I Got a New Job!

This week I started a new job as an elementary school librarian. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I could not be hired into the role itself, as the position requires a Master’s degree. Instead I was hired on as a long-term substitute. This means that I work the role as if I’m the official new hire until the district finds a qualified individual who meets the requirements. I could be here for the whole school year or until the end of the month, it truly depends.

I don’t think the district is in a rush to find that individual, though. As of this year, it has been decided that the library is not as significant as P.E. or music. As a result of this decision, each student is only in class in the library for thirty minutes per week, and each class contains 1.5 classes worth of students. Although I disagree with this conclusion, I hope to do my best to provide the kids with happy and memorable library experiences. The kids have high praise for their previous librarian, so there’s a lot to live up to (which is a wonderful thing).

I write this post on day 2 of this new and exciting job. Since I have on previous experience or formal training in K-5 education, I’ve spent the majority of my free time planning what to do with the groups that come in. For the most part, lessons are split K-2 and 3-5. This split means a lot less planning, but sometimes it’s necessary to switch around the read aloud book or overall lesson plan based on expected skill.

I want these lessons to be meaningful and fun, and cramming everything into thirty minutes is proving to be quite a challenge. I look forward to getting to know the kids and encouraging a love of reading.

This new job (and a college writing class, and I might have a concussion) does mean that I have less time to read than before. I will continue to post reviews as quickly as I can read, and should have some spare time to create future posts about my job as a librarian as well. Thanks for the support and I’ll keep everything updated!