A Penny For Your Books

Welcome back. I had previously mentioned that I got a new job! I’ve now been working this position for just under two weeks, and I adore it. The kids are excited about reading, glad to be in the library again, and seem to be excited about meeting new people (like me).

Although only having classes for an hour each day sounds deceptively boring, these last few days have been anything but. Any free time is spent getting familiar with the library, rearranging shelves, cleaning up messes, creating lesson plans, scoping out new books for read aloud, and more. While these things might not take a seasoned librarian very long, it takes a newbie most of the day.

There is a reason teachers have an entire degree focused on elementary education-this shit is hard. Kids will behave how they want to behave, whether you like it or not. I will ask a student to sit down and read their book, only for them to look me in my eye and say “no” before proceeding to run across the room. While these situations are normally isolated, in one case this applies to nearly an entire grade level.

No amount of procedural practice will convince the second graders that sitting quietly and behaving safely is worth it. This week the district library coordinator has spent a lot of time helping me get adjusted. This includes sitting in and assisting with second grade’s lesson after I informed her how chaotic their last was. After witnessing firsthand the pandemonium, it’s been decided that second graders need some additional help before they can safely exist within the library.

I worked with second grade twice on this particular day, as I was also called to substitute teach their gym class. They behaved so poorly that the principal and vice principal had to come in and offer assistance. Much to my dismay, I later cried behind my desk. For someone with such little experience with kids, these events have made this job just a little bit more difficult. 

No matter how arduous these groups can be nowadays, I believe the library is more important than ever. I am surprised at the low levels of reading ability and comprehension that many of these kids exhibit, and reading is so significant to everyday life. Even if I only see each group for thirty minutes a week, I look forward to encouraging that love for reading within them.