Yes, I believe in the Freedom to Read and being a major reader myself,
I would certainly like the students to check out more books but I
repeat, I am only one person doing many jobs, including fundraising 2x
a year since my budget is less than $400.00. When I wrote at length
last year, I was flamed for consistently staying late because I just
have to put in many extra hours just to keep up with the many jobs
that fall into the hands of the media specialist. Now I feel that I am
being flamed for limiting book circulation. I just can't win!
But I still maintain that there are only so many books that can get
circulated and shelved in a situation that also includes teaching and
grading as well as providing the teacher curriculum and technology
support that I (and we all) do each day. That 40 minute class period
goes so quickly! Then at the end of the class period the internet goes
down and one must resort to handwriting the barcodes so that students
can check out books "no matter what". (I don't mind typing the barcodes
in later or at home...) And yes, the next group is lined up at the door.
Guusje did give us some needed insight regarding the the question of
keeping students reading in their general grade levels. School
improvement and/or Adequate Yearly Progress is now behind every
decision that we make. The test scores certainly cause a lot of things
to be mandated and students (and teachers and librarians) in public
schools have other things to deal with that those who may go to school
or work in other situations cannot relate to. And some schools, public
or private, just have more staff and funding and volunteers and what a
difference that makes!
There are also many differences between how libraries operate in
elementary, which generally have fixed schedules, versus middle and
high which (again, in general) seem to have more flexible ones. I have
seen the yearly circulation stats in my county and the elementary
schools, by far, have the greatest book circulations. Mine is among the
highest, per capita. So we in elementary must be doing something right.
But when it comes down to it, we just have to do the best that we can
in our own situations. Sometimes that means putting a reasonable limit
on circulation just to keep one's head above the water. Sometimes that
means putting a reasonable limit on circulation just to have time to
teach library skills and or lessons which support the elementary
curriculum during that 40 minute period as well. If I had an aide, even
3 hours a week, I would change the circulation policy immediately.
Deb Hendrickson
Deborah J. Hendrickson
Media Specialist/Technology Leader
Westernport Elementary School
172 Church Street
Westernport, MD 21562
DHendrickson@allconet.org (work e-mail)
On Friday, September 24, 2004, at 10:37 PM, Guusje Moore wrote:
> School libraries are different from public libraries - we are both
> librarians and teachers that puts a slightly different slant on
> things. The
> teachers (who under our state mandated testing system) are responsible
> to
> raising the reading scores want their students checking out books they
> can
> read and comprehend. Kids, being kids don't always do what their
> teachers
> want them to do!
>
> All the students are my school can check out at least 2 books - one
> must be
> a "a book to help you be a better reader" - I call those "meat" books,
> the
> other is a "book for fun" - those are "popcorn" books, because one
> popcorn
> is fun eat. I tell them their brain is like their bodies - it won't
> grow
> into a "reading" brain if all they eat is popcorn - it needs "meat
> too, just
> like their bodies do.
>
> The teachers are happy and so are the kinder and first graders who can
> then
> check out their beloved dinosaur and shark books. Most of the
> students at
> my school check out 4 books at a time, some check out more.
>
> Age doesn't seem to have much to do with wether or not a child looses
> books
> - that seems to be more a factor of home life and the child's on
> personality
> & attitude toward school.
>
> Guusje Moore
> Librarian, Housman Elementary
> Spring Branch ISD
> Houston, TX
> guusje@mindspring.com
>
> Day in the Life of an School Librarian
> http://guusjem.blogspot.com/
>
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