First Year Teacher Librarian...Any survival tips? Advice? Help!

[Lindsay Shaw]

I have made the jump from classroom/prep teacher to teacher librarian.  This is something I have always wanted to do and when the opportunity  presented itself I couldn't pass it up.  So here I am pleading for survival tips, advice and help that you wish someone had bestowed upon you in your first year.

 

I am working in a inner city school where attendance and enrollment are constantly fluctuating.  However this school loves to read and is very involved in Accelerated Reading. 

 

Thanks everybody!

[[e-mail]]

Hi Lindsay,

You may find this column helpful. Let me know if I can be of any help.

 

http://dougjohnson.squarespace.com/dougwri/starting-off-on-the-righ...

 

Doug

 

[Lindsay Shaw]

Thanks Doug!  I really appreciate the link and the advice.  Focus on the foundation of the library.  When I started teaching at a particularly challenging school my principal (who is now our director) gave me some advice that I have carried with me ever since.  "Establish solid relationships, curriculum will come and lessons will be taught but the success will depend on the solid relationships you have built with the students, staff and community. "

Thanks again Doug!

 

Lindsay

[Morgan Chapman]

Hi Lindsay,

 

Sounds like we are in the same situation. I am brand new to being a teacher librarian this year as well, and I am very excited but also nervous about living up to our wonderful previous TL!

 

How old is your little one? I have a 20 month old son, Hunter.

 

I will be watching this thread for suggestions. Thanks Doug for the great blog post!

 

Morgan

[Lindsay Shaw]

I have 2 little boys, Rayce is 2 1/2 and Beckett is 1.  I am hoping for some great advice to help me out!

 

[Jamika Buchanan]

Hi Lindsay,

 

It sounds like we are in the same boat.  I've been an adult services librarian in a public library for a number of years and have decided to take an elementary school position this year.  I am also a new mom, kind of, I have a 5 month old and a 22 month old.  So, this year is going to be challenging.  My biggest concern is what do you do on the very first day and during the first month?  This going to be huge a challenge!

 

Thanks,

Jamika

 

[Lindsay Shaw]

I agree, I was hoping for a first month checklist, however I don't think that is going to happen.  I think  learning on the fly will be key this year. 

[cara delia]

There must be wave of new TL's, Last year was my first year and I came straight from the classroom.  Becoming a TL was my ultimate goal, but th position sort of fell into my lap and I just began classes this summer.  I can tell you def. get on the ball with establishing routines, and expectations from teachers/students.  Because EVERYONE uses the library they are going to want to do it "the way it's always been done", which isn't alway a bad thing, but you are not..and never will be "The other librarian".  I changed a lot of things in my first year as far as procedures and it was a difficult change for the teachers, but they learned eventually that I was not going to compromise on what I found to be essential to how the library was going to be run. A major change I made was only allowing 2 students from each class at a time in the library, and they HAD to have a pass, (no pass, back to class)  Coming from 30 years of allowing as many kids as they wanted to pile into the library in a 45 min span in the morning the change was difficult, because the kids actually had to come in AND GET A BOOK AND THEN GO BACK TO CLASS!!  Imagine that?  The library no longer became the place to let dump off the kids that annoyed you in the morning.  Luckily, I had my principal's support and the change was way overdue.

Also, get the kids involved into library activities not just classes.  I am creating our schools first newspaper this year with the 5th graders and I can't wait.  Last year I also organized a used book fair.  It was a HUGE success.  We did the Polar Express theme (we built a walktrough train and everything) and every child who wanted to attend the event  had to donate 10 or more gently used books.  For every 3 books they got one free, and all the others I sold for a 1.00.  At the end everyone who donated got a ticket (I printed them on gold paper ad found a really cool template for the original polar express ticket) and we watched the movie on a huge white wall and they got hot chocolate and cookies.  We raised over 400.00, and over 300+ children attended I actually had to do 2 shows.  It makes the library a place they associate with ore than just books, and really gets the parents aware of great things going on in the library.

I know this post is soooo long, but I have so much more to share if your are interested.

[Lindsay Shaw]

I love your ideas, please feel free to share!

 

[cara delia]

Also know that you willl be o the flipside now...meaning it was and still is a weird not to be considered a "teacher" anymore.  Get used to hearing "you need a master's degree for that?" and "since you're not doing anything will you watch my kids while I do individual assessments?"  and because you aren't a classroom teacher you are expected todo it.  It was a hard pill to swallow, I thought everyone valued my job as much as me...but some will and some won't.  You can't please everyone so don't try.  That was my biggest problem, I tried to service everyone at the same time and just couldn't, my principal was very supportive.  On a good note, our school started on the 16th and I have designed a very simple and effective sheet that I gave to each grade level and asked them to fill it out as a grade level.  All it is  four square chart labeled with each nine weeks in it, I didn't break it down into months, but will meet with them at the begining of each nine weeks to get a better idea.  The amamzing thing is, I had it ready for them at a staff meeting, (asked the principal first) and gave it to them AND THEY ACTUALLY FILLED IT OUT, AND TURNED IT BACK TO ME!!!!  I was so delighted!  It was simple, quick, and painless.  Def. a great starting point for the next month or two.  I am excited that this year will be so much better than last (not that I didn't hae a great year) but it can only get better each year with experience!

 

[Lindsay Shaw]

What kind of information were you collecting from the classrooms?

 

[cara delia]

What general lessons they do throughout the year at certain times so that I can encorporate it into my lessons sometimes.  For example when I know first grade does echolocation and bats, I do a non-fiction lesson on nocturnal animals, and I read Stellaluna.  Then they take back some of that to their science lesson and it creates a great collaboration team with the teachers.  The hard part is finding out before hand.  Last year, I would find out the week of because they would come and ask for reosurces, and I had already had my lessons planned.  You don't always have to do it the same week, but within the general time frame makes the kids go "Hey...we learned about that in ????" and they are very engaged because they feel more comfortable with the subject matter.  It's also a HUGE part of our evaluations that we collaborate with teachers, which is what we are supposed to do anyways. 

 

[Lindsay Shaw]

oooo-I like that!!