Spring has Sprung

It is the Friday morning before Spring Break begins...ah, the joy of spring!






I have a quiet, quiet class of lovely 8th graders in here working on their literature project.  I have 2 boys working on GT products.  I hear the steady comforting hum of the computers in the background---white noise that I miss when they are turned off. 

This morning my coffee brewed to perfection.  With the addition of a goodly amount of French vanilla creamer and a touch of Splenda my work day began. 

I greeted over 75 kiddos in the library before school started.  Some come to play checkers, some to work or play games on the computers.  Others actually love to sit in one of our comfy couches or  ice cream scoop chairs and read.  We, of course, as a middle school do have the occasional kiddo or two who comes in to swagger & flirt & joke (sort of quietly), too.  I enjoy them all.  Even as I remind them to pull their pants up, tuck their shirts in, and keep their volume to a dull roar...I enjoy them.

I do so love my job.  Even the day before spring break.  Most especially today. 

Read on, Gentle Readers, Read on...

Mrs. S

photo from:http://www.nacogdochesazaleas.com/photos.php

Madame C.J. Walker

In honor of Black History Month, I thought I'd post some of my fave videos, etc. that I will be using in classes. I LOVE this one and know you will, too! What a pioneer for not only African Americans AND women AND those raised in poverty, but for business people of all backgrounds, as well. 

You can also check out the official Madame C.J. Walker website at:
http://www.madamcjwalker.com/ for tons of great info!

So there was this chicken...

I just love my job.  I get to work with the most fantastic people--both faculty and students--evah!

Here's a joke one of my teachers sent to me today...and believe me, I really needed a laugh this morning.

Corny, but very cute...enjoy.











A chicken walks into the library. It goes up to the circulation desk and says: "book, bok, bok, boook".



The librarian hands the chicken a book. It tucks it under his wing and runs out.


A while later, the chicken runs back in, throws the first book into the return bin and goes back to the librarian saying: "book, bok, bok, bok, boook". Again the librarian gives it a book, and the chicken runs out. The librarian shakes her head.


Within a few minutes, the chicken is back, returns the book and starts all over again: "boook, book, bok bok boook". The librarian gives him yet a third book, but this time as the chicken is running out the door, she follows it.


The chicken runs down the street, through the park and down to the riverbank. There, sitting on a lily pad is a big, green frog. The chicken holds up the book and shows it to the frog, saying: "Book, bok, bok, boook". The frog blinks, and croaks: "read-it, read-it, read-it".

The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest

Books and cupcakes...what could possibly be better? 


Free stuff, you say? 


Well then you are in luck, 'cause we can throw that in the mix, too. 






A couple of weeks ago I attended the East Texas Library Summit, put on by the ever-so-fabulous Sharon Gullett, and attended a great session put on by my friend and fellow librarian Carol where I learned about Kay Cassidy's Great Scavenger Hunt Contest. 


This is REALLY super cool stuff because she makes it SOOO easy for us to reward student reading.  She lays it all out there...and even provides the rewards (although I plan to add little bitty prizes to the mix, as well.  what can I say? I'm a fan of free stuff, so I figure the kids are, too, right?)

Kay is the author of The Cinderella Society and a fellow cupcake fan
(so you just KNOW she's a great person!). 

Check out her website at: http://www.kaycassidy.com/
and the direct link to the Great Scavenger Hunt contest is
http://www.kaycassidy.com/hunt/

Go check it out and get reading!

image from:

http://www.chicagocupcakes.com/

well, now what?

Got some news last week that my school district has decided to reconfigure the schools...again.  When I first moved here I worked at the Intermediate School--a school for all the 5th and 6th graders in the district.  A couple years later our school became a second middle school--with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.  Now it looks like I have one more year before we attempt to turn back time.

I'm normally a pretty positive person, and I know everything will work out for the best regardless of if I can see that now or not, but man does this news ever make me queasy.  As a former elementary teacher I have tons of experience working with that age group.  In fact, had you told me 15 years ago that I would LOVE middle school I might have laughed right out loud...right in your face and everything.  ;)   But once I became a middle school librarian I felt like I had truly found my calling.  I love working with this age group (what can I say, I'm a tad bit nutty, I suppose) and really have no desire to go back to working with the younger set in my daily work.  I love YA literature and have made that my area of expertise.  I'm just finishing my stint on the Lone Star committee for pete's sake. 
We'll learn next month which of the two middle schools will become the Intermediate, but I feel sure it will be my campus.  After all, we were originally built for that purpose and besides the other school has the athletic fields and we all know what that means. 

At the very least I now have 1.5 years to demolish my hard earned collection. To tear apart and piece out books that I adore and many that I have donated from my time working on the committee.  To lesson the number of books I have while doubling the student population.  I cringe even thinking about it.

My building isn't the newest one, but I have loved this little library and made it my mission to feel welcoming and warm.  The other library is foreign territory.  My office is my second home and has been for nearly 10 years. 

The librarian there is an absolute doll and a friend of mine, but  I really don't know how she is feeling about all this news either and what decisions she would make given the choice.  I don't like the idea of displacing anyone for my personal gain as much as I don't want to change age groups or buildings.  I don't know where my principal will be--those decisions haven't been made yet and won't until sometime next year. 

Mixed feelings.  I know it will all work out.  Things always do.  But until then I'm left with a little knot in the pit of my stomach because I'm a natural planner. Well, and a *semi-*control freak.;)  No bueno to not have much say in how things will work out. 

The good news is things will work out regardless and at least my district isn't doing away with librarians.

Cornell Notes

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
I put it up specifically for one of my teachers who is so awesome to work with because she isn't scared to share her kiddos with me and allows me to really be a part of their instructional team! Great info, though, for everyone to use.

Cornell Notes

View more presentations from beaversonWJH.

2011 Lone Star Animoto

This Friday I will give one session going over the newest Lone Star list for area librarians at the East Texas Library Summit.  Sharon Gullett is a real guru in the field and puts this on at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas.