Substituting

Does anyone have to substitute (for classroom teachers) in their position? It's been proposed as something that might happen next year, and I'm trying to build a list of reasons why it is a bad idea.

Possible Job at my school

I just found out our middle school librarian might be leaving. Is anyone interested in moving to Boston? I'd be happy to tell you more about the position :-).

Karin

Looky Booky

This is a really cool website that lets you "read" picture books - it's pretty amazing and free :-).

http://www/lookybook.com

TV Turnoff Week

Just an FYI, National TV Turnoff Week is April 21-27, 2008. I'm trying to get families involved and offer incentives to kids who participate. We'll see how it goes :-).

Target Grants

Target grants are available between now and May 31st. I recieved a grant for $2,500 to support out RIF program for this past year and will be applying again. The process is relatively painless and worth it.

Target's Early Childhood Reading grants support programs that foster a love of reading and encourage children, from birth through age 9, to read together with their families.

http://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-001818

Check it out!

Ashley Bryan

So it turns out Ashley Bryan is the uncle of two of my students. He's doing a presentation at the public library, and I'm trying to get their mother to get him to do an author visit. Has anyone done an author visit yet? How much do they usually cost? I feel like he should do it for free because of his nephews, but he's pretty major so I'm not counting on it.

Read Across America Day

After finally recovering (thanks to February Break) from complete burnout, I have returned to find Read Across America day is next week, and I've got nothing planned. I whipped together packets from online resources to give the teachers some ideas and conned my principal into buying the staff Cat-in-the-Hat-Hats. Otherwise, I've got nothing and no energy to pull together another complicated school wide event (our last RIF distribution and our reading competetition were a few weeks ago). What are the rest of you doing? Do you have any "easy-to-implement" ideas that don't cost much/anything?

My Internet Safety Rant

I could use your opinions on my Internet safety rant! I really tried not to be too critical, seeing as I did originally intend my blog for educators, parents, etc. Mostly no one reads it so it's not an issue, but still. Do you think it is a risk?

Two Strange (slighty scary) Comments from Teachers

From a second grade teacher yesterday, “We are doing a unit on nonfiction. Does the library have any nonfiction or anything that could help us with that?” Then when I showed her the 500’s and suggested animals, she said, “So all of this is nonfiction?” (indicating a single shelf) and was blown away when I told her it was the whole row.

And from a fourth grade teacher this morning, “You guys don’t have any encyclopedias, do you?”

So clearly I am not doing my job on promoting the library or something….