Productive Struggle

For the last week and a half, my colleague Josh Allen and I have been taking Breakout EDU to the classrooms of our 2nd-5th grade building. It's been an illuminating experience for all of us.

As we've watched students work through the game, one of the most common comments I've heard from the teachers has been, "How can you just sit back and watch?"

Let me just tell you. Sometimes it's hard. Very hard. It's hard to watch as students don't use the resources given to them. It's hard to watch as students skim past clues. It's hard to listen to students who aren't listening to their group members. It's hard to see students who are so close to getting something but are missing a small detail. 

It's hard to watch students struggle.

We as teachers want so badly to see our students succeed. But sometimes we forget that in order to succeed, sometimes we have to struggle. 

The opportunities that Breakout EDU offers are what I'd call productive struggle. 

Breakout EDU, no matter what game, teaches our students to be critical-thinkers and problem-solvers. They must determine what is and what is not important information. They must decide how to use the information they've been given. It teaches them to be good team members. In order to succeed, Breakout EDU requires team work. It requires students to take turns. It requires them to share their ideas and explain their thinking. It requires them to listen to each other. And Breakout EDU teaches our students to persevere. It requires them to shift their thinking when something doesn't work. It requires them to work past frustration and to build off the ideas of others.

Now, of course, we're not completely heartless. We intervene and redirect groups that are becoming toxic and derailing themselves. We don't want the struggle to become debilitating.

One of the most important things that we do at the end of every game is to reflect. Even if groups fail to breakout in the allotted time, we take the time to celebrate and recognize the things they did well. And we always take the time to ask them what they learned about the experience and how they'd use what they learned for next time. Almost always someone brings up the ideas of reading more carefully, of noticing, of listening, of working together, of trying different things.

And we always talk to our students about how all of the things they've learned are things that can be applied outside of Breakout EDU . . . in the classroom, during math or reading, at recess, at home. 

Because in the outside world, the struggle is very real.

Thinking Outside the Box: Breakout EDU and the library

Never one to be satisfied with the status quo, I'm always pushing the proverbial envelope, always challenging my students and teachers to explore new ideas. And I'm lucky enough to work with several brave souls who are willing to come along for the ride, even if they've got no idea what I'm getting them into.

And so goes the story of how Breakout EDU came to the library . . .

As a librarian, I want to provide my students with opportunities that encourage them to challenge their thinking, to take risks, and to provide them with experiences that allow them to apply information and explore their strengths in nontraditional ways. I'd heard about Breakout EDUs and knew it was something I wanted for my library and for my students.

Using my library budget, I purchased three kits from Breakout EDU. I figured since I was a novice at setting up a Breakout game, I'd better start with the experts. By purchasing kits directly from Breakout EDU, I was provided with all the materials I'd need, plus access to numerous games with all materials and set up instructions included.

It didn't take me long to find my first willing participant . . .

One of my 5th grade classes was participating in Global Read Aloud with the novel Pax. When I saw that there was a Breakout game for the book, I immediately approached the teacher to ask if she would be willing to let me use her students as guinea pigs. Despite the fact that she had no idea what I was asking of her, she graciously agreed, especially when I assured her that I would have everything set up and ready to go!

I dutifully printed the instructions, read them over carefully, and began to prepare the materials for the game. I must admit that I was intimidated by the locks. I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to get them set and that I'd be dead in the water. But the worries were unnecessary. Breakout EDU provides a number of video tutorials that walk educators through each step of setting the locks.

With the locks set and materials prepared, I was ready for the big day!

The locks were set, ready for students to break out!

On the day of the game, I set up the library (as instructed via Breakout EDU) and welcomed our students. I gave them the most minimal of explanations of what they were doing, gave a quick tutorial of the locks (I wasn't sure how many of my students had actually explored locks before), and started the timer.

And then I watched.

Students gathered as a whole group to review the clues, often coming back together to share information.
 

Students often broke off into small groups to work through the various puzzles.

I watched as students took the challenge on. I watched as leaders emerged. Students stepped up to take charge of the various puzzles, while others helped or worked to communicate between the small groups that naturally formed. I watched students play to their strengths. Students who were good with words tackled the word puzzle, while students who were good with math tackled the math puzzle. I watched students work together. I watched students reread clues to each other. I watched students problem-solve. I watched students struggle. I watched students succeed.

Mrs. Hetzel's 5th graders broke out with 12:54 remaining!

For me, the whole experience affirmed the benefits of Breakout EDU. Students who struggled in regular academic tasks were able to find success in a variety of capacities during the game. Students were given an authentic opportunity to problem-solve, to work as a group and to persevere in the face of adversity, to work past frustration and rely upon others. Students had to communicate, students had to think, students had to work together as a group.

Was it perfect? Absolutely not. As with anything, there are always things to improve or tweak to make the experience even better. But ultimately, it was a wild success . . . My students learned to think outside the box.

Using Padlet to Support Personal Professional Development

I love learning.

I love sharing.

I love sharing what I'm learning.

The more learning and sharing (and brainstorming and innovating and growing) I can do, the better!

I'm constantly looking to improve. I'm never satisfied with the status quo. I use social media such as Twitter and Voxer to challenge myself, to learn and to improve my professional practices. But for me, there's still nothing quite like actually attending an educational conference. It's the environment. It's the social interactions. It's being face-to-face with other passionate educators who want nothing more than to improve themselves in order to improve the educational experience for their students.

As a Teacher Librarian, I attend conferences not only to further develop my own practices, but I am always on the lookout for resources and ideas that I can share and support with my students and staff to enhance their educational experiences. I attend conferences as much for them as I do for me.

So there's always the burning question: How can I share my experiences with those who weren't there with me?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who struggles with this. Sometimes this sharing can be a difficult. Sometimes the learning centers around new practice or tool introduced in a session. Those are easy to attribute and share. But so many times, what I take away from conferences can be more about mindset, inspiration, connections, and/or new opportunities for my students, my staff and for my library. The learning I take away from a conference may not always be obvious and easily traceable. There are so many amazing ideas shared by amazing educators. The learning I'm doing is much more subtle.

All that being said, I realized that I wanted and needed to be much more intentional and transparent about sharing my learning with my administrators, colleagues, and even my students.

To this end, I decided to utilize one of my favorite new obsessions, Padlet. While attending two fantastic conferences in the last month: ITEC (Iowa Technology Education Connection) in Des Moines and NSLA (Nebraska School Library Association) in Omaha, I created the Padlets featured below as a way to share my learning with my administrators and colleagues. I not only shared these Padlets with my administrator and specific teachers via e-mail, I also shared the links and discussed my learning during recent leadership team meetings at my building. And because sharing is caring, I've shared these Padlets with several members of my PLN. Now I'm sharing them with you!

I'm obsessed with using Padlet with my students as a way to capture and share their ideas, but this was the first time I'd used it to capture my own. I love how visual Padlet is. I love that you can add text, pictures, links, videos, etc. I love the it succinctly and efficiently organizes my learning in a way that's easy to capture and share. And I loved that it allowed me to share with my colleagues and administration in a way that will allow them to engage with my learning too.

And as an added bonus, utilizing Padlet has allowed me to continue to reflect on my learning in a more meaningful way.

Making your PLN truly personal

Last April at the Iowa Association of School Librarian conference I had to pleasure of listening to Shannon Miller and Michelle Luhtala as they gave a Lightning Talk entitled "Friendspiration." In their sharing, they told the story of how their collaboration via social media blossomed into a true friendship that inspires both of them as professionals and individuals.

Being a librarian can sometimes be isolating. We are often singletons in our buildings, some are singletons in a whole district. We belong to everyone, and yet we belong to no one. 

Yet, there's hope! As technology continues to increase our access to information, so does it increase our access to each other. You hear about the power of being a connected educator, the opportunities it can provide for your students. We know it's important to build your Personal Learning Network (PLN) in order to continue to grow professionally.

But what about your personal growth?

I have been blessed to have my own stories of "friendspiration." There are members of my PLN who have truly become friends. These are the individuals I turn to when I have questions, when I need inspiration, when I need to vent. We leave each other inspirational messages, we lift each other up, we help each other out. We have truly become friends. But none of it would have happened without social media.

For me, Twitter has been a life-changer. I remember the first time I met one of my Twitter EduRockstars. It was at EdCampOmaha, and I awkwardly introduced myself to Nate Balcom, an amazing Elementary Integration Specialist from Grand Island, NE. We laugh now, but I do believe my first words were, "Hi, I'm Lynn. I follow you on Twitter." Since then, Nate has been someone who inspires me, who willingly embraces the crazy collaboration ideas I throw at him, and appreciates my random Dr. Who references.

Or take for instance another life-changing moment: The first time I ever met Cynthia Stogdill in person. Cynthia and I were both Teacher Librarians, graduates from the University of Nebraska-Omaha's program. We'd interacted a few times via Twitter chats. But it wasn't until NETA 2015 that we actually met in person. We hugged each other like we were old friends (disclaimer: I'm a hugger), and spent several hours brainstorming our big adventure together. It was because of this encounter that the Midwest Teacher Librarian Chat (#mwlibchat) was born! Cynthia is not only my partner-in-crime, but she's my sanity. She listens, she affirms, she guides, and she refocuses me. A lot.

The day Cynthia Stogdill and I meet and #mwlibchat was born!

Then there are my amazing fellow Iowa Teacher Librarians I met during ITEC in the fall of 2015. Alyssa Calhoun, Miranda Kral, Sarah Staudt and I were strangers at the start of the conference, but we definitely left as friends. Although we are spread across the state, we've kept in touch via Twitter, we have a special group chat via the app Voxer, and we're planning a reunion. These ladies not only provide me with inspiration and ideas; we are always plotting shenanigans. But most importantly, they make me laugh!  

Sarah, Miranda, Alyssa and I are the IASL conference 

Most recently, my PLN become more personal when my good friend Stony Evans, a Teacher Librarian in Arkansas, and his lovely wife Cindy, also a Teacher Librarian, made a special stop in Omaha on their way home from a conference in Colorado. 

Stony and I had first met last fall during a Twitter chat. We immediately hit it off. We have since collaborated several times, not only connecting our students, but also connecting for some professional development for the Teacher Librarians in his district (descriptions of these collaborations can be found on Stony's blog). We use the app Voxer to touch base almost daily, chatting about everything from a brilliant idea to our shared adoration of Shannon Miller. Stony is one of the most inspirational individuals I know. His passion for our profession and his gift for story-telling are a winning combination.

Although Stony and I had never met in person, when he mentioned that he and Cindy were thinking about taking the scenic route back home, I immediately extended an invitation to visit. I was thrilled when they accepted. We spent the whole day touring the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo (my children served as our tour guides), chatting away as though we'd known each other for years. My husband and Stony even cooked up some collaboration ideas over dinner. The conversation never stopped, and the trip was over way too soon.

Stony, Cindy, and I after dinner at one of my favorite restaurants

I am forever changed because of the encounters with these individuals, amazing people I would have never met had it not been for social media. And because of social media, especially Twitter and Voxer, the distance is never a limitation for our "friendspiration." And I can only imagine what adventures the future may hold!

Sharing a Love of Reading

As librarians, we know that there is no greater joy than helping our readers connect with that perfect book. But when we can empower students to share their reading experiences with others, it's "goosebumpy!"

While I try to encourage and empower all my students to share and celebrate their reading experiences, two of my 5th grade classes (and their teachers) wanted to take their sharing to another level. As their Teacher Librarian, I was more than happy to oblige!

Using Padlet, I am sharing the Thinglink and Animoto book recommendations my 5th graders created. These book recommendations were also shared via our library website and through our Library Google Classroom in order to engage as many readers as possible! Below this Padlet, I have included a description of each tool (and how we used it)!
 

Created with Padlet

Thinglink

One of my 5th grade classes utilized a site called Thinglink. Thinglink allows students (and teachers) to create interactive images and videos. Students (and teachers) start with a base image or video. Once the base image has been uploaded, creators add "Tags," or the interactive touch points. Information added to the images includes text or links to sites or videos. Finished Thinglinks can then be shared multiple ways, including shareable links or embedding in sites/blogs.

I utilized the free version of Thinglink Teacher. This allowed me to create student accounts. The process of creating classes and student accounts was fairly easy, but tutorial videos are always helpful. While I am able to view my students' creations, I am unable to collaborate in the editing of the Thinglinks.

Animoto

Animoto is a web-based video production tool, allowing for professional-looking video creation. To begin, students (and teachers) pick a theme (there are a variety of free ones to choose from). Each theme comes with a selected song, but Animoto provides a robust music library if creators wish to change. Creators then add a variety of text and images to create their video. The text slides are limited to a total of 90 characters each and videos must have at least one image. Pacing and transitions are automatically generated during the production process, but various slides can be highlighted during creation to ensure ample focus time. A preview option also allows for editing during the creation process. Much like Thinglink, finished Animotos can be shared a variety of ways, including shareable links, downloading, and embedding.

As a teacher or librarian, you can apply for an educator account. If approved, you are provided with a code that allows you to create student accounts. Both you and your students can then create videos exceeding the 30 second limitation of the free version. Animoto does provide detailed instruction in how to create the student accounts. 

There are a multitude of ways to have students extend their reading experiences! These are just two that worked really well for my students and allowed them to create a reading experience that could be shared with others!

Originally published (by me) on the IASL Blog: http://www.iasl-ia.org/2016/05/sharing-love-of-reading.html

What happened when we Found Poetry

I still have goosebumps. It was one of those magical experiences all teacher and librarians hope to have. Every students engaged. Authentic conversations. Inspired minds. 

And all because we'd "Found Poetry" in our library.

What is Found Poetry?

Found Poetry is a type of poetry created when words, phrases, or sometimes longer passages from published work are reworked into poetry.

I'd seen examples of Found Poetry before and I'd always wanted to try it with my students. And then my fellow Teacher Librarian friend, Nate Balcom, shared some examples of the Found Poetry he'd been creating.

Original Found Poetry created by Nate Balcom.

I decided to give it a try too. 

What did we do?

Found Poetry can take several forms. Although I'd seen examples of Book Spine Poetry before, but I had recently discarded several books in the library, so I decided to go with the Blackout Poetry option.

The concept is simple. Students are given a page of a book. Students then read through the page, lightly underlining words or phrases that stand out to them. Students then go back to reread the words or phrases they'd underlined, working them into a free verse poem. The parameters I gave students were simple:

• You may only use the words on the page (you can't add), but words can be modified. Example: "sandstorm" could be used as either "sand" or "storm."
• You must read the words in the order as they appear on the page (seems obvious, but when working with elementary students, it never hurts to state it anyway)

And I left the rest up to them.

And the results?

It was absolutely amazing. All day long, students spread out around the library, fully engaged, reading alone or in small groups. They were reading, conversing, creating. And they were hooked.

When you think about the concepts and skills a lesson like this reinforces--vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, collaboration, creative writing--it's incredible. But what happened during this lesson was more than just an application of concepts and skills. It was the passion, engagement, and excitement for literacy that made this lesson so special. 

And the icing on the cake? One of my 5th grade teachers asked if she could stay for the instructions because she's heard so much buzz about this activity all day long. After hearing the instructions, she willingly gave up her plan time to stay and participate too.

In the time since introducing this activity in the library, Found Poetry examples have continued to flow into the library. Students are excited about poetry. Students are excited to share what they've created with everyone who will listen. What more could a librarian ask for?

And now I'm excited to share some of them with you:

Found Poem created by Jaxton A.

Found Poem created by Kayla

Found Poem created by Lilly I.

"My Grandma" created by Avery H.

Connecting, Collaborating & Creating in a Winter Wonderland

Sometimes the stars align in such a way that you're left thanking every single last lucky one of them. My students and I have been lucky enough to have this experience recently. Little did I know that a simple Twitter invite would set my students and I off on an amazing Winter Wonderland adventure of connecting, collaborating, and creating! 

It all started when the amazing Shannon Miller sent me a message on Twitter wondering if my Titan Hill students and I would be interested in participating in a "little" project she was putting together called Winter Around the World . The whole project was inspired by a Cantata Learning book called Winter: The Coldest Season of All and was meant to bring together students from around the world to share stories, artwork, music and poems celebrating winter in a collaborative eBook.

When Shannon asks, it's a no-brainer! You know it's good stuff. However, as if being asked by Shannon to join in a project with her weren't enough, the added incentive to join this project was the opportunity to collaborate and publish that it presented for my students. One of my school's goals (and one of my own as well) has been to increase collaboration and publication of student work as a means of engaging students with authentic tasks and providing authentic audiences. 

This project was so absolutely perfect!

As soon as I read a little bit more about the project, I immediately thought of the fabulous Kasey Bell, whose amazing work had previously brought my students such activities as last spring's Collaborative Magnet Poetry and this fall's Halloween Magnetic Poetry. I was hoping she'd be on board with what I had in mind . . .

What ensued was pure awesomeness.

It started with a Twitter Exchange . . .

Which led to a Skype session where the stars aligned . . . And a plan was formed!

Kasey was on board with creating a Winter Poetry Template. My Titan Hill 5th graders were asked to help brainstorm a list of words that Kasey could use to create her interactive Winter Poem! I shared the Winter Around the World project idea with them and asked for their help. They were totally on board!

Following Shannon's suggestion, I had my students generate a list of winter-themed words using Padlet (which I had linked for them via my 5th grade library Google Classroom). Each class generated a list, which I then pulled words to share with Kasey. They loved generating their list of words, especially knowing that the list they were helping to create would have a greater audience. And, of course, I shared our journey with both Shannon and Kasey via Twitter and Periscope!

We then submitted the list of words to Kasey for her to work her magic.

In the meantime, I had shared the book Winter: The Coldest Season of All with several of my other classes, particularly four of my 2nd grade classes, as part of our celebration of National Picture Book Month. And another amazing opportunity arose for my Titan Hill students to connect and collaborate . . . This time by Skyping with the author/composer and illustrator of the Winter book. The students thought it was so cool to hear Lisa Bell and Emily Brooks talk about their journey to creating this particular book!

Shortly after the Skype session, Kasey shared with us the Winter Magnet Poetry template she'd created for us using Google Slides! My 4th and 5th grade students were so excited to get started creating! During their library specials, they used Kasey's poetry template to create their own winter poems. As an added bonus, we were able to explore more deeply how to use and create within Google Slides, a commonly used presentation tool for our school.

Here's an few example poems we submitted:

Not to be left out, one of my amazing 2nd grade teachers, Nancy Walker, and her students created a song inspired by the book entitled "We WIN in Winter." Our district's amazing Technology Integration Specialist, Josh Allen, filmed her students in front of a green screen and created an amazing music video showcasing the song their created!

Here's the complete music video:

Needless to say, it's been quite the Winter Whirlwind over the past month! What amazing opportunities for my students to connect, collaborate and create! I'm absolutely grateful to both Shannon and Kasey for letting my students and I tag along on this amazing winter adventure! 

And the best part of all of this . . . It's not too late for your students to join in the Winter fun! To make your own copy of Kasey's Winter Magnet Poetry, click here! To find out more information or to join in the Winter Around the World project, click here!

Winter Challenge for Google Classroom

Last year several  of my Nebraska educator friends put together a #12daystwitter challenge (click the link to find out what they're up to this year!) meant to encourage fellow educators to explore the connective and collaborative power of Twitter.

Inspired by the fun and collaborative nature of this challenge, a fellow Titan Hill teacher, Laurie Kammrad, and I wanted to find a way for our 2nd through 5th grade students to participate as well. However, Twitter didn't seem the right medium. Although we have several teachers using Twitter within their classrooms, we wanted a way for all students to be able to participate on a more personal level and our students are (technically) to young to have Twitter accounts of their own.

We'd just begun utilizing Google Classroom and thought this would be a perfect way to allow our students to continue to explore this new tool, to connect with other students in and outside their own classrooms and to actually practice some of the digital citizenship skills we'd been discussing.

And so the "12 Days of Google Classroom Challenge" was born!

So how did it work?

The first thing I did was to draft an email to our staff to share about the idea Laurie and I had created, sharing the Google Classroom codes with the teachers. At the time, I hadn't previously required all of my students to join my Library Google Classroom (this has since changed). I set up a Google Classroom for each grade level (2nd through 5th).

Google Classroom Sample E-mail sent to 4th grade teachers:

The next thing I did was to create graphics for each question. To do this, I used one of my absolute favorite tools, Canva. I wanted to create some visuals to go along with the questions, similar to what was being done with the #12daystwitter challenge. In drafting the challenge questions, we went for a variety: some questions that allowed for individual responses and some that would stir up a debate. Ultimately, the goal was for students to share their ideas and respond to their classmates!

Sample graphics:

The final piece was to put the questions into Google Classroom and allow the students to respond using the commenting feature available within Classroom. At the time, I used the "Announcement" feature to post the questions and images.

Starting on December 1, I began to post the questions. Just like the #12daystwitter challenge, I posted them Monday through Friday (no weekend posts) for 12 school days. Students would access Google Classroom and post their response in the comments and reply back to others when they could. If they missed a day, it was no big deal. They could easily catch up when the opportunity presented itself!

Example Google Classroom announcement post:

So how'd it go?

It was absolutely incredible to watch the students' response flow in . . . and to take advantage of the teachable moments!

The participating teachers and I were able to have some fantastic conversations with our students about a multitude of topics. On the educational side, we discussed things such as formulating appropriate responses to the prompts, editing their responses before publishing (hooray writing skills in action!), using the "reply" feature to enhance and continue conversations (besides responses of "Me too!"), and practicing good digital citizenship (this was a huge one for them to explore in a safe environment)!

More importantly, this gave our students a chance to exchange ideas with other students beyond their classroom walls and practice all the skills we'd been addressing in an authentic way.

What's in store for this year?

This year, the Titan Hill students will be given the opportunity to participate, although I've decided to rename it the "Winter Google Classroom Challenge." I wanted my teachers to have a little more flexibility to extend this activity throughout the winter season if they chose. 

I'm also excited about some of the Google Classroom updates that have happened since last year and the potential implications for the challenge this year: 

• This year, there's a new Question feature that I think will work wonderfully for this challenge! 
• There's also the "Draft" feature which will allow me to get everything set up beforehand and have all the questions ready for me to post quickly! 
• I'm also excited that since last year, Google Classroom added the ability to add fellow educators, which means I can add the question prompts and images for any teacher wanting to have their students participate within their regular Google Classrooms (as opposed to a school-wide Classrooms). Any time I can do some of the "behind-the-scenes" work for my teachers is a win.
• I'm extremely excited to take this Winter Google Classroom Challenge across school districts. We have recently launched several cross-district (which happen to be cross-state) Google Classrooms. I'm excited for our students to be able to interact with students outside of our school and to see what conversations are sparked with the responses!

So can your students participate too?

Absolutely! Here's a link to this year's Winter Challenge for Google Classroom. Feel free to use and share with your own students! Happy winter!

This Ain't Your Grandma's Library

Maybe you're a veteran librarian. Maybe you're a new librarian. Maybe you're not even a librarian. Maybe you just like to visit your school's library from time to time, either to find a book or to cut through to your ultimate destination.

No matter what your connection is to your school library, when you cross the threshold, I'm hoping you feel it. Can you feel it? 'Cause you should. Can you?

Feel what precisely, you ask?

The energy.

The potential.

Times. They are a changin'. And they are exciting!

Today's libraries are no longer a quiet place dedicated to housing books. They are dynamic places dedicated to the exchange of ideas, the sharing of passions, the uniting and collaborating of learners. They are often noisy. They are often messy. They are no longer about just books. 

They are definitely not your grandma's library.

Our school libraries and our role as the teacher librarians who work from them have evolved rapidly in the last several years. The changes occurring within our spaces require a mind shift for all parties involved: administrators, staff, students, and sometimes even fellow librarians.

When Cynthia Stogdill and I decided to join forces to begin our Twitter chat #mwlibchat, we did so with the intent of not only bringing together fellow Midwestern Teacher Librarians, but also with the intent of celebrating, promoting, and advocating for the changes that are happening (or should be happening) in our school libraries. 

I'm so excited that we are officially launching this adventure this evening (August 11, 2015). Together we can do amazing things.

So I invite you to join in the conversation. Let you library's voice be heard loud and clear. Help extend the impact of your program well beyond the walls of your library. Let us learn from and support each other. After all, 

#mwlibchat official promotional graphic for the 2015-2016 school year created using Canva

Telling My Library's Story

A picture is worth a thousand words.

There is a need right now for librarians to tell their story, or rather to attempt to show others the amazing things that are happening in school libraries across the nation.

And this year has been absolutely amazing. I sound like a broken record, but I am so blessed to work in a school district that understands that the library is more than just a place to house books and that the impact of the library reaches well beyond the physical space itself.

There were so intangible things that we did in the library this year, but I did my best to document some of the major events and to celebrate the wonderful things happening in my library this year. Here is my attempt to tell our story:

Reflections and Renewed Resolve

It's the last night of break, and as I sit here contemplating my return to my responsibilities as a Teacher Librarian, I can't help but pause and reflect on how the first few months of my tenure have gone. Clearly from my lack of blog posts, to say that I've been busy and it's been eventful might be the biggest understatement of the century. But when I really attempt to articulate to myself what I've accomplished in the last 5 months, I can honestly say, I feel like I've made tremendous headway.

So what have I done?

1. I completely overhauled a library space.

My predecessor, to her great credit, truly built a tremendous collection for our students. However, as things came in, nothing went out. I inherited a collection of baskets scattered around the library, the organization of which was known by only one. And I wasn't her.

In order to familiarize myself with my newly inherited collection and to truly make the library space someplace accessible and functional for all, I spent countless (and by countless, I mean simply that I quit counting after I hit 100) hours weeding, reshelving, and rearranging.

My library serves roughly 945(ish) 2nd through 5th graders. In addition to adhering to the teachings of Lucy Calkins, the staff had recently adopted the Fountas & Pinnell leveling system. All this meant that it was vitally important to ensure that our students could find a "Just Right" book. While I don't believe in strictly adhering to a reading level (insert my belief that students can often read about their assigned level if the subject matter truly engages them, and that it is equally okay to read books that are "below" students' reading levels from time to time), I did want to ensure that the students weren't entirely overwhelmed when they walked into my library and that they had a sense of where to start. To this end, I divided my fiction section into three subsections, simply labelled "Section 1," "Section 2," and "Section 3." Anyone who has ever worked with any leveling system knows the variance between systems, but roughly each section corresponds to a group of Fountas & Pinnell levels (with some overlap between sections).

Needless to say, my work in overhauling the library is an ongoing process (isn't managing any library space?). I've already got visions for reorganizing the physical shelves (right now, the Fiction Sections are split apart and there are quite a few supervision blind spots), reorganizing the fiction section (to start) into a bookstore/genre format to further allow for students to find their "Just Right" books independently, and to create a more inviting atmosphere in general.

2. I have promoted literacy.

Okay, so this one most librarians might read and scoff at . . . after all, that's truly why a majority of us got into the business of librarianship. We love reading. We love books. We want our students to experience the same positive experiences we've had. We know that knowledge is power. And we know that reading gives us the keys to the kingdom . . . it allow students to live multiple lives, to view the world from multiple perspectives, to stretch their imaginations and to broaden their horizons.

We know all this, but from what I've gathered, literacy promotion wasn't necessarily a previous priority for my students. Sure students checked out books, but literacy promotion wasn't a big thing.

I believe strongly that the library should be a place where every child can find themselves, to cultivate a love of reading and the power of knowledge. To this end, I've been very intentional about promoting literacy in general (via various writing activities and vocabulary activities . . . my library has a "Word Nerd" that my 3rd graders "feed" words they encounter in their reading), but I've worked especially hard with book promotion. I always share the books I've been reading or books that correspond with the curriculum our students are working on in their classrooms via book talks and recommendations via my library site. We've done several book "tastings" and "samplings" (beyond their normal visits to the library), we've taken part in numerous literacy celebrations (such as National Picture Book month), and we have student and staff recommendation displays.

I have so much more I want to do with this, but it's more than there was before. And it's just the start. I can't wait for some of the literacy promotions I still have up my sleeve (think student recommendations and book clubs).

3. I have promoted information literacy via technology.

Prior to my arrival and that of another recently hired colleague, the integration of technology to enhance students learning was both desired, but was often hindered, whether by access, apprehension, or a combination of both. As a librarian, I understand that access to information, no matter the format, is integral to our students' success. I also know that our students and staff are inundated with technologies that allow them to access, manipulate, and share information. The demands on a teacher's time make it difficult to keep up with all the potential ways to utilize technology in the classroom and the astronomical amount of choices of apps and websites available. Now, more than ever, it is essential that they have someone to help them navigate the sea of infinite possibilities. My colleague and I have worked very intentionally to be supportive guides.

We have worked with our students and staff to create lessons and units that allow students to explore technologies that support and enhance their learning, that allow them to acquire and explore the curriculum in new and different ways, to reflect upon and share their learning, and to do both of these in ethical and responsible ways. We've helped our students and staff integrate several Google apps, we've helped them utilize Google Classroom, we've promoted various apps that support literacy, we've explored information literacy and the requirements of responsible online citizenry via authentic learning experiences. We created experiences that have allowed our students to interact with others beyond their classrooms, to explore coding, and to publish their writings. We've helped acquire additional devices for our students and we've implemented professional development for our staff to explore ways to enhance their curriculum via technology.

We've worked very hard to make technology a regular and authentic part of what we do.

3. I extended the reach of the library program beyond the walls of the library.

I have never liked conforming. I've always liked to make my own path. And, although I do love traditions, I am by no means traditional (an eclectic mix of irony and oxymoron right there). I have never wanted to be a traditional librarian. I don't want to spend my days in quiet isolation, keeping watch over the books that line my shelves. I want to be out among my students and staff. I want to promote literacy. I want to promote technology. I want to support learning in any shape or form.

Libraries should be the heart of the school, and I want to ensure that I have a firm grasp on the pulse of my school. And to do that, I have worked extremely hard to show both my students and staff that I'm there for them. I have made it my mission to constantly seek out opportunities to demonstrate what my library and I have to offer. I created a "Library Services Menu" for my staff that showed them what I could do for them (anything from pulling resources to co-teaching lessons), I have made it my mission to learn the standards and know the curriculum, I have attended leadership meetings, I have attended grade-level meetings. And I will continue to do so, because it's what I believe a librarian should do.

So overall, I look back at my first few months with a sense of pride. Not too shabby for a newbie. And, of course, I have so much more I hope to accomplish by the end of May (creating a MakerSpace, additional technology professional development, actually keeping up my blog).

As I return to school tomorrow, there will be a schedule change that will limit my amount of time outside of my library. My reflections on the first few months of my time as a Teacher Librarian have filled me with a new sense of resolve. I am resolved to keep moving forward. I'm resolved that I will continue to work for my students and staff. I am resolved that my reflection on the last few months of my first year will fill me with as much of a sense of pride as the first few have.

I'm proud to have joined the ranks of Teacher Librarian.

Best of intentions

You know when you start a new project and you have this perfect vision of everything you're going to accomplish and all that you're going to do, but then reality sets in and you realize that you had the best of intentions, but you've kinda dropped the ball on some things?

Welcome to my reality . . .

I had the best of intentions in starting this blog. I really did. My intent was to chronicle my experiences as a first year Teacher Librarian. To document the ups and downs, the triumphs and tribulations. To share my progress with my fellow librarians who were embarking on a similar journey to define (or redefine) what it means to be a librarian and what a librarian's role should be in schools.

And then reality set in . . .

If you've read my previous post about striking balance, I'm admitting epic failure with this blog. But I've got a very good reason.

I've been given the most amazing opportunity to create my dream job. I shouldn't, but I feel almost guilty when I tell people this, especially other librarians. I mean how many people get to say that they were given the go-ahead to fulfill their vision? I am so blessed to have had this opportunity fall into my lap.  I am blessed to have an administration who got "it," who were visionary enough to understand that our school's library could be so much more than a room to house books and that the librarian could do so much more to support literacy and technology if given the opportunity to extend beyond the walls of the library. I'm so blessed that they saw the potential of rearranging the specials schedule to allow for collaboration and support of the classroom curriculum. I'm blessed that they truly value literacy and want students to have access to an abundance of literature and technology. And I'm blessed that they've entrusted me to make it all happen.

And my students and staff! How do I even begin to talk about how amazing they have been, especially the staff? Without them, my dream job would have faltered and failed. My staff has welcomed me into their classrooms and their lives with open arms, constantly giving me opportunities to prove my worth and to help support student learning. We've been working hard to develop lessons that integrate technology and allow students the opportunity to practice their literacy skills and see the value of reading (okay, I fully admit that last statement sounds like some sort of idealized mission statement, but I totally promise that it's true).

So, basically, I'm saying that I've been a little busy. And I dropped the ball.

And with that having been said, I want to recommit to myself (and to you) that I will reflect and document my journey with more regularity. I'd love to commit myself to something as ambitious as once a week, but the reality is . . . that may not happen. But you're busy too, so you'll understand! But just know, I truly do have the best of intentions!