GEN: Crazy situation

[Gayle Hodur <ghodur@REDSHIFT.COM>]

Our schools are complying with our state's reduced class size rule for
primaries, and we have new teachers, new classes, and not enough
portables--yet. There are classes of 20 students in each of my small
elementary libraries until October or November when the portables come.
During that time I must go to the classrooms to conduct booktalks and
lessons. I don't mind doing that at all, but the problem is this: In both
libraries they have had to put blackboards, etc. in front of the shelves,
and in one library the teacher and principal actually covered the shelves
with butcher paper to keep the students from being "distracted" (or to keep
them from messing up the books--depends on who you talk to.) Anyhow it's
extremely difficult to access the books, and if I spend any time in there
selecting or re-shelving, it really is a distraction to the students, not
to mention darn near impossible. Any pleas of mine to admin. just get a
lecture on how "we all have to work together." At one of my schools I have
had almost no one sign up for a classroom visit anyway. (This school is
extremely resistant to library use.) This was to be my big year to really
get them going on library, and now I feel that goal is very much
endangered. Not only can I not get into the library to work, but if I only
have one class that wants my services, what am I supposed to be doing the
rest of the time? Any advice on how to handle this situation? (My other two
schools are good library users and want me there, but this one school seems
to have a Bad Angel or some such, and I have never been able to break
through their icy surface.)

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Gayle Hodur
ghodur@redshift.com