In Summation...

I am done with school. I got my degree, my media specialist certification, and my reading endorsement. It has been a wild ride. I met so many wonderful people and I made some great friends. I laughed a lot, I studied a lot, and I stressed a lot. At one point I had a tough decision to make and I am happy to report that I chose to do the right thing, rather than the easy thing. Later I was given the opportunity to take the easy road, but I chose the to take the hard road because I wanted to make a bad situation better. I spent many hours talking to kids, reading to kids, and helping kids read. I told kids that they were smart and I told them that could do it. I spent nights reading childrens books and YA books. I wrote down tons of ideas and created countless lesson plans. I sketched floor plans and thought about color choices. I took 16 courses and by some miracle I got an "A" in every course. I made plans and I dreamed big dreams.

As I close this chapter of my life, I do not have a job. I do not even have an interview. However my heart is full because I know that along the way I made a difference.
The end.

I am attached.

Today I got a note from my reading professor. It read: "I am so happy with all the progress "A" and you have made. Obviously, "A" has improved a lot in her attitudes toward reading while you have gradually become more experienced with your tutoring sessions. I want to particularly mention your objective part and reflection part. Your personal narrative makes me know you better and understand the reason why "A" feels so attached to you in the tutoring session." It is a nice note and the part that stuck with me the most is the word "attached." I admit I get as attached to my students as they get to me. I worry about their academic progress, their home lives, their future, their happiness...the list goes on and on. If anyone were to ask what my strength as an educator would be I would say that it is the connection that I have with kids. It seems silly because it is something that I did not learn in college or even through my experience working with students. I just understand and like kids. I have worked with teachers who do not like kids and I wonder why they decided to be a teacher. Sometimes students in school library media will say getting out of the classroom is the reason they want to be a media specialist. I have always been baffled by that reasoning. My life experience told me that you have to love what you do to be happy, which is why I chose this profession. Perhaps, this simple lesson should be taught in the Freshman 101 classes.

I love reading about different instructional approaches...

Article from the New York Times about a curriculum that includes neurology.

Ethics

This weekend I participated in a webinar about the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and the Code of Ethics for teachers. I did not know what to expect from a webinar and I was pleased to find it extremely well done and informative...and all from my bedroom "office." Most of the discussion was about matters that do not concern me because I am a very boring person. I do not cuss, drink, smoke, or do anything else that might raise eyebrows. At one point the speaker said that it is best to drink coffee before coming to school and I thought that I might actually be a rebel because I do drink caffeinated beverages, but he elaborated on his statement by telling us about a teacher who went ballistic and claimed it was because she did not drink coffee that morning. Alas, I will never be a rebel. I was very interested in learning about professional behavior around students because it is something every educator must think about. Following the set guidelines when using a school computer was also a subject of interest since I will be spending a lot of my time on a computer. I did not realize that the school system can access every site that I visit which means my personal email account may be viewed. Even though I am not a rebel, I still need to be careful with my email. I have read about professionals emailing jokes to friends and later getting fired. Though I don't normally forward jokes to others, I have had friends email them to me and I certainly don't want to be accountable for every email someone sends me! I used to joke with a friend of mine about spam emails that I would get with the subject: "Wanna See My Pics?" I haven't gotten one of those in a while so I should be OK. I am just glad that I was able to participate in the webinar before getting employed so I that am prepared for the open book that my life will become!

From the files of my mind...

I have had an idea for a children's picture book floating around in my head for 10 years now. For some reason I suddenly started working on it a few weeks ago. I illustrated my main character along with the first page of the book and I wrote all of the text. It went fairly quickly since everything has been stored neatly in my mind for so long. I have already sent it out to an agent. Now the waiting begins...along with the anticipation of rejection. I know that the odds are stacked against me. I suppose that is why it has taken me so long to actually start writing and drawing. I'm not the most confident person so it's actually amazing that I sent it out. I believe in my character and the idea though, so I have to try. The entire time that I have spent working on the book I have been completely focused on the creative process and what I am trying to convey with the text and illustrations. It came from a good place. I hope the finished product projects that good place :)

Maybe I'm OK

So I am in the midst of my last semester and I have been very busy completing the assignments for my reading courses. I am also tutoring a middle school student in reading and I have really enjoyed it. This week it was my turn to post a clip of our tutoring session to the online class board for my group members to listen to and comment on. I was a little nervous about it. I know that I am a little crazy and I was afraid that some may not think I am serious enough to be a teacher. One person in my group is very smart, serious, and from what I can tell, he is a great teacher. I really wondered how he would respond to my clip. Today he posted this:

"Obviously we can't see what is happening, but as I was listening to it, in my mind your student seemed to be really engaged, smiling, and enjoying herself. It seemed like she was grasping the "silent e" concept and the vowel sounds, but it was really her joy and enthusiasm that stood out to me. Keep up the good work!"

I was thrilled with his comment. It meant a lot to me that he appreciated how humor can make learning fun. I started thinking that I may be OK. My student and I do have fun, but what really excites me is how much she has improved with her reading. Her attitude about reading has also improved greatly. I did a book selection activity last week and at the end of it she literally ran into the media center to select a book. I gave her the tools that she needed to understand what kind of book she wanted and she ran with it. I love teaching. I am quirky. And it's OK.

It ended before it began

I graduated from UGA and applied to readmission over the course of one week. It was nice to not be a student for a few days... The new semester has started and I am already feeling overwhelmed. Not only do I have new classes to prepare for but I've also been busy this week getting all the needed documents ready to obtain my media specialist certification. I always describe myself as "overwhelmed," yet I confess I am also excited about what I will be learning this semester. I sound a little nerdy to actually admit that I am excited to learn. How can I get students to feel this way? Excited, not nerdy.

The part that excites me the most about this semester is the fact that I will be serving as a reading tutor for a student who is disadvantaged and attends a school in a rougher part of the city. I have a soft spot for kids who do not have the advantages that I was given. I love working with them and letting them know that I care about them and their education. Obviously, my main objective it to help improve the reading skills of my student, but I know how important it is to connect with a child too. I have had so many great connections over the years that I've spent working with children. Sometimes I think that I've learned more from my students than they have learned from me. As much as I want to do well in my reading courses, I really want to make a difference this semester. So watch out kiddo because we are going to do great things!

Equality—Now that's what I'm talking about!

Read article: "What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success" from The Atlantic

Something to think about...

So I have been thinking about it since I posted this link. Mr. Robinson is right. Creativity is REALLY important. The idea that many children loose their creativity as they grow older, possibly because of our current educational methods, is very troubling to me. Recently while teaching a class, I found that the students did know how to brainstorm. They told me that they did not have any ideas and I was so surprised by that attitude. How could you have absolutely no ideas?

One thing that Americans are known for is our ingenuity. I've often heard that our soldiers have been more successful in war because they were able to adapt and come up with solutions when things did not go as planned. Our students need to be able to think creatively and to find solutions too. This idea applies to all disciplines. I now know my orders and I am currently designing lessons that will allow me to collaborate with teachers to get more creativity in the classroom.

Returns Are OK

When I was a student I visited an elementary school media center where something happened that left an impression on me. A class was coming in and the media specialist told me that it was a "low" class. Obviously I belong in a "low" class because I turned around expecting the kids to be doing the limbo as they walked through the door. Instead it turned out that the students in the class were struggling academically, thus the "low" title. The classroom teacher immediately started yelling at a girl about a book that she had returned and claimed that she had read it. She had not read the book and the teacher was very angry about her lie. I started shelving books and I could not help but overhear the teacher demanding that the girl check out another book in the same series shouting, "this time you are going to read this book!" So much for free choice.

After I shelved the books I looked around the library and I spotted the girl sitting alone at a table looking at the new book that she had checked out. I walked over to her and casually asked what she was reading. She held up two books. I sat down with her and she told me that her teacher was reading one of the books to the entire class. She said she really liked the book. Then she grumbled about the book that her teacher made her check out. I picked it up and started critiquing the cover design—the art teacher in me makes me do this! I read the book's description out loud. I then opened the book and started reading it, thinking if I could get her started that maybe she would become interested. I did my best to read aloud so that the text would seem fresh and exciting, but unfortunately the book started out majorly dull. All the names were foreign and hard to pronounce. At one point the girl asked if I pronounced a name correctly and I said, "probably not." She suggested we substitute the name Peter instead and I thought that was a pretty clever idea. She followed along as I read and it was obvious that she could read well and pay attention. The problem was that the book was B O R I N G. I wouldn't read it if you paid me. It was clear to me that she returned the other book from the series because she didn't like it. I stopped reading and admitted to her that unfortunately she was stuck reading this book. I couldn't say anything to the teacher; I was a guest. There was nothing I could do for this poor girl. I would give the other educators present in the media center that day a "low" grade.

What is wrong with returning a book that you don't like? She lied about reading it because she was afraid that she would get in trouble. It wasn't a smart move, but she is a kid.

Yesterday I substitute taught at a middle school. A student came up to me in class and asked if she could go to the media center. I asked her why and she told me she wanted to return a book because she didn't like it. I asked to see it. I looked at the cover, read the back, and scanned a few pages. I told her that I understood (and I did) and to go pick out something else. I made a few suggestions too. I hope she found something she likes.

The End and The Beginning.

Well, I am nearing the end of my journey of obtaining a masters degree in school library media. I really cannot believe how much I have learned over the past two years. I am very ready to start working in a media center and to start implementing what I have learned as well as my own ideas. Unfortunately, I am graduating in December which means I must wait till spring to start the job hunt. So now what? Sleep is the only thing on my schedule for now :)

Education Reforms – School Funding - Parenting.com

Education Reforms – School Funding - Parenting.com

As a parent and an educator, I get really frustrated because I understand what some of the problems are with today's educational system, yet I feel like I have no power to make a change. I read this article in Parenting magazine and I agreed with the top 10 reforms the Mom Congress is pushing. Of course, I doubt anything will change and I do not understand why it is so difficult to change the system. Right now I feel like the current strategy is a mish-mash of a whole bunch of crazy ideas. Rather than taking the time to see what works and what does not, we see new baseless theories being shoved into the curriculum. The teachers understand the problems, but the lawmakers do not.

Here is the top 10 list from Mom Congress along with my thoughts:

Stop the Testing Insanity Let's figure out once and for all what kids really need to learn, and how to measure their progress, without forcing teachers to spend all their time on drill-and-kill methods.

VERY TRUE. WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL THE TESTS WERE DONE TO HELP TEACHERS AND PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHERE THE CHILD WAS ACADEMICALLY. IT WAS A TOOL, THAT'S IT. NO PRESSURE ON THE STUDENTS. NO PRESSURE ON THE TEACHERS. LET'S JUST LEARN FROM THE TESTS AND MOVE FORWARD TO HELP THE STUDENTS IN THE AREAS THAT THEY NEED IT.

Show Teachers Some More R-E-S-P-E-C-T Offer them stipends and tax deductions to help with their education, then pay them more and reward superior performance. According to the National Education Association, the average teacher earns $55,350 a year. The average NBA basketball player: nearly $5 million. Enough said.

OUR VALUES ARE REALLY MESSED UP. TEACHERS ARE INCREDIBLY VALUABLE TO OUR SOCIETY YET WE PAY ATHLETES AND ENTERTAINERS AS IF THEY HAD THE KEYS TO OUR FUTURE. WHAT A WASTE!


Motivate Moms and Dads Get more parents involved with innovative programs, such as reducing their tax burden if they volunteer at school or requiring them to commit to a specific amount of time if their child is accepted in a charter or “choice” public school.

PARENTS NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THEIR CHILD'S EDUCATION. TEACHERS CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. IF THE PARENT DOES NOT SUPPORT THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS THEN IT'S A LOSING BATTLE.

Pony Up for Preschoolers, Too Increase funding for Head Start, Universal Pre-K, and other early-childhood programs so all children are ready to learn when they enter kindergarten.

MANY CHILDREN NEED THAT EXTRA BOOST BEFORE THEY ENTER SCHOOL AND MANY PARENTS CANNOT AFFORD IT. LET'S HELP KIDS GET OFF TO A GOOD START.

Clean Up the Cafeteria Ensure that healthy meals are provided to all children daily.
Reclaim Recess If you really want to fight childhood obesity, make recess mandatory every day and demand more phys-ed classes.

YES, YES, YES! RECESS IS NEEDED! KIDS NEED TIME TO BE KIDS. THEY NEED TO RUN AND PLAY AND INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. ACADEMICS ARE IMPORTANT BUT SOCIAL INTERACTION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS ALSO CRUCIAL TO DEVELOPMENT.

Bandage Their Cuts and Bruises… and treat their allergies, asthma, tummy aches, and whatever else ails them with a full-time nurse in every school building.

A FULL TIME NURSE IS NEEDED IN EVERY SCHOOL. ASIDE FROM THE NORMAL ILLNESSES AND SCRAPES THAT HAPPEN DURING THE DAY WE NEED A NURSE TO LOOK AFTER THE KIDS WITH SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES, LIKE JUVENILE DIABETES, FOOD ALLERGIES, ETC.

Banish Bullies… and any other threats to our childrens' safety by insisting on adequate security and zero-tolerance policies.

NO BULLYING PERIOD.

Be Smart About the Arts! Ensure that music and arts education remains a key part of the curriculum in all schools.

ART AND MUSIC ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF A CHILD'S EDUCATION. EVEN IF A CHILD DOES NOT SHOW A TALENT IN EITHER AREA, THEY CAN STILL HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR THE FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS. OUR KIDS NEED TO BE INSPIRED BY WHAT THEY SEE AND HEAR.

Wire Budding Brains Equip all schools with the technology and the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes needed to make our children globally competitive.

I WANT EQUAL ACCESS TOO. ALL SCHOOLS NEED ADEQUATE TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES. WE CANNOT LET ANY SCHOOL BE LEFT BEHIND AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES AT RAPID SPEED.

So there it is. Now what can be done?

Am I ready?

School is almost in session and summer will be coming to an abrupt end. My daughter will be entering middle school and she is so excited. I think she'll be fine, but like a normal mom, I am a little worried. I did learn last week that I will be doing my media center internship at the same middle school that my daughter will be at. I am thrilled to be with her and to be at such a great school. I know I will learn a lot and I am looking forward to getting to know the kids and the faculty. I also have only one other class to complete this semester and then I will graduate. I cannot believe this journey is almost finished. I will then be thrown out of the UGA nest. And then the job hunt begins. I really dread that part. I do not enjoy having to sell myself. I am more likely to convince someone that I am completely wrong for the job. I am a little goofy, after all. I do not really have the look either. Perhaps I should get some "smart glasses" and put my hair in a bun. I can purse my lips like I am ready to shush someone too. A little voice is telling me, "be yourself, be yourself." Good advice, however now I'm hearing voices...

Read To Your Bunny

I often get strange looks when I tell people that I still read to my 11 year old daughter. I have been reading to her since she was a baby and it has always meant a lot to both of us. I was pleased to read this article and to know that I'm not the only parent that sees the importance of reading to their child, even when they get older!
Alice Ozma's Very Long Read-Aloud

Three Cups of What?

I have had several people recommend the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I got a copy of the book from my church's library, but since I was a student full time this past year I have not had time to read it until now. I had heard some talk about the truthfulness of the book’s accounts of Mortenson’s experiences in Pakistan and I was hesitant to start reading. However, I went ahead and started reading before I fully explored the charges that have been made against the authors. After reading a few chapters and deciding for myself that the story is interesting and worth reading, I started researching the claims against the book.

The charges were made by the CBS program 60 Minutes. Their reporters have interviewed individuals who were present with Mortenson when he was in Pakistan and they claim that the story has some significant mis-truths. More troubling was the finding that there does not seem to be a clear accounting for the funds given to the charity that Mortenson founded. Certainly, I am bothered when someone presents a book of fiction as non-fiction. That is a big problem. Then to think that the book has prompted generous people to give to a charity that is possibly corrupt is an even bigger problem. This book that has been on my shelf for over a year, just waiting to be read, may have to stay on the shelf. The sad part about this tale is that from what I can ascertain, there is a compelling story to be told about the people living in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The children living in these countries desperately need educational assistance and obviously many people would want to help.

So why not tell the truth from the beginning? Mortenson does not need to be presented as a hero to tell a compelling story. And if Mortenson had witnessed the poor living conditions of the people and the lack of educational opportunities for the children, then how could he not want to help them and direct all charitable donations to these people? Three Cups of Tea seems to be more like Three Cups of Wasted Opportunities.

Riding the Wave

My husband just placed an order for a new laptop. So we will now have four laptops and two desktop computers at my house. Add an iTouch, Smartphone, Flip camera, a digital camera, and a video camera and I’d say that we are sufficiently covered in the technology department. Sometimes I wonder if my family is too technology-obsessed when I hear other moms sounding off about kids spending too much time on computers. I never know if I should counter their arguments or not. I have thought about taking a technology vacation, however my husband is a college professor and he teaches online classes so he simply cannot do it. Plus, my 11 year old daughter uses a computer to produce videos for her Youtube collab. channel and she would never agree to taking a technology break. And I am just as guilty. Even though I enjoyed reading a paperback book last night before bed, I still plan to buy an iPad or a Nook in the near future—how can I resist a device that will hold a personal library of over 1000 books?!

What I do know however, is that my daughter spends her time on the computer doing some amazingly creative stuff. My husband is teaching with his computer and as a graduate student I am learning with my computer. Perhaps my family is not technology-obsessed, rather we are just riding the wave of a technology driven society. More importantly we are using technology for learning. We are not couch potatoes; we are a "techno-savvy-family." I think that sounds much better. Now I’ll get off my computer and head to the pool to ride a different kind of wave!

Summer: So Far, So Good

I have been trying out my Flip camera with a waterproof case. As you can see it is a lot of fun!

Another Path to Take in My Journey

I finished the reading instruction course and I enjoyed it so much that I have decided to take the additional courses required to add the Reading Endorsement to my certification. I feel like the courses will help me be a better media specialist and to me that is worth the extra work and expense. So now I will be taking two courses and doing my internship in the fall. I am just glad to have the next month and a half free to relax and enjoy being with my family. Then I will be ready to go in the fall and graduate in December!
BTW my friend Rebecca got a job as a media specialist at an elementary school. I am so happy for her. She will do a wonderful job!

Share the Magic

This week I’ve been reading and writing about shared reading for students in grades 3 and up. I admit I did not realize shared reading would be a part of the reading curriculum for older students, however I am now convinced that it should be. Although I have never led a shared reading lesson, I have led a book club and I believe that the students got more out of the stories because they got to hear my thoughts about the story—so they understood the kid and the adult perspectives. Shared reading would be even better for reading instruction for many reasons:
1) Students would get to hear a fluent reader (the teacher) read.
2) The teacher introduces the text, giving information about the setting, time period, and the characters.
3) The writing style would be discussed and difficult vocabulary words would be defined with context cues being pointed out by the instructor.
4) The students would get voice support as they followed along with the reading without having to decipher the text, which would help with comprehension.

I have been disappointed to see that more and more teachers are not reading aloud to their students. Shared reading is another wonderful method for reading instruction. My job as a media specialist will be to implement shared reading as a teacher and to also inform teachers as to why it is a good strategy and how to conduct a shared reading lesson. The author of our text Janet Allen remarked that one of her students referred to the books they have read as, “magic.” That is what books and reading are all about and what better way to encourage reading, but to share the magic.

The media center is where students explore possibilities.

So the title to this post is the first line of my media center mission statement. I wasn't really keen on mission statements because often times they seem more like words than a real statement of intent or fact. However, I believe this will be the true description of the media center that I work in. I came up with the statement while working on coursework for the reading instruction course I am taking. I originally decided to take the course so that I could add reading endorsement to my certification, but I have been so inspired by the texts that I have decided this course should be a requirement for school library media majors. It has only been one week into the course and I have learned so much. One text, Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading by Janet Allen, is so full of knowledge and wisdom. While reading it, I feel like a sponge, soaking everything in. My only regret about taking the course is that it lasts only a month so assignments move quickly. I like to think about what I read...sometimes for days. I hope I can stay focused on the coursework and still glean as much as I can from what I am reading. The texts stress that teachers need to get to know their students well to be able to understand how their instructional needs can best be met. In addition, teachers should also be able to adapt and make changes according to the various needs of their students. I completely agree with this position. One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a teacher is understanding students and how their minds work. It's like a very complex puzzle. You want to be able to reach them and help them overcome weaknesses, but it can be a very mentally challenging task. The rewards for achieving success are immeasurable however. I look forward to getting to know the students in the media center and encouraging every student to explore possibilities. What a great job I will have one day!