Surviving the First Month!

[Jeri Hurd]

Aack! It just hit me (at 4:30 this morning) that two weeks from now, I will no longer be an English teacher, I will be a 6-12 Librarian. I am SOO excited--and really nervous! Who thought, after 20 years of teaching, I'd be nervous again!?

I'm also feeling kind of overwhelmed. The school hasn't had a "real" LMS in over two years. I know they don't have a scope and sequence for Info Lit skills 6-12, so I need to get started on that right away. Any other suggestions/ideas from you wonderfully experienced people for what I need to do/get established within that first month?

In other words, how do I not only survive, but thrive?

Thanks!

Jeri

[Lisa Hunt]

It sounds almost too simple, but it is very true...
Keep smiling and concentrate on connecting students to great books! Everyone loves a smiling, happy librarian. Hopefully, you have enough great books to get started this year. Meet everyone, ask lots of questions, and share those books that you know and love. You will be amazed at the solid relationships these behaviors will build. Add those skills lessons in over time, and your teaching program will evolve to answer the needs of the school. However, those relationships built in the early days will bring more to library learning opportunities than you will ever know.

[Carol Simpson]

There was a wonderful article on what to do in your first year, written by Gail Dickinson of Old Dominion, published in the April/May 2007 issue of Library Media Connection. It's called First Year Firsts, and it should be required reading for all new librarians.

[Jeri Hurd]

Great, thanks! I'll hunt it down!

Jeri