A Rookie's Top Five

Somehow, I woke up this morning and I have been a school librarian for almost a whole semester! I've been so busy that I have not been keeping up with the blogging at all, but I'm going to try to do better. I want to document this amazing new career that I am so glad I decided to pursue. Seriously, this is the best job. I still get to teach, but I don't have to worry about grading or testing...or waiting for the bell to go to the bathroom! :)

Bu there are are quite a few things I've had to learn on the job. So to help out future rookies, here are the Top Five things I have learned about being a new school librarian:

1. They don't teach you anything practical in school! For example, my program never taught us how to upload MARC records, print bar codes, or repair old books. Luckily, You Tube has my back!

2. A good library aide is worth more than gold. I am so fortunate to not only have a full-time aide, but one who is also a library rockstar. Over the years, I have seen aides who don't read, don't like kids, or don't expect to do more than check books out. My wonderful assistant has an English degree, experience as a public library clerk, and--most importantly--she loves to read. Her experience has been invaluable and I hope she never leaves me!!!

3. Students may expect you to be similar to their old librarian. I think kids are used to getting new teachers with different personalities every year, but I have found many are either disappointed or excited that I am different from my predecessor. I have laid on the "expectations" pretty thickly, knowing that it's easier to start strict and lighten up than the other way around.

4. The library is either chaotic or dead. You have to take advantage of the dead moments and get things done (like ordering books and planning lessons) because the next thing you know, 17 people will want 17 different things from you!

5. You have to let go of your students' assignments being your assignments. I'm so grateful that many of the teachers have embraced my expertise and allowed me to teach informational literacy. However, sometimes they don't give me the time I need to do it the way I want to, or the assignments themselves don't live up to my standards. But it's not my ship, I am merely one sailor on the voyage!

When I went back to school to study school librarianship, I always expected to have to "put in my time"  at a school I didn't really like (as I did with my teaching career). Instead, I won the lottery and landed a job in a place that I can see myself staying for a long, long time. It's the kind of school that believes in investing in people and helping them grow as a professional. Whether you've found yourself in a school like mine or the kind that seems to suck the optimism right out of you, try to keep your focus on what's best for students and you'll do great!