Implementations and Challenges during the 2023/2024 School Year

 I completed my fourth year as school librarian at Mountaineer Middle School this year. This was my most productive year so far, a fact that is amazing considering how much school I have missed this year due to illness.  This post will look at some of this year's accomplishments and challenges.

The most impactful change implemented this year was changing the library layout.  Previously, the shelving was directly in front of the circulation desk and angled so that there were blind spots where students could loiter.  The student instructional area also had blind spots that contributed to classroom management issues.  The new layout eliminated these problems and allowed for the creation of a lounge area with a couch and five comfortable chairs.  An end table and coffee table had slots for magazines that would appeal to students' browsing interests. 

Genrefication of the fiction section continued this year, and I estimate I still have about 35 percent of the collection to relabel.  As I genrefy, I weed.  Once all of this is completed, I will try to implement dynamic shelving, which is to say displaying the books in a more retail-like fashion.

The Dungeons and Dragons after school club continued this year, improved by learning from the failures of the previous year.  There were fewer members, but those who joined the club were interested in the game more than goofing off.  The club was led by an eighth grader who put deep effort into creating a game and various realities for his fellow students.  He tried to get me involved, and I did sit in on one session, but honestly, it wasn't for me.  I was happy to let the club evolve on its own.  

Two seventh grade students proposed an afterschool book club, and this was met by great enthusiasm.  About 19 students registered, and of course, some dropped out and more wandered in.  The real challenges here involved money.  Because we had no funding, students had to choose among the class sets already in the collection.  Diverse reading levels and interests posed another challenge.  I let the students choose their own novels and subgroups, and this seemed to work well.

I think what is more important to the students than book clubs or games is the opportunity to form an informal community.  Really, these kids want a low-key way to interact with their peers, and the subject matter for the club is secondary.  Maybe I should try a hangout club.  I think they would like that.

The true challenges I faced this past year had to do with my health and the unpredictability of my being available for these afterschool activities.  As much as I would like to make the commitment to a book club or a D&D club every Wednesday, I often had to cancel.  This disappointed the kids and discouraged me, because I want to be available to the kids and have them love the library as a dynamic space.  I disappointed and frustrated myself as much or more than I disappointed and frustrated them.

This year I will see what I can accomplish.  I definitely want to finish the genrefication before my school is merged with another.  Had I known the merger would take place when I started the process, I probably would have waited.  It is hard to say whether or not I will have a library job once the merger takes place, as there are certainly those with more county seniority that I.  As for the clubs, I will let my conscience guide my decisions.

Even though it is only June 20, I look forward to the next school year.

A Description of My Day and Classes in the 2023-2024 School Year

I think I had my classes planned since July of 2023.  I am a planner, and I love writing lesson plans - for the first three weeks of school.  After that, I feel like I am creating fan fiction.  Plans have to be flexible to allow for assembles, beginning of year benchmarks, and of course, student absences.  Still, I am a planner, and I always have a plan, no matter how many times I have to change it.

This year I decided to support of schoolwide goal of improving reading comprehension scores. (Isn't improving reading and math scores always the goal?)  In doing this I abandoned digital and media literacy lessons and focused on character and plot development, along with some vocabulary to reinforce understanding of the literature.  Plus, I love doing novels with the kids.  I like doing books that make them think.

My day starts at 7:30, with hall duty from 7:35 to 7:40.  I enjoy starting the day by greeting the kids, teasing some of them, complimenting others, and generally welcoming all the kids that go past my door.  Some days I am the traffic cop, but most days are fun.  I have only been knocked over once.

The day is divided into eight periods of 50 minutes each, plus an hour and ten minutes of lunch and an exploratory period. In years past, I had 8th grade, 7th grade, and 6th grade classes in the morning and had the remainder of the day for library activities. This year my principal flipped the schedule so that I had classes 4th, 7th and 8th periods during the first semester and 1st, 2nd and 3rd periods the last semester.  I believe I like this year's schedule better, in terms of class management but I think for library management, the old schedule was better.  Nonetheless, I will take the schedule as it comes.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman was the novel studied by 8th graders. I think this was fairly well-received.  Those who choose to listen and read along as I read the books seemed to get the most from the novel.  I supplement this book with The Hunger Games movies, tying all this into a dystopian fiction unit. Besides character and plot development, we also work on comparing and contrasting the stories, Another skill we work on is awareness of nonverbal cues in media.  The supporting cast in The Hunger Games movies are excellent at conveying the unspoken word.

Seventh grade is a difficult group to gauge. As a general rule, their attention span is comparable to a gnat's.  I have started this year with When You Reach Me for three of four grading periods. The last nine weeks the class read Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar.  When You Reach Me is an excellent novel, but Miranda's internal dialog drags on a bit for these kids.  I can feel myself losing them. Fuzzy Mud has similar issues with a 5th grade female protagonist.  My fourth nine-weeks kids also read Ghost, which I thought would appeal to a group of jocks who ran track.  I have not found a magic bullet for 7th grade.  If any of you have suggestions, I am open.

Wolf Hollow is my novel of choice for 6th grade.  The kids love the book, but my big problem here is that kids hear what happens from their older siblings or friends.  I feel like I need to find a new historical fiction to use with this grade.  Again, suggestions are welcome!