Al Roker and I Should Be BFFs!

I have been writing this post in my mind for well over a month.  I keep thinking "Today's the day I sit down and type" and time keeps rapidly progressing.  I have a SUPER HUMONGOUS PROJECT this Spring that I will share more about in a future post because I need to document the process and this is the best way for me to do it.

Anyway...on to my mind ramblings about Al Roker - my unknown BFF.

Let me start by saying that I watch the TODAY show every morning while I am getting ready for work.  I have spent my mornings with Matt, Katie, Savannah, Meredith and Al.  (I love them all and have this reoccurring fantasy that involves me being asked to hang out with them for a day!)

But today is all about AL!  Al is like the librarian of the Today show :-)  I know...I know...you think I have lost my mind.  But bear with me and you will see the genius.

Al's role is weatherman.  He is supposed to get 3-5 minutes each hour to tell us what to expect weatherwise and then send it off to the local station for a look at "what's happening in our neck of the woods." If something runs over, Al gets cut.

Librarians, particularly in elementary schools, get 50 minutes to do a lesson, book check in and book check out. If a meeting, that a librarian is supposed to present at, runs long then the librarian gets cut.

But Al is soooooo much more than a weatherman.  Let's look closer.

Al is arguably the most techy of all the Today show gang. He tweets and snaps and instagrams and vines was the first on the show to do so. He has the cool phone and the cool techy toys. Librarians are the most techy people in the school. We guide the rest of our school into the 21st century whether they want to be there of not!

But Al is much, much more than a weatherman. Al cooks!  He does cooking segments and even has written a cookbook (or two).  Librarians help cook up unique learning opportnities by giving teacehrs ingredients they need to be successful. (OK, that is a bit of a stretch.  The rest will get better.)

Al covers the red carpet!  He is fab at those celebrity interviews. He even got President Obama's First Interview and a handshake from Vice President Biden. (In case you missed it!)  Librarians are expert interviewers as well.  We interview reluctant readers, veracious readers and even adults who aren't sure what book they really need to teach a skill.  (Admit it.  That was better!)

Al is up for anything!  Seriously.  We have all seen his luge footage with Matt. He's been hypnotized.
He even played Urkel in this year's Halloween skit.  Librarians will do ANYTHING to get someone to read or be motivated.  Case in point.  (DO NOT SHARE THIS PHOTO WITH ANYONE!!)  Meet Agnes who came to the library without her travel books and needed the 2nd graders to fill in their passports with information about Africa.

I think I am still trying to get that nasty dollar store orange lipstick off!

Al is always in the middle of horrible situations - hurricanes, tornadoes, snow storms - you name it, he's covered it. He does the hard things, gets knocked down and keeps on going! Librarians do the same.  We do bus duty, cafeteria duty, concert duty and detention. And we do it all with a smile!

And, as if that were not enough, Al used to have a book club on the Today show. Seriously??!!  Show me a librarian who does not run a book club in their school (or dream of the time to start one).  I dare you to find one!

So Al, if you are ever in Baltimore stop by.  Or if you have a few minutes to spare in NYC, let's hang together.  I'll do the weather.  I'll cook with you.  We can talk books.  I am only a train ride away!

Mind Your Manners

When I was a classroom teacher (and mom to a wee one), manners were very important to me.  I made it a point to make sure that the little people in my life said "please" and "thank you" and "you're welcome" and "may I?" and "excuse me" and "I'm sorry".  They knew that people were finished and turkeys were done. We always wrote thank you notes for field trips or gifts or when visitors came.

So now the time has come for me to mind my manners and say,

 

 

I have so many people to thank and I know I will forget someone so I must apologize in advance if I do.

 

First, I have to thank Fran Glick who is my supervisor in the Office of Digital Learning(ODL).  Fran tossed out the idea of genrefying and let me run with it.  She read (and commented!) on the blog, emailed and tweeted and talked about me behind my back - in a good way.

 

Next up are Chimere Neal and Kelly Ray, both of whom are resource teachers in the ODL. Chimere helped me kick things off and was instrumental in helping getting the categories and corresponding graphics nailed down.  Kelly was a powerhouse who helped me craft presentation proposals and the corresponding presentations.  She gave so much of her own time to meet with me and work on this project.  She worked tirelessly on the project wiki, library wiki and Destiny solutions.  She truly was the OZ behind the curtain.

 

Remi and Donna, data clerks in the ODL, who came to my school and scanned and scanned and scanned my books and put them all into their new genre classifications so students could find them via location fields in Destiny.  You saved me so much angst and didn't laugh too loudly when I fell out of my chair!

 

Justin, Ben, Jen and Valerie, S.T.A.T. Resource Teachers, who came to my little corner of Baltimore County and peeled labels and label covers and more labels and more labels covers.  Then stacked books back on shelves - all the while laughing and making time fly by.  Thank you also for packing the seats at Common Ground even though my session was the last one on the last day.  You tweeted and came and made my day!

To the many fellow librarians who supported this project with time (labeling and shelving books), encouragement via emails and tweets and attendance at Professional Development sessions and enthusiasm for the project, thank you.  There is nothing like being supported by your peers and feeling like you can give something back to those who have shared so much with you, in so many ways, so many times before.

I'm not finished.  The blog isn't finished.  The library isn't finished.  I still have a bunch of things swirling around in my head that need to be done.  But the most important is now complete.  I have minded my manners and said, "Thank You!"