Teacher Tip #112 Teacher Self-Care: Create a Happy Folder In my School Library Media office desk I had a manilla folder where I carefully tucked all the hand written notes from kiddos & parents to read on a rainy day. I also SHAMELESSY would first tape them to my office door (because it was always open - let the other teachers internally writhe with envy!)  Nah, really just to keep me motivated and also show the kiddos I appreciated their heartfelt little notes!  But.....before I tucked it away tenderly or taped it to my door, I took a picture of it and uploaded it to Flick ..read more

  Dare Every Other Day You know, one becomes pretty reflective when they change up their life in a big way. Like moving into another professional phase after 30 years of teaching - 25 in Middle School! Coming up with "The Daring Librarian" brand back in 2010 was a choice that was inspired by an ISTE conference. I don't regret it. But, I have to say that my early preaching about being a daring educator, to always strive to be on the forefront of ed tech innovations, and to continually try new things in the classroom every day....can be a bit exhausting. And quite daunting.  So, dare ..read more

  An update from the Archives.  Ed Tech Relationship Anxiety It's so easy to get overwhelmed with new Ed tech trends going on in the world. It's exhausting and sometimes overwhelming. It's OK to date new technology, you don't have to marry it!   You don't have to try to be the expert at everything.  Sometimes, it's not what you have, it's the creativity of how you use it. It's the innovation of teaching and not the tool. Tools come and go, it's the daring spirit to try new things that pays in the long run. If you're feeling overwhelmed, curate great resources rather than ..read more

  I really should name this post "What I did during Covid" Which, in short, was a LOT OF Geek Squad Tech help to my kids, families, teachers, & staff. I created content to help my kids to connect, lots of tech troubleshooting tips, held numerous LIVE Tech-Help-Desk sessions, and hosted #MediaBreaks. Media Breaks are Virtual Lunch Bunches, read alongs, contests, & community bonding experiences.  It was really important to find ways for kids to feel connected to our school and to each other.  That is a herculean task. To help kids feel like they're a part of something w ..read more

Teaching and dealing with others in the workplace can be sometimes tricky. Especially, when your job is to help both the kids and staff you know you will never make everyone happy. It's physically and emotionally impossible. Most teachers just have to make their kids, parents, and principal happy.  Our jobs mean we have to make kids, parents, principal, all other teachers, the PTA, supervisors, and professional associations happy.  I'm OK with that. Because in my job I don't grade - I give out awesome books! I help fix technology and make things work. I connect with the community t ..read more

Blog post ideas come from all kinds of places - including Instagram comments! In fact, one of the reasons I started this blog some 13 years ago was to share the content I made to help other people. Hate reinventing the wheel and I remembered when I was a baby Librarian I started with NOTHING. Was hoping to help to safe someone else time and to remember what I did when, where, & how. So, now as I am a fully seasoned and experienced Librarian (and retiring!) I thought I would pass along some tickets, presentations, and printables that could be of some help. Before you try and download a cop ..read more

Book Display • Books • Resources • Rant   Two blog posts in a row about our Library being a Safe Space for our LGBTQIA+ kiddos. Why? Because we're aggressively passionate about being allies to our kids. Also, the news is chock full of alarming examples where parents, school districts, and communities are NOT supporting the freedom to read. The democratic freedom to give ALL kids the choice to find books without censorship or barriers.    It boils my blood! Why does it seem like we're going backwards with FREADom to read? So, I wanted to give you (dear reader!) an example of o ..read more

  Our Middle School Library in Laurel, Maryland has been a loud and proud Safe Space and Ally for ALL of our  LGBTQIA and Neurodivergent students for years.  I have also purchased every well reviewed and middle school approved fiction and non-fiction book on these topics. I have also blogged about our support of our diverse communities. Dear Queer Teen - It Gets Better! - 2012  Create a Safe Space - 2018 BUT... I have strong opinions about putting a Genre label on these books. I am really cognizant that some of my Middle Schoolers are curious or questioning to learn more ..read more

This is a fun online game to bring kids together in the classroom, with 1:1, teams, or through virtual learning. Students do NOT need to join the website or share any personal information! Jigsaw Explorer offers a variety of free puzzles. This site also allows players to engage in games with others so that classes, friends and family can collaborate on the same puzzle from different locations. Solving a jigsaw puzzle as a group also encourages participation & conversation. "Try the Jigsaw Explorer an online shared jigsaw puzzle! You can control the number of pieces and playing is just dr ..read more

Every teacher on my end of the hall is burnt and over it already. Every single one of us. Being forced to teach in a pandemic, wondering which kids will bring it, who will get it, what will happen, and will I take it home. This is worse than online by parsecs. https://t.co/zJfxFje4aN — Doug Robertson (@TheWeirdTeacher) October 3, 2021         I saw this on my Twitter feed and at first I answered this way. Proper exhausted. I thought it was just me. https://t.co/ZmHHyXPXsI — Gwyneth Jones (@GwynethJones) October 3, 2021 But then I thought about it and said this. Alth ..read more