LM_NET: Library Media Networking
First Congratulations Jenna, you made it!
Next relax, we all have to make compromises in our vision of what we want
to do. (Sometimes, we even have to give up as I did at the end of last
year in the urban system where I was working, but that's another story.)
For right now, unless you are required to hand in a grade and prove that
your kids have completed a specific curriculum, don't sweat it. Provide
activities for the kids to work quietly on while you do check-in. They are
to be quiet during this time, finishing the exercise is not a problem they
can take it with them for "homework," if you need work to grade. Have a
short "listen to the librarian" activity available if you have time beyond
establishing who has overdue books and won't get another this week if that
is your rule. Have a place for the kids to sit and quietly read their
books while you get them checked out. If they make their choices quickly
you can let it be know that you have another(or even the one you thought
you didn't have time for) listening activity to quiet them before the
teacher and the next class come. The world won't fall apart if all the
kids get to do is exchange books, when they only have 20 min. of real
library time. Why are teachers using the copier and laminator allowed to
interrupt your class? Do you go knocking on their classroom doors looking
for overdue books while they are teaching?
The teacher who set up your current schedule has gotten his passing grade
for his course now. Get together with the other "specials" teachers and
discuss the problems, because I am sure they are having them as well. They
have also heard feedback from the teachers who are really being cheated out
of prep time when they have to supervise the passing times from one class
to the next with in the hour. Your next step is to talk to the principal
as a group. If he and the classroom teachers like this arrangement,
suggest that he simply expand it by 5-7 min. to allow for passing time
between classes. We had 4 -- 45 min. prep periods a week in the city, so
my primary teachers preferred having one each day, while the Grade 5-6
teachers, who also had the last lunch liked doubling up during the last two
periods two days a week with 5 minutes passing between each of the
periods. Try and get all of this settled and change the schedule for after
Christmas.
Unfortunately their is little we can do about the current test mania in
education and we have to deal with the "test sophistication" stuff until
the pendulum swings back to more free learning.
Dorothy E. Tissair, M.L.S.
Library Media Specialist
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
dtissair@snet.net
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