Today (after a couple of years off the grid) I decided to share a little bit about my work day. Here it goes.
I arrived at school at 7:30 am to pleasantly find that the zero period science teacher was successfully administering the online test he planned to use the library for. Yeah! Throughout the day, I helped his students log in correctly and begin the online Illuminate test. The library docket included periods zero through five (not period three) with online testing and period six with drama students using the computers. Not much else was needed on my behalf for the science teacher's plans to run smoothly this day, so I had planned on grading my libsci students' shelving project, finishing some other small tasks, interspersed with the continual and expected random help queries throughout the day.
During period one, I received the follow up email from a district TOSA about System 44 student log in procedures. I quickly created and made multiple copies of a log-in form I
created for his students that would help them successfully log-in to System 44. Another teacher came over to see if I have covered her bookjacket with a mylar cover. Nope, not yet but it is in the pile of to-dos. She also wanted to verify that we can collaborate tomorrow on a social event we're planning for December, but not to bother her too much tomorrow because she is planning on grading while her students are testing using the library computers tomorrow. During period two, I jaunted over to the ELD teacher's room to hand him the copies and explain the log in process. I got a
hug and a thank you for that endeavor. I came back and wrote that task in my Library Scheduling folder and saved a copy of the student handout for future reference, too.
Meanwhile, I sent my libsci students on the task of adding the last stacks of "new" books to the Librarything lists I created. Yeah! This adding phase lasted a couple of periods. This allowed me to work my grading of the stacks. After grading the stacks, I learned that many of my students need more help than I thought with alphabetizing fiction books.
In between all of this, mostly 11th grade students were coming in sporadically to print their essays for the English/History assignment. Also, I had the occasional student or two who were sent in with a note to see if they could stay in the library for 10 minutes until their class finished reviewing a test.
The science teacher who was using the computers has third period conference, so he left. At that moment, I have a student come in begging to use five computers for his team because his classroom is short chromebooks and his project is due TOMORROW! So, I invite not only him but the whole class to the library to use all of the computers. Not five minutes later did they all walk into the library and promptly began working. I popped around the room to help where needed.
We had second period extension today and the teacher took his students
back to the classroom for this extra thirty minutes of instruction. I
listened to my libsci period two student's plea to allow period three
students to take down the Halloween decor. Why I consented, I do not
know exactly. My rule for un/decorating is that it has to be done while
there aren't any students in the library. So, during period three, the
period that was supposed to be free of any classes in the library, a
room of newly arrived Entrepreneurship students are hard at work. My
two libsci students quietly take down almost all of the decor during period three, but the
cobwebs hanging in front of the circ counter are calling my name,
begging to be cleaned up. I answer the clean up call with my
handy-dandy "giant" chopstick, a.k.a. a curtain rod, and start swatting
it around in the air. To get the full effect of this arising scene, my
circ counter sits between the two parts of my library, which are
subdivided large rectangles with one being the computer lab and the
other the books. As I am quietly swatting the "cobwebs" down,
unbeknownst to me, I have gained the full attention of the computer lab
students, who ardently ask, "Do you need any help Mrs. Cable?" More in
shock, I reply, "No thanks." And I quickly and laughingly put my giant
chopstick near the circ desk. Laugh! Laugh! Lesson learned: clean up
when the opportunity arrives and DON'T clean up even IF the cobwebs
call your name!
Fourth period begins and the regularly scheduled teacher arrives with his students. After the initial log in to the computers, the students begin the log in to Illuminate. Nothing. Blank screens. Some red error messages. Nothing. A phone call to the onsite tech person goes unanswered--he's on a quest elsewhere on campus. I call the district Help Desk. They report that it is NOT the district's server but offsite and that Illuminate is DOWN. I send out an email to our tech guy and call the office to notify them of the demise online. A few minutes later, an announcement is made to the entire campus that testing this period is on HOLD. The science teacher cleverly decides to take his class back to his room to work on another assignment. I don't have any libsci students this period, so I work on various tasks like grading the shelves and adding books to the Librarything lists. Today is my NOT open at LUNCH day so I can work all through fourth period on library things. Various students come into the library for help with Turnitin issues--everything from codes to log-in email account information.
I get to leave my circ counter full of books I am processing because the library is closed at lunch. YEAH! My husband came almost at the end of fourth period, so I ran to the bathroom, came back, and closed the library doors. On Thursdays, I get to eat lunch with my husband and have an adult conversation without having a hundred plus high school students in my library. YEAH! Lunch ends and back to normal. I decided to answer the phone call during lunch. A history teacher wanted to let me know that because of her failure to acquire a chromebook cart, to be prepared for a lot of AVID students coming to the library to print really long articles. And that she was sorry! I told her that it is not a problem. And that students have been coming all day to print articles. And sometime before my husband leaves another teacher calls to see if I can switch after school duty with him. I told him I would look at my schedule and get back to him.
Period five is the last period of online testing scheduled today in the library, and everything is working online so the testing commences. Before leaving today, the science teacher booked the library for period four for next Wednesday; a re-do for today's online testing downtime, and I also wrote this in my Library Scheduling folder and online. Meanwhile, College Boost people came to begin their program. I mentioned that they need to be quiet today because of testing, and they ended up finding another room for their student meetings. All computers were being used period five, including a few eleventh graders who got permission to come to the library to work on essay writing. My two libsci students are put to work on two different tasks: adding books to Librarything and completing the shelving "grading" project. After explaining both tasks and helping with the science online log in help, I am off to the stacks to finish my grading. I checked on my one student who was not following the very specific instructions on the grading sheet. When asked about the mis-shelved books, he replied, "There was only one. And it is in the right place now." That instantly triggered another reading of the procedures. He was soon on the correct pathway of grading the shelves. Side note: his score for grading was less than satisfactory. Side conversation with myself: It is always good to have students of all abilities in my libsci classes because they can work together and help learn new skills together. My original task for fifth period was to have the displays changed, but the necessity to grade the shelves and add books to Librarything took precedence.
Period six began with the prompt arrival of the drama students who will be working on Audacity to create a background piece of "noise" as specified by the drama teacher. All extra computers are being utilized by students who don't have a sixth period or have passes from PE Study Hall. Tables are filled with students studying and working on homework. My one libsci student was tasked with taking an abandoned Geometry book to the Bookstore and taking an "Absent" student call slip to a room he did not recognize. After going in my office and taking the school map off of my wall, he and I located the room. I walked around the room helping the drama students for a short bit. One of my third period libsci students came into the library for sixth period to work on his essay while also getting help from both my sixth period libsci student and myself. Conclusions are hard to write. A history teacher dropped by to confirm that the library computers are booked tomorrow periods four and five. Bummer because he needs them tomorrow for his substitute plans. He left to find another way. The library began to get louder as the school day was ending. Daily schedules were changed in preparation for tomorrow's bell schedule; the school has at least nine different daily schedules. I finished my shelf grading. I came back to my desk to find my piles of historical fiction books all asksew and mixed in with the social issues books. My third period libsci student who was working on his essay asks me if he also frustrates me. NO! Lesson learned: I need to walk more and longer with some of my students before releasing them into the wild.
After school duty: not me today. I get to leave. My after school replacement asks me if I am going to leave amid the plethora of "help" questions that keep coming to my desk and straight to me. Lesson learned: I have created a wonderful atmosphere where students know who I am, are not shy, and are willing to ask for help. Off to help them. I stop after the first couple of queries and hand that off to my after school replacement. She's on duty and gets to handle all of the queries. One last request, "Can I have those things that pull apart?' "Yes," is my reply, in addition to, "How long will you here in the library?" I get two Little Bits kits out for him to use for the next hour. I show my after school replacement what they are and how to "count" the parts upon return. The CSF students have arri8ved and are seated at all of the tables. They are prepared for tutoring peers. The noise level is beaming with excitement. And I get to leave. Only after telling my after school replacement to make sure she checks the printers for paper (luck would have you the paper ran out while I was standing there), she finds more in the storerooms, reloads it, and marks the date on the paper "refill" log. I give her a printed copy of the library procedures I had created to help with after school duty protocols. I then grab my school keys, my purse, and leave for home.
A wonderful day in the library.
