So let me preface this with saying I do really want people in the library - I feel like I'm going to sound a little Linda Herward here.
As part of our new focus on literacy, we now have 6 people devoted to reading instruction and their job is to pull small groups of low reading students and give them phonics instruction. However, since we're a charter school who rents an old, tiny Catholic School building there isn't really any space for them to do this, besides a few tables set out in the hallways. So they've discovered the library and pretty much requested to use it for any period that I don't have a class scheduled. Meanwhile, the ESL teacher, facing the same problem is also using the library.
Here's the problem: my library is tiny - it was a classroom once. We make it work, but there's only two tables for meeting (which are also my work space other than the checkout desk. It's a little annoying listing to phonics instruction, but there's no where they can go within the library that isn't going to be right where I'm working so I guess I can deal with that. But the other problem, is a lot of our low readers are also our behavior problems and I feel like I'm constantly being pulled into their lesson to deal with the one kid who is either running through my stacks and throwing books or refusing to go back to their classroom and needs an escort.
On top of that, I've been working really hard to make the library a place my fourth graders and third graders like to be in on their own time, and they like to come to the library during their snack or SSR or morning work and look at books or magazines and hang out a bit. This is really important to library mission I think, but as soon as they come in (and they aren't quiet because they are nine and ten), I have a phonics teacher getting annoyed because they are disturbing her lesson. If I have to get on them to be silent or just pick a book and go, they won't see the library as a great place to be. Worse, this week, I had a few teachers who wanted to sendkids down to work on projects (which is the point of the library) and I had to ask them to do small groups because the phonics class take up so much space.
I realize most elementary libraries have way more classes so I have been spoiled in comparison (I only have 15). But at this point, I think I'll piss off the reading teachers if I tell them they can't come all the time when I'm "free" (which I don't want to do). I also don't think I'll get much back-up from administration since reading is our big focus this year and they don't see how letting kids make their own choices on their own time is as much a part of that as phonics. I just don't see a way to handle this tactfully and I'm considering being passive agressive and just letting the third and fourth graders be as loud as they want to convince the phonics crew it just isn't working. Any better ideas?
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Ooh interesting. I don't know. It does seem like the norm for everyone to assume that the library is free space for whatever they need and that you couldn't possibly have anything important you need the space for. Is there any teacher you could start a collaborative project with so that you could kind of take back some of the time and remind the literacy teachers in that way that the library is not always going to work? I am doing a project with 6 above-level 3rd graders and they come to the library once or twice a week. It is not hard work for me, but something like that might let you take back your space a bit. Or maybe you just need to remind those teachers that the library is supposed to be a lively place and you're sorry but that's something that comes with the territory of working in the library?
I have been getting irritated about people trying to walk all over me lately in different ways as well -- like a teacher sent a student down with a request for a book at 9:05. I start morning announcements at 9:05, and then have a class right after that, so I told the student I would send the book down when I had a chance. She said "my teacher told me to wait here until you give it to me," like the woman needed it that minute for the start of the day? If you can't be organized enough to get the book you need more than 2 minutes before school starts, that's your problem, not mine! A few teachers don't seem to understand that we actually teach and stuff and just assume we're always there to fix their VCRs and stuff. But then a lot of them are really great about asking for help, too...
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