“It is literally neurobiologically impossible to think deeply about things that you don’t care about"
Dr Immordino-Yang
Dr Immordino-Yang
I found these drawings (books influence and say yes) in a sketch book belonging to a student who used to attend my school. She would read at any opportunity she got: lunchtime. recess time and even when she was waiting to come into class. It seems that even when it was free drawing time, she would be thinking about books. I was pretty excited when I found these in her sketch book. Let me begin by saying that it may seem like I'm about to go on a completely different tangent but I promise that I'll get to the point which is, "how can we get kids to love the school library?" When I say love the library what I mean is, want to be there, enjoy their time there, feel like they are interested, feel comfortable there and feel like they have had some input into how it's actually set up as well as contributing to the displays and selection of the collection.... This year is the Anniversary of the 50th year since Apollo landed on the moon. I tried to link that into my music curriculum by looking at some of the music that was popular 50 years ago as well as music that actually makes reference to space or has space in its title. Some examples included; "Walking on The Moon" by the Police (1979), "Space Oddity" by David Bowie (1969) and "The Planets" by Gustav Holst (1914-1916). I also asked the students to compile a "Spotify" playlist for themselves, pretending they were actually travelling to the moon themselves. One Friday night I decided to have a bit of a play with my mixed media art supplies and created a piece of work to hang up in my classroom around the space theme. It has a lot of textures because I used different kinds of papers, stamps, paint, glitter, foil, and even stars that I made out of resin. I framed it and hung it up in my classroom with a typed label made with my old dymo machine saying "please touch". It didn't take long for kids to notice the artwork and then a student approached me and said "I think you've made a mistake!" I wasn't sure what they meant until the next sentence was "it says please touch but don't you mean, please don't touch?" I assured them that I hadn't made a mistake and that I wanted them to touch the artwork and feel the textures of the different things. The interesting thing is that LOTS of kids commented and asked me if it was actually ok to touch the art. I was actually amazed and wished that I had the time, space and money to create a whole room of artworks that the kids could interact with. I had also been working on a cow called "Moonique" which was a mixed media piece. During the process, kids were involved and allowed to feel the textures and add different things to the piece. Sadly, "Moonique couldn't stay in my classroom because she was too big and had to be housed elsewhere. The first thing I noticed when she was moved is the sign that said "please don't touch!" I understand that kids break things and can damage things but the reason "Moonique" is mixed media, is because I wanted her to be an interactive piece. "Pat the cow, say the Ode to Cows rap and enjoy..." would be my preferred sign on display. How often do kids get to pat a life sized green cow after all? It's something fun and something memorable. This leads me to my point about getting kids to love the library. I understand that if you're a person managing a school library that you probably feel a bit protective over the books but it's pretty important that we don't forget who the books and the library are actually for... Recently there has been a fair bit of talk about "student agency" in terms of their learning. It's about making learning meaningful and relevant and giving students some choice. "To put it simply, student agency gives students voice and often, choice, in how they learn." (https://www.renaissance.com/edwords/student-agency/- accessed 26th October 2019) I think the concept of student agency is also very relevant in a school library. By letting students have input into authors and books, displays and spaces in the library, surely they will feel more invested and interested in being in the library. When kids walk into the library it should be inviting and interesting. What are the latest arrivals, what books do other students recommend based on different genres? What books do you, the librarian, recommend for different genres and age groups? Are the displays changed regularly, celebrating special events in a fun way and representing work across the school? Are there cosy spots to read, listen to music or podcasts and places to sit, work or play a game at lunchtime? And what about lunchtime? What an amazing opportunity for curious students to be involved in learning new skills, teaching other kids how to knit, play chess, draw or code a simple robot? Utilise human resources (including parent and grandparents) in and around your school community that can assist in running lunchtime groups so that activities are varied and the workload can be shared. "School libraries need to be much more than a repository for books and print resources to maintain their relevance in the digital age." (https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-36,-2017/school-libraries-as-incubators-where-good-ideas-hatch! - accessed 26th October 2019) Enthusiasm is contagious.... And for your viewing and listening pleasure: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-uK1b2DHZw References in order of appearance: "Walking on The Moon," Sting, The Police (1979) "Space Oddity," David Bowie (1969) "The Planets," Gustav Holst (1914-1916) https://www.renaissance.com/edwords/student-agency/ (accessed 26th October 2019) https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-36,-2017/school-libraries-as-incubators-where-good-ideas-hatch! (accessed 26th October 2019) "I went to The Library," Wiggles, Rock& Roll Preschool, 2005. www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-uK1b2DHZw
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My first school library was a big old building in the middle of the school. Our teacher would line us up with our book bags and off we'd go. The Librarian would always read us a story as we sat cross legged on the floor and then we would be allowed to borrow a book or two! I was fascinated with the way she (it always seemed to be a woman) would stamp the card as it all looked very important! For some reason, the only books I seem to remember in the library back then were books by Dr Seuss such as "Cat in The Hat" and "Meg and Mog" by Helen Nicoll. The "Cat in The Hat" book really stressed me out because the mess that Cat created could surely not be cleaned up before their mum came home. And seriously, I thought that cat was a bit mean doing that to those children. I loved the "Meg and Mog" books because I really enjoyed the illustrations and the colours that were used. I loved to copy the illustrations and even now, if I see any "Meg and Mog" books, they make me smile. I talked to my partner about his favourite library memories, which were also positive. He fondly remembers a High School English teacher who taught them about "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. This particular teacher was also one of their school librarians and apparently her passion for books was quite visible and very contagious. According to the movie, The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film (2007) "They have more cardholders than VISA, more customers than Amazon, and more outlets than McDonald's." The movie features interviews with real librarians as well as snippets of librarians featured in movies. Not surprisingly, the reality of a "librarian's life" is far different than people's overgeneralised perceptions. "Stereotypes of librarians in popular culture are frequently negative: librarians are portrayed as puritanical, punitive, unattractive, and introverted if female, or timid and effeminate if male. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Librarians_in_popular_culture - accessed 15th October 2019) With any job, the people doing the jobs will be have different personalities and without a doubt, some people will be more dynamic than others. No matter what type of librarian we're talking about, whether it be a School Librarian, Community Librarian or University Librarian, I honestly believe that these people have the skills to improve the quality of people's lives, regardless of how they are portrayed. I lived and taught in a small country town for more than 20 years and there was a Community Library next to the school. It was also the school library so had an amazing collection. Many staff worked there and knew most of the people who lived in the area. This meant that the librarians knew the reading preferences and interests of little kids right through to the people living in the nursing home. If a new book arrived that they knew "Bob" would like, they'd put it aside and show him when he was in the library next. A self serve library...a sign of the times or a way to connect communities? References for this post in order of appearance: http://www.onwardthebook.com/the-connections-between-emotions-and-learning/(Dr. Immordino Yang: Quote - Accessed October 2019) Seuss, Dr. The Cat in the Hat. New York: Random House, 1957. Nicholl, Helen, Pieńkowski, Jan Michał Meg and Mog. UK: Puffin, 1972. Orwell, George. Animal Farm: A Fairy Story. Secker and Warburg: London, England, 1945 Seidl, Ann. The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film, 2007 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Librarians_in_popular_culture - (accessed 15th October 2019) When I tell people that I hope to work as a librarian one day, their responses are interesting and somewhat amusing. People who know me well have said "you'll be in your element" or "I can picture you doing that!" Other comments have included "you're a bit noisy to work in a library" (perhaps because I'm a music teacher ?) and "most librarians seem so serious..." Being a teacher, I'm actually no stranger to occupation based stereotypes! According to: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/insight-therapy/201809/stereotype-accuracy-displeasing-truth (accessed 13 October, 2019) "Everyone does it. The powerful use stereotypes to enshrine and perpetuate their power, and the powerless use stereotypes just as much when seeking to defend or rebel against the powerful." Fortunately, for me and for many of the teachers I know and work with, our passion for teaching and commitment to our students, outweighs the negative press we constantly hear in the popular media. I'm not saying it doesn't affect us but realistically, would anyone be a teacher if they listened to the popular press? Which leads me to my next point, how do the general public see librarians? To be continued... References in order of appearance: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/insight-therapy/201809/stereotype-accuracy-displeasing-truth (accessed 13 October, 2019) This may sound a little strange, but sometimes I actually avoid going to the library. It's not that I don't love going, it's just that I know I won't be able to resist either borrowing several books or magazines (that I don't actually have time to read) or I'll buy even more books (they always have deleted books and magazines for sale and I'm already at hoarder level with my collection). Imagine my delight/horror, when I discovered that there was a sale on "children's books" and that I could fill a bag for five dollars. This created quite a quandary for me so I decided that rather than waste this wonderful opportunity, I would buy some books and give them to our school library and to my son's school library. This was a way to deal with my book buying addiction and do something worthwhile at the same time. What I found really amazing is that so may of the books looked virtually new. My pick of the day book caught my eye immediately. It had a bright cover and eye catching lettering and was called "Stink and The Attack of The Slime Mold'" by Megan McDonald and illustrated Peter H Reynolds. I recognised the illustrator immediately because he is also the author and illustrator of "The Dot", which is one of my favourite picture books that I've used when teaching art. www.peterreynolds.com Further investigation revealed that "Stink" is actually "Judy Moody's" little brother! I actually don't know how I've missed seeing these books as they've obviously been around for a while considering that I found #10 in the series! Megan McDonald's "Judy Moody" books were first released in 2000 when I was a classroom teacher and were extremely popular with the girls in my Year 2/3 class. According to this website:www.fictiondb.com/author/meganmcdonald~series~judy-moody~15006.htm, there are now in fact 17 books to date in the "Judy Moody" series and twelve books in the "Stink Moody" series - along with some special editions. I suspect that the author of "Judy Moody" wanted to give the little brother a voice of his own as well as target the young male demographic with a character they felt they could perhaps relate to. stinkmoody.com After I'd finished my "shopping spree" I took my precious stash and decided to move to the Children's Book Section to see if anything interesting caught my eye. It didn't take long for me to notice a display with a selection of "Vox Books" which was something I hadn't seen before. There were a few non-fiction and fiction titles, so I chose one called "Max Attacks" by Kathi Appelt. I thought my son might enjoy this one and once I got it home I soon discovered I was right!
I have always loved books. Always. My first memories of books are Little Golden Books. There is one that I can still picture where a sweet, little baby is looking out of the window and it's raining outside. The illustrations are still fresh in my mind like it was yesterday. The book is called "Baby Looks" written by Esther Wilkin and illustrated by her sister Eloise Wilkin. To this day, I recognise any books illustrated in Eloise Wilkin's gentle style. I used to always get books as birthday and Christmas gifts, particularly from my Oma and Opa (grandparents) and Oma would always write a little note in the front with the date the book was given to me. This tradition has stuck with me, as I always write little messages in books that I give to others. One book that had a lasting impression, was a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales because some of the illustrations of witches were quite terrifying but also strangely compelling to me at the time! As I got a little bit older, I really enjoyed Enid Blyton books. I started with titles such as Bedtime Stories (published in 1970) and then devoured her series such as The Famous Five and The Secret Seven. These books took me on the adventures with them and I can remember feeling disappointed when I finished the story as I wanted them to go on forever. The next series I read were The Trixie Belden Mysteries, such as "The Mystery at Bob White Cave" (Kenny, 1966) There were (and are) 39 books in this series, so this kept me engrossed for many hours. Looking back now, I can see that I established a preference for the "mystery" genre of books quite early. When "The Babysitter's Club" books became very popular, I really couldn't see what the fuss was all about! I'm also very grateful that I had access to so many amazing books when I was growing up because it has enriched my life in many ways. References in order of appearance: Wilkin, Esther, Baby Looks, Little Golden Books, 1977 Grimms' Fairy Tales, Illustrated Junior Library Edition, 1980 Blyton, Enid. Bedtime Stories, Littlehampton Book Services Ltd, 1970 Blyton, Enid. Famous Five. Blyton, Enid. Secret Seven Kenny, Kathryn. Trixie Belden Mysteries: The Mystery at Bob White Cave, Whitman Publishing Company, 1966 Martin, Ann, M, The Baby-Sitters Club, (Various Titles), Scholastic. |
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