School's Out Forever! (?)

Wednesday, August 5, 2015,marked my last time in a GSLIS class.  I was so full of emotion and gratitude that I cried.  That's not hyperbole.  I actually cried.  It's been a dream come true to be a part of the GSLIS family, and it's something I am going to miss immensely.  I've been in the presence of greatness many times, whether it be with world-renowned faculty teaching me (Christine Jenkins and Carol Tilley to name ONLY two) or spending time with classmates who challenged me and pushed me to worker harder than I ever have before and inspired me to approach problems and topics from new angles.  I will think of them fondly and often as I make my way into my own library.  (Well, sort of my library...it really belongs to the kids, let's not forget!)

I had to take a few photos on that last day, so if you'll indulge me...

 

 One of my instructors, Betty Bush, would always do a trivia question at the beginning of class.  You could write down what you thought was the correct answer on a piece of paper, put it into a drawing, and whomever she would draw WITH THE CORRECT ANSWER would get a rubber duckie.  I was in her class for two consecutive semesters.  I NEVER won a duck.  She brought me this graduation duckie on my LAST CLASS.  And, THAT'S why I cried...in front of EVERYONE.

 With my two instructors for my last class.  Georgeann Burch, on the left, was also one of my advisors, and I had her in the Spring of 2015 for Youth Media Center.  The infamous Betty Bush is on the right.  I was told how awesome she is before I even got into the program, and I had her for Youth Fiction and Youth Informational Texts.  She's the one who brought me my duckie!

 On my way out.  :(

 Where I've spent the last two and a half years.

Four full semesters and two summer sessions later...here I am.  All done.  Smiling and sad at the same time.  As always, I am looking forward to the next stage of my life with GREAT excitement and anticipation.  

I hope GSLIS will welcome me back at some point.  I'd love to share my knowledge of the field with others.  Who knows?  Maybe after getting a few years under my belt as a school librarian I can be a guest lecturer.  (That would be aces!) 

After earning a Bachelor's Degree from (English/Education, 2002), a Masters of Education (C&I/Literacy, 2003), and Masters of Science (Library & Information Sciences, 2015)--all from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign--you might say school's out forever.  But, with me...well, you never know.  I don't think I have any desire to earn a PhD: research is not for me, and with my attention span, neither are countless dissertation revisions.  I might go for my Certificate of Advanced Studies in LIS, though.  In fact, I might have already made early plans with another school librarian buddy to do just that.  UIUC, you might not be done with me yet.  As for now, though, you've given me nothing but pleasure: challenging and rewarding coursework, inspiring mentors, and the ability to pursue my dreams (once again).  I thank you, dear Alma Mater.

A Month Later...

Here I am.  One month since I left the hallowed halls of Uni High School.  I miss the place everyday.  I miss the students.  I miss my co-workers.  I miss the quaint, comfortable, humble library.  I won't lie when I say my last day was rough.  It was cut short, too, which I wasn't prepared for, and I missed giving it a proper goodbye.  (My poor son had a bad day at pre-school, and I was needed at home stat.)  The ending was abrupt, not what I wanted it to be, and maybe that's part of the reason why I miss it so much.

 My bag, all packed up and ready to go.  :(  Such a true statement on it, too.

 The hallway outside the library.  All clean and ready for the summer.  I never saw it this clean and empty during the school year.

But...the good, no GREAT news is...I have been hired to be a school librarian!

That's right, faithful readers, I have been given the position of Library Media Specialist at Mahomet Seymour Junior High School.  So, not only will I be a school librarian, but I will be a MIDDLE SCHOOL librarian!  This was my DREAM!  I have already met with the principal several times, and she seems very supportive of me.  (However, she does want me to weed the collection down to maybe ten books, so I'll have to work with her on that.  OK, maybe a BIT of an overstatement, but the lady wants the old books GONE.)

Mahomet is a small, but growing town, about 15 minutes west from the Champaign area, where I have lived my whole life and where the greatest public university is housed (UIUC, duh). The school district is very different from where I previously worked in Champaign, and change is always good (although a bit scary at first).  The principal is already being supportive of changes I want to make, and she wants the library to be completely overhauled during the next couple of years.  She wants students to WANT to come into the library to read and research, she wants me circulating throughout the library, involved with students' reading choices and levels, collaborating with the teachers, and making the library a comfortable, safe space.  Hey, I want to do all of that stuff, too!  We have grand plans to tear down a wall this summer and make a reading loft, which if that happens before school starts, will be a dream come true!

Oh, and one more thing: The library has a registered Little Free Library.  AWESOME SAUCE!  I did some research on LFL's last fall, and I've always wanted to be involved in one.  Now, I get to do that, too!  The principal said she bets the students don't even know about it, so that'll be one thing I get to pump up, advertise, and get students to help with. 

It's gonna be a busy, whirlwind first year.  It's going to be scary at times, frustrating, stressful, but above all...IT WILL BE OUTRAGEOUS FUN!!!  Keep tuned, because you know I'll be writing about it all along the way.  :)

SENIORS' LAST DAY!

Here are...Friday, May 15, 2015.  The last day for Uni High's Class of 2015.  I know I've only known most of them for nine months, but my life is better because of them.  Being a teacher and working with kids, teens, young adults, or whatever you call them, is a life affirming and life changing career choice.  I have been blessed knowing some of these students for nine months, and I'm even more blessed because I've known some of them since they were 11. 

One of my former students, who I taught in 6th grade, came up to me yesterday and asked, "Is it weird?  You know, seeing us again and watching us go off into the world?

I replied, after composing myself for a moment so I wouldn't start bawling, "No.  It has been WONDERFUL and the greatest honor to see you again and watch you go off into the world."

I never thought I'd see my 6th grade students who got into Uni again, but this assistantship has offered me the unique opportunity to see them again, as they ready themselves to transition into adulthood and attend college.  This has been the greatest and most humbling part of this job for the past year.

Here is my last bulletin board as a grad assistant at Uni, and it's one I made with the Seniors' help.  I got A LOT of responses, and I think it looks great.  I hope some of the underclassmen check out some of their recommendations.

Weeding Reference

During the past two years I have been taught that I need to teach students how to do effective online research.  I need to teach them how to distinguish between a reliable website and an unreliable one.  I've been taught that Google is the devil and a Database is your best friend.

But, never once have I been told to teach students that using reference BOOKS is still a reliable, useful skill.

Amy and I started weeding the reference section in the library yesterday, and it pains us both.  There are so many worthy, useful, RELIABLE books in Uni's reference section.  For a high school, this reference section is quite wealthy and rich.  I've been looking through old reference books, trying to figure out if they should stay or go, and I lean toward the stay option almost every time.  However, we can't keep all of them...or even half of them.  After weeding a book, I have to cross-check the ONLINE reference books/resources the University of Illinois is subscribed to, for if we can get it online, we should get rid of the book version.

What we've weeded so far.  I'm sure there will be at least two-three full carts before we're done.

I was talking with one student today, who asked what I was doing.  After a bit of intro as to what I was doing, I told him, "When you think about it, it's actually faster to go to one of these books."

"Yeah, maybe, " he said, "but I would have to come here, open the book, look up the information...With my phone everything is at my fingertips."

I countered with, "You're right.  You do have information at your fingertips.  But, if you need some quick info on just one person or topic, you can look them up in the correct book that we find for you, and go right there.  It takes just as much time to scan through articles making sure if you have reliable info or just some fan page."

He thought my point was valid, but I know what he'll do the next time he has a research paper.

Use the UIUC Online Reference Collection, scroll through databases, trying to find the right one, 

then searching for your topic

VS.

Opening up one or two books, finding the correct person/term, and reading a brief summary of that topic

As librarians, we spend so much time teaching students how important it is to have reliable sources.  Reference books might be THE most reliable source.  You know they've been researched, documented, and cross-checked...they can't be published WITHOUT these things happening.  I know the world is going digital, but sometimes it's still worth your time to take a few minutes to slow down, walk to the library, and open up a book.  The research you need is waiting right here.

Uni's rich reference section takes over almost the entire north wall of the library's front room.

I know I won't change students' minds to solely rely on books.  However, I want them to know that to be a well-rounded, educated, thoughtful student researcher, they need to look at online resources AND books.  Print is still not dead, and I want to teach my future students that.

Today's a GOOD Day!

Look what I found!  Some seniors just hanging out, reading some of our new releases.

This is probably the FIRST time they've been able to read for pleasure ALL YEAR.  I'm so glad we had so many fresh, new books to meet their needs and pique their interest.

 (Seriously...we have SO MANY.  There isn't room for any more...but we have more coming in!)

One of those seniors even checked out a couple of books to take home and read.  Hope he gets them done fast...tomorrow's (May 15) their last day!  :(

Isabel Quintero Skype Chat

The Uni library had the honor of hosting a Skype event today with author Isabel Qunitero, who wrote the young adult novel Gabi, A Girl in Pieces.  One of the English classes here at Uni focuses on Native American and Latino/a Literature.  (Talk about a class I wish I would've had in high school!  I had to wait until university to get a class that good.)  The teacher, a wonderfully inspired lady named Ms. Majerus (who also teaches creative writing), simply contacted Isabel Quintero and asked if she'd be willing to Skype with the class...and, she said YES!  How awesome (and simple) is that!?  I'll have to keep that method in mind for when I'm a librarian. 

The students came prepared with some wonderful questions, and Ms. Majerus also asked about Isabel's writing process.  I took some notes down during the conversation, and here are some major points I want to share with you (if nothing else, I can even use this as a reminder for when I'm teaching again...):

Isabel joked that she didn't know she wasn't white until college.  In high school, she never saw herself or her culture reflected in the curriculum.  In college, she found classes that focused, upheld, and praised Latino/a culture, literature, and history.  She wanted to write this young adult book, so Latino/a youth can see themselves in what they read BEFORE they reach college.  She also wanted to write a book for them when the characters weren't only depicted as being in gangs or working in the fields all day.

In high school Isabel encountered e.e. cummings for the first time.  e.e. cummings made Isabel realize that poetry doesn't have to constrictive: it can be FREEING!  With cummings, Isabel saw poetry without punctuation, form, sentences, or structure...she saw poetry unleashed!  She started to write poetry in high school, and Gabi was originally written in verse.  However, after a lot of revision and thought, she made the hard choice to re-write it and publish it as a regular prose novel.

Isabel became a teacher at 23, before becoming a full-time writer, and said she was horrible at it.  She didn't know what she was doing, and she looked like she should be a student.  After taking a creative writing course for fun, she was encouraged by her instructor to write full time.  She became disciplined with her writing: she chose topics carefully, committed herself to revising her work, and she thoroughly researched what she would have to do to become a published writer. 

It was wonderful to be able to sit in and listen to this Skype talk.  Ms. Majerus is hoping to have another one in the next few days, but who that author will be...I'll leave as a surprise!  (Let's just say I'm excited.)

Summer Lovin'

OK, OK...maybe not Summer Lovin'...maybe Summer READIN', but after living with Grease my entire life, you can't say "summer" without hearing "lovin'" in your head.  (True story.)

Even though it's not summer yet, and all these poor Uni students still have Finals to get through, the Seniors' last day is THIS FRIDAY, MAY 15.  I've gotten to know a lot of them, and I'll miss them.  I wanted to give them some summer reads before they left.  (And, as of this post, TWO have already been checked out.  Considering the display has only been up since Thursday, that's a good goin'-rate around here.)

The theme of this display is Summer Reads.  There are a lot of summer love stories out there, but I didn't want to just focus on those.  I also chose some island books: classic (The Mysterious Island, Robinson Crusoe), survival (Lord of the Flies), and futuristic (Nil).  I put our big Woodstock book on display, hoping some music-loving students would want to flip through its pages to learn more about the Summer of Love.  And, there are also some books that take place during the summer, which are just really good stories (A Beautiful Lie).  I was excited to also offer two excellent summer/beachy graphic novels for the display, This One Summer (which was checked out so quickly that it's not in the photos) and Robot Dreams, respectively.

I hope you have a lot of summer reading on  your to-do list for the next couple of months.  Remember, even if you don't get a summer break, it should still be a time of rest and rejuvenation.  I hope you get some time to yourself to rest, rejuvenate, and READ!