Happy 2017 After a Much Needed Break



Tomorrow, I go back to school after our winter break. I spent my break visiting with friends and family, resting and exercising, and reading some awesome young adult literature. What I didn't do is think much about school and the library. Just like this past summer, I needed some time to regroup. I tend to feel guilty when I don't have something new and different for the library right up my sleeves. It can really get exhausting constantly reinventing what I do. I needed to turn off professionally for awhile. 

Here are some of the books that I read over break:

I give this one 5 stars! Loved it.

King is amazing, and this story is not like any other. 

Good characters, and who doesn't like a story with NYC as one of the characters

December is always a busy month. One important thing that I had on my agenda was a visit with the Louisiana Superintendent of Education, John White. I went with six other members of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians to talk with him about ESSA and school libraries. ESSA is the federal program called Every Student Succeed Act that takes the place of No Child Left Behind. This is the first time since before NCLB that librarians and libraries are mentioned in the federal plan. The draft of Louisiana's ESSA plan did not mention the library. We went to speak with John White to make sure that libraries are included at the state level so that individual districts will know that federal funds can be spent in the library. He was extremely receptive, and we have high hopes. Our next contact with him is a conference call later this month. 

Around the middle of December there was news traveling the Internet about Denzel Washington visiting his former librarian to wish her a happy birthday. It always helps to have stories like these to broadcast the power of libraries in all of our lives. I enjoyed reading about it, but it was the comment made on Facebook by one of my former students that was a true surprise. She attended PFTSTA when I first became librarian there, and she is now a teacher herself. The following is our conversation on FB. Wow! I was surprised by her superlatives, but I certainly loved hearing them. 



Then it came time for presents right before break. The candy, homemade treats, and mugs are nice, but it is the cards written from the heart that I love the best. I got two cards this year that really meant something to me. One was from a teacher, and though she did not write much, her words were powerful. She is the head of the English department, and we work very closely together to provide the best for our students. The other note was from an 8th grade student. 

Isn't nice to have a teacher say this!


Read transcript of student's note below

Transcript of student's note, and I don't think that any commentary is necessary. Her words say it all:
Dear Ms. Kahn
You are the best librarian I have ever had. Honestly, you are what makes school bearable. 

Thank you for being amazing. Thank you for book club every week and thank you for letting me spend every lunch in the library becauase the cafeteria is terrifying. 

Because of you and (the) library, I have met three of my best friends and read a lot more than I would have on my own. 

Thank you for letting me read your ARCs (Advanced Reader's Copy) and for all of the awesome book suggestions. 

Please enjoy the toffee. (her mom is an amazing cook and baker)

Also, have an amazing Christmas break. 
_________________________________________________________________________________

😊 To all of you, I wish a prosperous, healthy, and happy new year in both your professional and personal lives!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Holidays from BRiMS and Bookmarked

I run two book groups at Patrick Taylor. My high school book group, Bookmarked , was created in the fall of 2007 which was my second year as librarian at the school. The students really wanted a library club, but the square footage of the library was so small that I could not imagine how any students could do any actual library work. Instead I created a book discussion group. Not only did we meet to talk books, but I tapped these students to help me with fundraisers and special programming like Teen Read Week. Helping me with these special activities seemed to appease the members. I waited until February of 2009 to institute a book discussion group for my middle school students called BRiMS, or Books Rule in Middle School . Both of the groups meet during lunch, and this year, the school added a third lunch. Now BRiMS is made up of only 6th and 7th graders. Bookmarked has 8th-12th grade students. This has actually worked well because in 2014 and 2015, Bookmarked lost a lot of members w
Read more

Banned Book Week: Students Make Comments Pro & Con Censorship

Image
This blog post is being designed as a lesson for the English I students at PFTSTA. The teachers and I have collaborated on an activity to celebrate Banned Book Week (BBW). Many times in the past during BBW, I have invited the 8th graders into the library to discuss the banning and challenging of books in schools and libraries. I usually show some videos and share books owned by our library that have been banned or challenged somewhere in the US. This activity always spurs great discussion among the students and teachers. This year we wanted the students to create a written response to the presentation. We thought there was a real world connection if we had the students post their opinion online as a comment to someone writing about censorship in schools. The teachers and I want the students to learn how to compose a well thought out comment that is supported by evidence and concrete details. How more real world could it be than having the students comment directly on their librar
Read more

Students Weigh in on Banned Books and the Freedom to Read

Image
Every year, for Banned Book Week, I prepare a lesson for our 8th graders. It was always teacher directed with discussion until last year . The English I teachers and I created a lesson for the students that included research and writing. I pulled the materials that I wanted them to read, and the students would write a very short essay declaring their belief in the need for teens to be able to exercise their freedom to read what they want to or the need for certain books to be taken off the shelves of the library or pulled from the English curriculum.  Above is the slide presentation that I have made for the students. Included in the slides are several videos that I thought would get the students thinking. There are slides with links to specific articles that we want the students to read and use for the concrete evidence to support their stance. A rubric is included at the end so the students know exactly what is expected. The teachers and I want the writing to have a rea
Read more