in judging the teacher. They like to hear positive feedback too!

And above all, remember to smile. Your little angel is sneaking peeks at you (even if they were told not to) and they want to make you proud!

I hope your classrooms and libraries are full of families that see YOUR worth and the importance of what YOU do each and every day when no one else is watching or seems to care about your little corner of the school.  Because YOU make a difference.  YOU are growing a reader, a critical thinker, a synthesizer of knowledge and a citizen of the world...and that's a REALLY BIG DEAL!

From the Mouths of Students

As much as I had hoped to interact with the students more during this first week of our new "genrefied" Fiction section, the reality was American Education Week was a deterrent to this.  Lots of parents and grandparents were really curious about the curriculum being taught (If I had a nickel for every "Wow, this sure is different than when I was in school" and "I need to come learn these lessons") and the changes occurring in the library.  And, fortunate that I am, many were parents of my former Kindergarten students who are always so gracious and kind and want to update me about the progress of the children in their family. I also got some wonderful feedback about our first ever Pumpkin Decorating Contest. 

So what is a librarian to do when she can't be everywhere at once to capture authentic reactions?  Answer: Flipcam   After the second day, it finally dawned on me that I needed to "solve the problem-get creative" as I tell my students all the time! We have a Flipcam.  My students know how to use a Flipcam.  (Technology working for me instead of against me for once this past week.)  I simply announced that during book check out a Filpcam would be available, on the circulation desk, for anyone who would like to leave a message for the library office about the reorganization of the Fiction section.  It could be positive or negative but they had to support their response.  About 30 students decided to take the challenge.  Since I am not posting all 30, you just need to take my word when I say that there were no negatives.  Unfortunately, the sound quality was not good on many and, as expected, there were some very silly students who just wanted to play around.  (I would not have expected otherwise.)  The clips below are a fair representation of what was recorded.  Take a listen.

(For the record, that is NOT a new book!)

 

Encouraging and energizing and just what I need to face the shortened Thanksgiving school week with my overly large To-Do list.

 

Tonight's task, after updating the blog, is to tackle the many emails hardworking Kelly has been sending today.  I really do appreciate sharing the load with the library office.  Two short weeks until the next transformation.

 

 

What's the BEST Way To End American Education Week?

It's been a LONG week of parent visitation, technology curses and cold bus duty but this picture shows exactly why all that disappears:

 

 

This 4th grader has been following me around the library for WEEKS asking for this book and for WEEKS I have been telling him it has been checked out.  Today it was finally returned and I snagged it before it could be checked out.  I called him down this afternoon during my planning and said, "I know you think I wasn't listening to you but I was and I have something for you." Then I handed the book over to him.  He was so excited that he jumped up and down and did a dance.  Then he looked at me and said, "You really did listen.  You're the best!" 

 

I saw him (and another student from his class) a short time afterward and the girl commented, "He was so excited about that book that he danced around his chair in the classroom and showed it to everyone."

 

Yep!  That is definitely a great end to American Education Week.  #winninglibrarian