I hadn't realized I haven't posted since December! Life has been busy. Having a second job will be the death of me at this rate. I'm tired all the time!
As for my library... Things have been busy. After returning from Christmas break, we focused on cyber-safety. There are 2 required lessons per grade level that have to be taught and reported every year. I try to do them myself so I know they were done. I created prezis for them, and I just follow the prezis in which I revamped the worksheets into whole class activities for shared discussion instead of paper/pencil assignments to make things easier.
We also focused on MLK in January, which then led us into Black History Month. Being that I teach at a school in which 97% of the students are African-American, this is a big deal and a major focus.
My book fair is coming soon, along with Read Across America, so I have a lot of work left to do! Now that the weather is going to start warming up, I need to get busy on recreating the My Favorite Book project, as well.
I've also been trying to figure out a better way to do my library program. Having a flex schedule means the teachers pick and choose when to come. There are some who NEVER come. This means their kids aren't checking out books, aren't researching in the library, and aren't having lessons with me. My school is very program-based and teachers have their time stretched. They have very little time for teaching because their kids are constantly being pulled for things: Sonday, guided reading (this isn't done with the teachers here!), acceleration, math lab, literacy lab, Fast ForWord, math matinee, Character Ed... All this in addition to specials (music, art, PE twice a week, and guidance), plus regular pull-outs like speech, EC, and what-not. And my time is limited because I'm one of the teachers pulled to work with this. I have a group of kids for guided reading and acceleration classes every morning, so I'm not available until about 10 am. Then I teach half-hour Character Ed to kindergarten classes in the afternoons. In between I also have to be the web master, do the school newsletter, do computer , copier, and other equipment repairs, attend grade-level planning meetings, work with library aides, and I get put on every committee known to man because I have a flex schedule. Oh, plus my Battle of the Books team I coach!! This year has proven to be overwhelming. There has to be a better way. Mondays no one wants to come, but they all fight over my Friday times and come one on top of another all day long, scheduled or not. I just don't see a 100% flex schedule as being the best way to do things at this level -- or at least not at this school.
Ideas? Condolences? Suggestions?
