Literacy Honor Cords

     

I'm super excited to get LIT this year with literacy honor cords available to earn from the library! I've been looking for a way to really create a culture of literacy at my high school, and I think this is a fun and important step to take in that process.

A few weeks ago I posted on the ALA Think-Tank Facebook group asking folks to share their fabulous secondary library webpages.  One of my new librarian friends shared her website and it included info about their literacy cords.  I was intrigued and began searching out info from other schools who also gave these.  I only found one other school (full disclosure I did not spend weeks upon weeks searching---this from a cursory search) who bestowed these, but I love the idea and decided to run with it.  I messaged my friend, too, and she clarified a few things about their specific program for me.

After coming up with an initial list of requirements, I met with the National English Honor Society sponsor to get input, and now I've  sent it to our principal for approval.  I'm meeting with him next week to see where things stand.  Once I have it set in stone, I'll post it on the blog.

Honor cords weren't a thing when I graduated oh-so-long ago, and I didn't realize what a HUGE deal they are to the kids until I moved up to work at the high school 3 years ago.  Dude! They are serious about these and it becomes almost a competition of sorts to see how many you can earn. 

I'm all in.  While I don't love giving trinkets for reading, I DO love the idea of treating reading as something worthy of honor at graduation.  Let's reward our students for their hard work and commitment to reading. 

Happy Read-a-Lot-a-Days! #SOL

It has been a wonderful first week of December in the library!

My students are really enjoying our #12DaysofLibraryChristmas celebration. If you missed that post you can read it here. Truth be told, I have had a BLAST doing it, too!

Day  1: We decorated our mini-stockings with glitter glue.

Day 2: Wintergreen candy canes & Day 3: Pop Rocks!

Day 4: Christmas buttons.

Day 5: Mini-cupcakes.

Day 6: "LIKE A BOSS" pencils.  I give these out tomorrow and I'm sooooo excited.

I'll follow up with the last of the pics next week!

In other news, the library has been decorated.  Finally.
There was no way to up my game from last year's viral snowman, so I decided to take a step back and go easy-peasy this year.  The kids decorated and had a ball doing it without any stress.

Lastly, I love, love, love the new Facebook header I created using Canva.  You can check it out on our Facebook page.

Have a wonderful week, y'all!

First Week Back in my HS Library!

This is the image I created with Canva (which is everything awesome and amazing and you NEED it in your life, trust me on this--rush out there to canva.com and go to town) to send out on all our library social media accounts:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nachslib
Instagram: NacHSLibrary
Twitter: NacHSLibrary
(y'all check us out!), as well as sending it to the teachers via a mass email.  When I send notices out to teachers I try to make a splashy image that will catch their attention, give them the information in short bits, and be done.  I want them to know that while I have info to share, I respect their time.

Open a book, find a treasure. ARRGGGHH. 

The first book display of the year has a pirate theme this time around.  I guess I was just feeling pirate-y. Plus, won't it be fun on Talk Like a Pirate Day?

The kids are clearly already enjoying Captain Jack, as you might discern from the second photo.  I don't mind--I enjoy innocent shenanigans and am glad it is getting their attention.  ;)

Terrible pic of our wonderful new reading nook.  Before this year, this space under the stairs was used to store the carts for the library.  Ugly, but useful.  I noticed, though, that my kids were always moving things around in order to create little hidey-holes behind the carts.  Um....no.  This year we've moved the carts back to the storage room and have created a pleasant & inviting nook for my bookish friends who, like hobbits, enjoy cozy spaces. The students love it (well, it did take one a minute to absorb it all--she said---and I quote---wait! what happened to my emo corner?)

And...last but not least....my Slytherin banner.  We are bringing M.A.G.I.C. club back and I am now head of Slytherin House.  OH YEAH, BABY...I'VE GOT THE POWER!


GIFSoup

It's Wednesday and I haven't made my blogging deadlines for the past couple of weeks-- but y'all, I'm flat worn out by the time I get home.  Am not draggin' so much today as I was yesterday, nor the day before that.  Feeling like this time next week I'll be back on track with this whole getting-up-before-dawn thing that the school year requires.

In other high-points-of-the-week news:

• the FIRST day of school I had students waiting on me to open the library. THE FIRST DAY!!!  I had checked out books before our official opening time of 7:30 AM.  Be still my heart!
• I have already received many I-read-this-over-the-summer-and-you-must-read-it moments (don't y'all just love those?)
• we added a beautiful new (old--antique--gorgeous--FREE) sofa to the library.  Pics of that later.
• I was honored to be asked to read the writing of one of my new students to campus.  
• I've been told the library is "so cool".  by freshman.  boys.  who are athletes.  let that sink in.  
• I've already been asked to come booktalk with a class.   JOY!

I hope your new year is off to a fabulous start, too.  Let me know how it's going in the comments!

Picture Books?

Last week I had an interesting experience. 

It was Friday---school ended for the kids Thursday, so I was at my desk working on genre-fying and fixing other processing issues I found on books.  I had just finished redoing the spine label on a picture book, making it P (for Picture) and set it up on my counter along with other books I had finished.

An adult came by, saw the book, and asked incredulously, "Um...Really? THIS is appropriate for a HIGH SCHOOL Library? THIS is rigorous???"

THIS, friends, was a moment to get snarky  educate at the point-of-need!  You see, I am a bookish babe.  I love books in all their forms.  I don't get uptight about what genre OR FORMAT I read. Basically, I am an equal opportunity reader.  I have had laugh-out-loud moments reading picture books to myself....but I really must remember that not everyone gets it...yet.
I'm on a mission to change the world one heart/mind/soul at a time, so here goes....

Reasons Why Picture Books Belong in High Schools 

(a list of a few of the many reasons Picture Books ROCK!):

1. Rose Blanche & Erika's Story are two of the most powerful books I've ever experienced. These books, set during the Holocaust, each touch me deeply.  The combination of the words and the beautifully haunting illustrations are mesmerizing. Yes, I've read detailed non-fiction work on this time period, but THESE are the two that haunt me from year to year. Picture books allow history teachers, for example, to bring home a point in a POWERFUL way within a class period. 
2. Picture books, like any great stories, must contain ALL the parts of the story---just like a novel--only they are compressed into 32 pages (give or take).  AGAIN, this allows teachers to USE these great books to illustrate writing concepts within a class period in a way that is FUN, let's kids grasp them, and still leaves time for practicing what they've learned in their own writing.
3. Art.  Oh, the ART!  Check out the two picture books mentioned above for some seriously amazing art. The list goes on and on, of course.  Mike Wimmer is an artist who has visited 2 of my schools in the past.  Okay, both were before I was at a high school, but I'd totally bring him to my campus.  Art is important (despite what test makers would have us believe) and I want my students to know that people actually DO create art for a living.  Picture books are incredibly inspiring artistically. 
4. All my students deserve awesome books.  ALL of them.  The ones way above grade level AND the ones in self-contained life-skills classes and ALL of them in-between.  I want ALL my students to feel included and important because ALL of them ARE.  For Andrew who loves Arthur books and can read them almost all by himself, (and others) I promise I will ALWAYS have books for you.  YOU do not matter LESS than anyone else. 
5. Most of my high school kiddos have younger ones at home--some are siblings, and some are cousins, and some are their own children.  I especially encourage my students who are young parents to check these out to take home and read to their child at night.  We all know the importance of early literacy---having picture books in our library makes it a super easy, no-excuses situation for reading to their child at night.
6. Picture books are awesome.  They are 32 pages of IMPACT.  Succinct writing.  Beautiful art. Sometimes witty wordplay, sometimes "the feels," and sometimes you even get glitter. ;)

I know that budgets are tight, and I believe in the importance of being a good steward of the book budgets we receive.  At the high school, I don't have a million picture books, but I DO keep a decent selection of up-to-date new stuff and awesome favorites in a special "Picture Book" section. I believe they are important.  

image from http://library.law.wfu.edu/files/2012/02/confused-face2.jpg

Closing Time

Closing Time,

Every new beginning comes from 

some other beginning's end...

And the boxing up/cleaning out/throwing away has begun.  Farewell dear giant popcorn display, you served me well!

It is the end of the school year.

We are in the very.last.month.of.school.

I've been through many YOEs, as this is my 23rd year to be an educator. 

For the past few years I've had it easy.  

Not this year.

Sure, I'll have inventory, writing reports, hounding the kids for missing books, assisting teachers in the Blitz (what we call the small window of time to prep the kids who did not pass the STAAR on the first go-round to pass it on the second) by teaching 2 sections of 8th grade Advanced ELA classes (novel study: Red Badge of Courage); basically, all the usual stuff.  

What makes this year different is that I am leaving.  In the words of Semisonic, I am gathering up my jackets, and moving it to the exits.

I'm leaving my middle school campus.  Oh, what adventures I've had there!  For 12 years Mike Moses Middle School has been my second home.  "A middle school librarian" is how I've defined myself.  I've met so many folks, had so many experiences, had some truly wonderful administrators and grown tremendously as a professional, and as a person in general.  I was blessed to have folks believe in me, and allow me to do some really awesome things like One Book, One School, Read-it-Forward, and author visits (over the years we've had Neal Shusterman, Roland Smith, Greg Neri, Jill Alexander, for example).  It is because I was at middle school that I have had the opportunity to be on the Lone Star committee and the Spirit of Texas MS committee.  

I loved the trips taking students to NYC with my dear friend and colleague Teresa Ragland, a force of nature; a whirling dervish of talent and the single best theatre teacher I've ever had the pleasure to know.  She left our campus a few years back, and while I've loved all who have come after her, Teresa has a sparkle that very few on this earth can claim.

long story. NYC joke from the time we got STUCK there for 4 extra days due to a freak snowstorm.  Good times.  

Most of my friends are folks I work with.  We've seen each other through tears of joy, and tears of sadness. We've baked for one another, sent kind notes to one another--and OH, have we ever laughed together! Both my children were born while I have worked at this campus. These are my people.  I will miss them. 

My students are in shock.  I'm happy to say the 8th graders seem thrilled.  It tickled me today when my library assistants were quietly arguing among themselves as to which one of them inspired me to move on up to HS with them.  My 7th and 6th graders are not.so.happy.  I've been there so long, and taught so many of their older siblings---well, I think they pretty much thought I was a given, you know?

My Girl Scout troop has met at my campus for the past 4 years.  All the glitter, chocolate fountains, GS cookies, and rounds of Make New Friends that have taken place in my library!  My library.   

Mine for only about a month longer.  And then I will truly turn in my keys for the first time ever (I am always going up over the summer working on something or other or gathering books to read) and I will be on my way up the road.  

And my life will be filled with new adventures and new friends (hey--I AM a Girl Scout, so I will definitely make new friends, but keep the old---one is silver and the other gold!) and new opportunities for fabulous growing experiences that will happen because I am at a high school.  

And I will laugh and sing and sprinkle glitter and the love of books where ever I am, because that's just how I roll, folks.