What can I do to help?

A blog post in which Diana shares her correspondences, a change in schedule, and admits to hating a beloved children's classic ...

I've had a lot of poignant email and in-person conversations lately. I am honoured that others see me as someone who can help solve problems. Many of these talks fall along similar themes. Be it C through my work email, M in my non-work email from the AQ, M in my DMs, or even C at the grocery store - all of them are reaching out for assistance on explaining aspects of teacher-librarianship to those who aren't in the role, and managing the role itself.

As I told my principal recently, my father used to have a saying: "If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem". (I'll circle back to this later.)

I've been a TL for a long time, which means I know a lot of people and have had many years of dealing with different kinds of people and situations. Here are some things I have done, can do, and will do to make things better.

Collaboration = if you need some examples of what collaboration can look like, feel free to look at this blog from 2021 describing a few types of collaborative teaching experiences 

The Role of the TL = I am considering making some generic (as in, can be used by any school board) slide decks that can be used to explain what a TL does and why this is not a waste of resources and time. If I do this, I'll post them here for people to use. If anyone wants to work with me on this, send me a note.

If you need something on the role of the teacher-librarian right away, you might want to check out a recent ETT Teacher Talk podcast on the School Library Learning Commons. I haven't had a chance to listen to the speakers, but the descriptor sounds like the participants worked hard to capture all the important elements of the job. (Plus, Rabia was one of my Library Part 1 AQ students!)

Visits = If I promise you that I'll come to your school to take a look around and help with planning, physical set up, or programming, know that I am good for it. Remember to email me to book a time.

Scheduling = This is the thing that I can do to help that doesn't fill me with delight but is the best course of action. At my own school, I will relinquish my open collaborative time this year. As my dad's motto rang in my head, "if I'm not part of the solution, I'm part of the problem". This is what I can do right now. I'm disappointed but I am old enough to know that there are cycles. In fact, I wrote in my capping paper for my Masters of Education degree about how, the year after I received Canada's highest honour for school librarianship, (the 2008 Canadian Association of School Libraries / Follett International Teacher-Librarian of the Year) circumstances changed.

In the 2009-2010 school year, the majority of my collaborative teaching time was removed due to declining enrolment at my school and the reduction of required minimum teacher-librarian time board-wide. My teaching position now included being the junior and intermediate special education resource teacher for literacy and numeracy in addition to being the teacher-librarian. My library schedule only held six periods available for collaborative teaching time with class teachers, the lifeblood of a healthy school library program; all the rest of my library time was designated for providing preparation time for class teachers by taking groups for book exchange and teaching isolated library skills instruction for every class in the school. I was very disappointed by this turn of events.  

I lost the teacher-librarian position entirely in 2020-21 when my board eliminated the position in elementary schools because of  the COVID-19 situation and reaction. It's not ideal but I remain hopeful that in the future, there will be a better timetable that will allow for co-planning, co-teaching, and co-assessing. Last year, I was able to be involved with 19 collaborative units, even with getting pulled occasionally to deal with the supply teacher shortage. I remain optimistic that the pendulum will swing back, and I'm willing to take the hit this time.

Some may see this as being too sacrificial. Some may even compare it to the famous picture book, The Giving Tree. This is where I'll shriek "NOOOOOOO!" A major reason for my objection is because I actually despise that book. 

I am not the only one that dislikes this book. Reasons why this book is disliked, as mentioned on a Quora thread, and on a Reddit thread, include the toxic relationship between the tree that constantly gives and the boy that constantly takes, and the exploitation of nature

This image was posted by user "thissucks32" part of the Reddit group r/raisedbyborderlines

By the way, I still have a copy of the actual book in the school library where I work, even though I don't like the main message. The removal of certain titles from school library collections cannot be based on personal preferences. Make sure you read the statement by Canadian School Libraries on book challenges. (I won't write about the criticism the Peel District School Board has faced for its deselection practices. That's worthy of a separate post.) My blog post on deselection from this July describes the actual process.

Oh, and I can't stand The Rainbow Fish either. (This article on Medium sums up most of the objections.) 

This image comes from Kidspot. The original images come from two TikTok accounts labelled in the collage image.

I'll stop here, before you get the idea that I am a crank that hates all famous picture books! Just remember, I'm willing to provide assistance if you need it. Just let me know what I can do to help.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Library

 I'm teaching a lot of drama this school year. To get into the mood, I've been re-watching old episodes of the improv show, Whose Line Is It Anyways? and enjoying the comic genius of people like Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie. Funny enough, one of the games or skits that they play on the show, called "Props", is very similar to a game I'm playing with the students.

We first read Not A Stick to see how the main character can pretend that a stick can be many different things. Then, we sat in a community circle, passed around a stick, and played pretend with some structured conversation. (I think a version of this game is also called "This is a Scarf".) The dialogue goes something like this:

Me: "Who are you?"

Student: [says their name]

Me: "Hey [NAME], nice stick."

Student: "It's not a stick."

Me: "It's not a stick? What is it?"

Student: "It's [says and shows something different]"

I have to tell you that when I played this game with one of our kindergarten classes, you would have thought that they were watching Robin Williams or Catherine O'Hara at their finest. Every time I said "It's NOT a STICK?", the entire class howled with laughter. They thought it was the funniest thing they've ever heard in their entire lives. And then, when I'd say it again for the next person in the circle, they'd crack up laughing anew. No word of a lie, they chortled and giggled and rolled on the floor chuckling loudly like it was the very first time they had ever heard such a witty retort. I was absolutely hilarious. (Before you suggest I abandon teaching for a life on the comedy circuit, check out this article on children's sense of humor from the University of Bristol. I suspect it was a combination of funny faces, funny voices, getting a reaction, and mislabeling.)

Now, it was kind of hard to get them to settle down a bit afterwards, and some of the students were still too shy or hesitant to suggest a different interpretation of the stick, but some did. There were a lot of fishing rods inspired by the book and ninja swords, and a couple of new ideas, but most just loved letting loose. You can see from a few of these photos. These are from the Grade 3-4 students, so they are a bit more advanced in their pantomime, but you can see how it progressed.

Joy is a good thing.

It made me think about the times the students or I have bust a gut laughing out loud.

Toy Store

Students who have had me before for drama class have already begun requesting that we play Toy Store. They love to play pretend. They think it's a hoot to "trick the toy store owner" (aka me in role) and have her perplexed as to why the toy store is in disarray each morning after she locks up, never realizing that the toys are alive and partying after hours. That's what drama is about for young learners. It's not about memorizing lines to recite in a stage performance. The Ontario curriculum says that elementary students will "expand their thinking, solve problems, and develop their ability to express ideas and feelings through aspects of the art form such as contextual or process drama and role play". (page 15)

Early Minecraft Play - We Need a GamingEdus Reunion!

My husband likes to share the story of what it was like listening to my children and to me playing Minecraft together in the early days, alternately screaming in terror and hollering in delight as we experienced this new virtual world. Minecraft used to be such a huge part of my personal and professional life. If you look at the list of presentations I've run on my wiki, you'll notice that from 2012 - 2018, I offered many, many sessions about using Minecraft in the classroom with members of the GamingEdus. The GamingEdus were a group of like-minded educators who believed in the power of video games in education and the positive possibilities of games based learning. We used to have so much fun together. The GamingEdus have crept into my thoughts recently, because one of our core members, Andrew Forgrave, aka Gumby Blockhead, has been helping me migrate all of our old Minecraft accounts to Microsoft before they are locked out for good. 

I even found one of our old business cards out of the blue.

So, what happened to the GamingEdus? Well, Liam O'Donnell moved to the Thames Valley District School Board. Denise Colby became a vice-principal in the Toronto District School Board. Jen Apgar became a vice-principal in the Upper Grand District School Board. Andrew Forgrave retired from the Hastings Prince Edward County District School Board. We still love games but Microsoft's acquisition of Minecraft reduced the pleasure of this specific game for some of us, and we moved on to other priorities and jobs. I hope that we can arrange a get-together in the future so we can reunite and reminisce about those great times we had together.

Conversations with Friends over Food

I couldn't recall a specific example of this, except for a time long ago that my sister and I with some mutual friends (Cathy and Brendan) were sitting around the kitchen table at my parents house. We were eating but we were so overly tired that everything anyone said was inexplicably funny. Thing is, combine good friends with good food and uninterrupted time, and it is likely to lead to lots of laughs. These precious moments will often happen at dinner after a conference, or during the summer over a leisurely lunch. 

I hope you get a chance to laugh lustily and without reservations sometime soon. Laughing has many health benefits, according to this article from the Mayo Clinic.  So, live, laugh and love!

What Works in the First Week

 The first week of school for the 2023-24 school year has come and gone. It was my 27th first week as a paid teacher. I looked at my photo roll to see what memorable moments warranted a picture. My 97 images consisted mostly of:

• a bit of set-up (of my first loose parts provocation attempt for this year)
• group photos (taken of every class on the second day of school since the first was too hot and busy) to use in the yearbook
• kindergarteners in our first library/media class and first dance/drama class together

I've spent a lot of time creating and rejigging schedules and other administrative tasks. There aren't any photos of that.

It's been sweaty and hot - we have air conditioning but it broke - yet we had a very smooth start-up to the new school year. I hope other teachers might agree, despite the terrible weather conditions. To their credit, our principal and caretaker did what they could, arranging technicians to come immediately to fix the AC (which failed on the first attempt), turning off lights, borrowing fans, and encouraging educators to do what they needed (like eliminating strenuous physical activity or spending long periods in direct sunlight) to make it bearable.

There are certain activities, despite my love of novelty, that I use every year in September, because they work and serve a specific purpose successfully.

What do I do in the first week?

1) Play a game that teaches me and others the names of people in the class.

I used to be a Tribes TLC trainer, and one of the strategies or energizers we'd use was called 3 Ball Toss. I never use three balls; I only use a single koosh ball (which doesn't hurt if it hits anyone). Even though I've been at my current school since 2004, I always play some kind of game that practices name acquisition. For the kindergartners, I play Name Fame, followed by Name Train the next week. Even if I know 99% of the students already, I need to review the names now they are in a different class configuration. Plus, the students new to the school need to hear the names of their classmates. 

2) Read aloud short books.

Why short? Kindergarteners don't have a long attention span, and older students aren't used to school routines yet. Short, and usually funny, books are just right. There are so many favourites I have, but I make a point of having the students decide which book I will read, so they see right away that student agency and choice is important in my programming. I loved how a senior kindergarten student told me exactly how we should fairly decide which book to read by placing the book options on tables and then lining up in front of our preferences and then we could see which line had the most. I definitely took several photos of that action. (Some don't know how to line up yet, but most do, and that's okay.)

3) Give some time for students to play or have "free time".

I arrange for some time for students to play so I can listen and observe them. It's also pretty tiring for them to follow directions and postpone doing what they want when to obey the teachers. (I know I napped a few times after school this week, and I'm the one directing things!) I also take photos while they play, to show that I value what they do when they play.

The first few weeks of school are often seen as a "honeymoon" period, where everyone is "feeling each other out" and figuring out what the patterns will be for interacting during the school year. My goal is to continue the focus on student agency and joyful learning, not just in September. I hope this will be a productive and enjoyable year for everyone.

Retired Role Models

 Happy Labour Day - otherwise known as the day before school starts anew.

During the last full week of summer vacation, I celebrated my son's 21st birthday (Happy Birthday Peter!), wrapped up the York University August Teacher Librarianship AQs, attended the TDSB New Teacher-Librarian Unconference and participated in the AML annual Think Tank. I also made some time to visit with two special friends. Both of them live some distance away from me and both of them are retired teachers. Spending time with them was wonderful and valuable in terms of considering my post-teaching next steps.

Melissa Jensen hails from Barrie. She and I crossed paths thanks to OSLA as far back as 2011, possibly even 2008. (Thank you LinkedIn for the date check!) She served on OSLA Council and was OSLA President in 2017 while I was the OSLA Lead Editor from 2006-2018. We presented at the ETFO Summer Academy together in 2016. I stayed at her house when giving a workshop for Simcoe County DSB. 

I reached out to Melissa because 1) I hadn't seen her in a long time, and 2) I needed to consult her about owning a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. (She has one. I'm considering getting one when I retire but I had to see if my son is allergic.) (Spoiler alert: he IS allergic, so it's back to the planning stage for more hypoallergenic dogs.)

My son, daughter and I spent a delightful Monday afternoon chatting with Melissa and her husband, dining at a tasty local pub, and walking along the waterfront (Lake Simcoe, but more specifically, I think it's Kempenfelt Bay).

Lisa Noble is a Peterborough peeps. We first met face-to-face at ECOO's Bring It Together conference in 2014, although according to my blog, we were in contact much earlier thanks to Twitter. (I joined Twitter in 2009.) We even did a Tumblr inquiry together before our IRL relationship took off. Lisa is one of the big reasons why I go to conferences. She was in KPRDSB and I was in TDSB, so the only opportunities where we could meet were at conferences. I looked back on my blog and I'm constantly quoting Lisa ("breathe" / "let go" / "it's okay to walk away") or making things with her (fabric fidget mazes at BIT 2018) or seeing her make things, like the scarf for Stephen Hurley when he won the 2020 OLA Media Award. We last saw each other in the flesh at the 2020 OLA Super Conference, so it was time to reconnect.

Lisa picked a perfect spot halfway between Toronto and Peterborough - Port Perry, Ontario. We had a Thursday night dinner followed by a pretty stroll along the shores of Lake Scugog.

Melissa, Lisa, and I had engaging conversations during our separate times together. I won't share every detail but it was remarkable how similarly enriching they were. The lessons that I learned from both of them related to retirement is to have a plan AND be prepared to be flexible with that plan. Both Melissa and Lisa left the profession at a slightly different time than they might have anticipated, but it was the right time for them. They both had ideas on how they would spend their time and altered them because circumstances suggested better paths to take. Their post-elementary-school-teaching careers have enough leeway built into them that they are able to enjoy life and not feel like they just replaced one work commitment with another. (Melissa works for Knowledge Hook and Lisa works for Trent University.) They can travel without busting their bank accounts (Melissa is a world traveler like my sister; Lisa explores Ontario in a way that I think my husband might appreciate.) They enjoy time with their spouses and make time for friends. I get the feeling that both of them are not bored and content with how they've crafted their timetables with the right mix of busy and relaxed. They are not stingy with their time and are genuinely happy.

I know I have a lot of time to go before it's my time to retire. I wrote about this last year on my blog when I went to see Boy George in concert. I'm not sure why I was so secretive about my planned window for retirement - I'm thinking it could be in the next 5-8 years, and it's okay if I change those plans to make it earlier or later. That's something I learned from Melissa or Lisa. There's no harm in changing plans. I am grateful that I have friends who have experienced this stage of life a little bit before me, so I can turn to them for positive examples and support. Thank you Lisa and Melissa for giving me permission to share these photos and write about how wonderful you both are!