Here's more of the HIT for Lots of Talking
My email message was:
This is my second year as a librarian in a primary school. I can keep the
children's attention during lessons, but as soon as book checkout begins,
they begin talking too loudly. I tell them to stop, and they stop for a few
seconds then start back in again. I've had them sit at the desks with their
heads down for a few minutes, but they begin again as soon as they start
looking for books again. I've even given them tickets to have recess time
taken away from them. Nothing seems to work. I can hardly wait until the
children find their books and check them out so they will quiet down. I
usually have to check the books out and help the children find books at the
same time. It is just difficult doing two things at once, plus watching all
the other children while I am helping one child or checking out books for
another.
What do the rest of you do to maintain quiet in the library during check out
time? I don't mind whispering, but it gets so loud that I can't hear the
children's names so that I can check out their books. To top it off there is
a wall air conditioner running behind the circulation desk. I keep turning
it on and off so that I can hear and try to keep it cool in the library. I'm
not hard of hearing. In fact my hearing is very sensitive, which probably
makes the problem worse for me. It's like fingernails on a black board.
I would think it was just me, but teachers who visit the library have also
told them to quiet down.
Any suggestions, please. Probably there are some out there who have no
problems with this. So please be kind and tell me how you do it.
Cindra Boring
Librarian
Madisonville Primary School
Madisonville, TN
cbtn@bellsouth.net
Here are more replies:
Hi.
You don't mention what age group the kids are. Are they 1st and 2nd graders
or 5th? I know that for my younger kids, I turn on music when it comes to
looking for books and check out time. I tell them they can be no louder than
the music. I also model quiet talking as much as possible. I try to keep my
voice down and talk to them like that so that they have to quiet down to
hear me. I know it's not much, but how about one of those stop lights that
you see that have red, green, and yellow lights, red being silent, yellow
whisper and green normal voices? Maybe a visual clue might help.
As for the check out desk.is it at all possible to get parent volunteers? Or
how about some senior citizens? I have two senior citizens, one a retired
4th grade teacher who has been volunteering with me for 16 years now. It
really helps. The other senior volunteer is a widow and loves seeing the
kids. If that doesn't work, is it possible to put on an apron with pockets,
and once the kids have their books they are seated at tables reading, and
you can go around with your check out stuff and do that at the very last?
Maybe even as they line up to leave? I know that before I was automated I
did this a lot. Now that I'm automated, we were lucky enough to get portable
scanners, so that I can either do it at the desk or take the scanner around
and do it that way. I have the barcodes printed on a sheet and the scanner,
and the marker that I put in the books that show they've been to the "cranky
computer" (so named by one of my kindergartners last year because she didn't
like the sounds it made when books checked out!).
Hope this helps.
Sharon
Hi, Cindra!
Hopefully, they are talking about the books. I have the talking problem
coupled with the wandering around aimlessly problem. Here's a few things
that I've tried.
Put easy book trivia questions in a basket. During checkout time,
surprise!, ask a question in a soft voice. Whoever is listening and answers
correctly, gets a small prize.
I limit my checkout time to 7 minutes. And I let the students help check
out books.
Only let one group of students up at a time. Keep the others busy with
journal writing or creating bookmarks.
Close your library door!
Cindra,
I have this problem too, it doesn't seem to be quite as bad as yours, but
it will be as the year progresses. I lost my aide and so this year I can't
circulate among the children and help while she checks out the books. That
always cut down on the noise level. Perhaps you could purchase a yakker
tracker? Perhaps you could have only 5-6 students checking out books at one
time and have some sort of activity for the others while they wait. You
could set up centers and have the students rotate through the centers and
one of them could be book check out. Please post a hit.
Ruie
Ruie Chehak, Library Media Specialist
Sallie Jones Elementary School
1230 Narranja Street
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
Ruie_Chehak@ccps.k12.fl.us
941-575-5440
The kids know I will instruct them to sit down without checking out if they
become too loud. I do it individually and sometimes as an entire class. We
also conduct a schoolwide positive behavior program at our school so, to go
along with that, I reward individual and class behavior to show those who
are "clueless" what is expected. Although not perfect, it works for me.
Sarah Royal, Media Coordinator
Pine Valley Elementary School
440 John S. Mosby Drive
Wilmington, NC 28412
Phone (910) 350-2121 x234
Fax (910) 350-2116
Hello!
I saw your post on LM-Net and wanted encourage you to take heart! You are
not alone! I have grades K-8 and experience the same problem and am also
the only one in the library trying to help students and check books out at
the same time. Currently, I use a bell. When the volume level gets too
loud, I ring the bell. That's a warning. If I have to ring it again,
whoever was talking loses their check out privilege and has to sit at one of
the tables alone. I have explained to them that borrowing books is a
privilege, not a right. If they cannot follow the rules, they lose the
privlege. My teachers have been supportive of this and the students
(especially the younger ones) are more devasted by not getting a book than
losing recess.
Also, this year our school has implemented a policy that if you interrupt a
teacher's time with misbehavior, you have to stand up and apologize to the
teacher (in front of the class) and to the class for wasting thier time.
Believe it or not, this works and it lets them see how their behavior
affects everyone else. We also still have the option of making them "pay
back" the time during recess.
I don't know if these suggestions will help you. I will keep my eyes peeled
for what others have to say.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Russell
Librarian
The Oaks Academy
Indianapolis, IN
One thing that I use is 1-2-3 voices. 1 is a loud outside voice that they
use only when the whole group needs to hear them. 2 is a quiet inside voice
to be used when finding books. 3 is no talking to be used entering and
leaving library and any time I raise my hand with three fingers up. It
takes a little practice, but if you keep at it it really works.
Also, I don't check any books out until it is time for the students to
leave. As the students find their books, they return to their tables to
look at them until approx. 10 min before end of class. I expect them to talk
quietly during this time. If they get too loud, I make them be on a #3 (no
talking). I then call them by tables to come to desk, check out books, and
then line up.
I have been an elementary librarian for 25 years. The most important thing
is to know what you expect ; clearly explain it to the students ; be
consistent, and most of all, practice, practice, practice. It may take some
time but it is worth it.
Good luck!
Please post a hit as I have problems with this as well. I try to assign a
worksheet or something for them to work on, but as they don't receive a
grade they often don't work to hard on the assignment.
Cindy, I shared your problem when I was in the elementary and I found that
with teacher cooperation of course, I could reward a class for maintaining a
quiet atmosphere by 'giving' an extra minute or two of recess. It really
worked. The students would monitor each other and 'shush' each other to
earn extra recess. I even resorted to the old marble jar. Keep it on the
circ desk and as you're checking out books to students, reach in and grab a
handful of marbles when it's quiet and drop them audibly into the jar so all
can hear. Then when it get too loud, announce that you're taking some back
out. If they fill the jar during their stay in the library the extra minute
or two is awarded.
Jeanne Pippin, Librarian
Tivy HIgh School
Kerrville ISD
Kerrville, TX 78208
Jeanne.Pippin@KerrvilleISD.net
If they talk in the checkout line, they sit down and may not get to check
out that day.
As far as overall noise-I tell them they have a choice-keep it nice and
quiet or there will be no talking at all.
I keep a bell and ring it to tell them" this is the last warning"
It works.
Debra Fillingim, NBCT
Media Specialist
Jupiter Elementary
Palm Bay, Fl
Cindy - when I taught in elementary school - the noise levels also drove me
to distraction. I made sure I had a coloring activity, or word search, or
any other quiet 'fun' thing to do at the tables and only allowed one or two
tables at a time to get up to choose books.
If the children were very young -- I would set up a huge display of age
appropriate books and guided them to the counter tops to look for books ---
this kept the kids within site-range and I could still check books out --
that way you are only dealing with 10 kids at a time. (I often made the
display up of some of the books they returned that morning because generally
there were 2 or 3 kids who always wanted one book.
Lorraine LaPietra
Media Specialist
Hackensack Middle School
Hackensack, NJ 07607
Try color sheets. Or, only let a few check out at a time. I used to have
the younger students 'assigned' to a color. Then I would put up colored
dots in various reading areas of the library. There were never more than 4
in a color, so that kept the noise level way down.
For 3rd grade and up, I had a reward system. They could earn up to 25
points a day with different library behaviors, 5 of them, each worth 5
points. At the end of the day, I would tell them how many points they
earned. Once they earned 150 points, they got to have a fun library day
where we played games. Those days got a bit louder, but the 7-8 weeks it
took to earn it were well worth it!
Raynette Schulte
Young Adult Librarian
Watertown Regional Library
Watertown, SD
rschulte@watertownsd.us
At the beginning of the year, I talk about my expectations, and that they
don't have to whisper, but they do have to use soft voices, and I model
using a soft voice. I also have a signal for quiet, which is turning the
lights off. I know, it's one more thing to do, but most of our teachers use
this, so they get quiet real quick. I also have to check out, help find
things, and supervise the finished ones at the same time. I don't have any
aides or paras. As far as taking away recess, where do they go when recess
is taken away? Sometimes I will have them come in the library and sit when
they miss minutes of recess from me. I don't know if you would have that
option.
I was a classroom teacher for a long time, so I've not really had trouble
with that part of the library, except when I first moved into the library,
because they were used to doing whatever they felt like, whenever they felt
like it! They had mostly watched movies and checked out books, and wandered
around at will. After letting them know my expectations and following
through, things got a lot better. Get the teachers on your side--if
something will happen back in the classroom when they won't quiet down for
you, that will probably help you too.
Nancy D. Southard
Elementary Librarian
Midway R-1 Elementary School
5801 E. State Route 2
Cleveland, MO 64734
nsouthard@midway.k12.mo.us
816-250-2994, ext. 428
I, too deal with this issue and want a group-wide response.
I am a K-5 librarian who shares a library (fairly large, but echoing space),
with a 6-12 librarian. She is very easy to work with, but we have classes
that cross over and it is very difficult to keep students quiet and
attentive with the loudness commotion on the other side.
Also, what does a librarian do TO the children when they talk?
*honor codes
We have them once a week, and have a difficult time following up on
punishment for not hushing during a FIXED amount of time...
HELP !!!
Kelly Kelsoe
Elementary Library Media Specialist
Clements High School
Athens, AL 35611
Phone:(256) 729-6564 Ext. 329
Fax:(256) 729-1029
kelly.kelsoe@lcsk12.org
"What a school thinks about its library, is a measure of what it thinks
about education." Harold Howe, former U.S. Commissioner of Education
Hi Cindy,
I'm a former school media specialist now working as a children's librarian
in a public library. When I was in the school, though, I found that there
were a few things that worked: 1) I had to be firm and consistent. If they
were too loud, they would not check out books that day, the whole class. I
would explain to the teacher that they chose not control the volume of their
voices, so they also chose not to check out books. If we got to that point
it only happened once, and then they knew I was serious. Peer pressure
would get them in line as long as I was firm and consistent. 2)
Complimenting the students who are behaving appropriately is a very
effective tool. Students want your attention regardless whether it is
positive or negative. Give more positive attention than negative attention.
The kids will eat it up.
If someone is sitting quietly, waiting patiently, speaking in quiet tones,
point it out to them and others around them and smile a lot. 3) Of course,
be clear with the students and teachers as to what you expect and what the
consequences are if you don't get it (i.e. not checking out books). 4) If
your school doesn't have a school-wide reward system in place, you may want
to discuss developing one. In my school, the specialists gave the classes a
overall behavior rating at the end of each class period to give to the
teacher for their own purposes.
It's not easy. I know what you're going through. It'll get easier soon.
:)
Good luck,
Bea
Betty (Bea) Ruebbelke
Children's Librarian,
Rock Island Public Library
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