Teen Read Week Cometh

Yes, it is coming up once again...the fabulous Teen Read Week.  I LOVE the theme this year, but sadly don't have the funds or the time to make all my TRW dreams come true.

No worries, though.  We will have a fabulous time celebrating teens and literacy on a shoestring budget...and you can, too!

The district is paying for amazing illustrator and artist extraordinaire Mike Wimmer to make a visit.  Hopefully we can work it out for him to come for another 1/2 day to work with a small group of our artistic GT kiddos.  He visited my campus long ago in another district and he is AMAZING with the students.  I am SO excited about this!

We are also having our wonderful little local zoo, The Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, TX , represented during TRW.  Charlotte is AMAZING over there and puts together really cool information about animals that always goes with our yearly theme----she even brings animal visitors each time.  Yes, middle school kids still think that's way cool.  ;)

Then, of course, we will have a Murder Mystery Day---Highsmith has really great (and VERY easy-to-use) kits and we happen to own on called Rock and Roll Over Dead---just perfect for this year's theme. 

We'll have several contests running, too...a song lyric writing contest, a caught you reading photography contest, and something I'm sure will come to me that works involving the teachers, too.  In the past we've done a match-the-baby-picture to the teacher, or match-the-pet-picture.  Not sure what we'll come up with, but I'd love to hear your ideas on the subject.

Obviously I'll have a few displays of awesome books that go well with this year's theme--fiction and non-fiction alike. 

I'm still considering having a Zumba class or two, and perhaps adding Karaoke at lunch time if I get really brave.

How about you?  How will you celebrate TRW?  One thing is for sure...Teen Read Week will Rock!

read on gentle readers, read on...
Mrs. S

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2010/home.cfm

Use your influence

So I saw this video today on yahoo and thought it was just great.  Apparently it is the sensational video of the moment.  I honestly didn't know the catchphrase until the end of the video, but it has really stuck with me.  'Cause that's what we as educators try to do.  We try to use our influence.  Positively.  ;)

cute girl catchy dance @ Yahoo! Video

Working as a librarian is a calling. At least that's the way I see it. It is important to remember--- regardless of how tired or cranky one might feel about getting up at flipping 5:30 in the morning or how frustrating it can be to do work that is so amazing yet isn't often recognized as such---that we do have influence.
And it is up to us to use that power wisely.
Because at the end of the day it is MY job, my duty, and my privilege to be a servant leader.  To help others--teachers, students, administrators, parents, and other librarians--in any way I can.

And...maybe, just maybe...if we are really lucky to use my influence to create readers readers everywhere with plenty of words to read. 

So...I book talk with my kids and watch the books fly off the shelves.  I assist the teacher who *perhaps* was not as well-planned as she thought she was and needs something last minute.  I attempt to DAILY live my life as a positive, upbeat, super-geek-cool-intellectual-bad-bootie, ninja librarian reader. 

Today it went well.  :)  Tomorrow we start all over again. 

Cheers to all of you-

Read on, gentle readers, read on.
Mrs. S.

And so it begins...

This school year has gotten off to an excellent beginning.  For starters, I have a new administrative team all the way around.  I loved working with the previous administrators, but I am really enjoying the new group, as well.  So far, everyone has been very supportive of the library program--for which I am ever so grateful.  We now even have a librarian as our administrative liason to Central Office.  Cool stuff.

I've prettied up the library--two pics of some of my display areas are in today's post---the pirate-y one here and then a books to movies one.  I've catalogued what feels like a million or so books. 

I've passed out equipment and placed initial orders.  I've seen 22 classes thus far and am gearing up for another incredibly full week of library fun.  And maybe fitting in a bit of time to catch my breath and blog regularly again! 

My summer felt really hectic, but I have to admit I am really feeling all my activities right now.  I have piles of Lone Star hopefuls in my living room just waiting to be read (we use the boxes right now as our version of a baby gate--that's how many I have!)  I have some book reviews to write, and some plans to make for our One Book, One School kick-off in October along with the culminating activity of a Hunger Games Day.  I have Teen Read Week to prepare for--including a visit with illustrator Mike Wimmer.  I have the other "hat"  I wear at work--Gifted and Talented coordinator--to prepare for.  Did I mention my Girl Scout troop starts meeting again this week, my older daughter's dance class starts up again tomorrow night, I have a 15 month old and a hubby in grad school?  We won't go into the daily grind details that we all also share. 

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my job, and so it is tough for me sometimes to remember to cut myself a little slack.  To be okay with not doing everything perfectly.  To allow myself to be human.  Like I've mentioned before I'm a work in progress.  ;)

Thanks for sticking with me through the writing desert that is the beginning of a new school year.  I appreciate you guys more than you know!