“ My Teacher doesn’t like me. That’s why she gave me a D.”

“Middle school is TOO HARD. I can’t do it.”

” All the (books, teachers, kids, whatever) here are dumb. I liked my old school better.”

Well, ladies and gentlemen, this year I have a solution for you. Success in Middle School: a Transition Road Map by Carol Carter (LifeBound Books) is a great book to guide kids through the terrifying, tumultuous path know as grades 6-8.

This book was sent to me by the publisher for review, and I have to say I was highly impressed. Success in Middle School takes the mystery out of this transition by explaining what to expect in plain English.  The author goes over logistical basics, like schedules, teacher expectations, and organizing all those notes, and explains social issues (there is nothing on the planet more complicated or traumatic than friendship dynamics at this age). She also goes over important aspects of maturing into a scholar, like taking risks, looking for talents, and taking responsibility for yourself in a way that is accessible to these already overwhelmed kids. The book is woven through with personal narratives from kids who have survived middle school (particularly valuable because, of course, none of us grown ups understand).

I’ll be adding this book to our school library, and will be encouraging students to take a look. Ideas on how to work with that teacher? Covered: chapter 2. How can you make friends? Got it: chapter 3. Is throwing that water balloon at lunch really such a great idea? Chapter 8–that’s the one on taking appropriate risks.

Other LifeBound resources for kids about managing school, being a scholar, and growing up:

Gifts and Talents for Teenagers: Discovering Your Unique Strengths by Carol Carter

People Smarts for Teenagers: Becoming Emotionally Intelligent by Carol Carter

photo: Nathan Olsen

Next to me in this picture is my Dad, Gordon Ghareeb, noted Maritime Historian and co-author of From Hollywood to Honolulu: The  Story of the Los Angeles Steamship Company. We attended a wonderful lecture given by him and co-author Martin Cox detailing this fascinating chapter in nautical history (with all the juicy bits left in)!

This book tells a story of fame and fortune, glitter and gossip, as the Los Angeles Steamship Company ferried movie stars and millionaires to the Hawaiian Islands in the 1920′s and 30′s. 

According to Mr. Cox, this is one of the few well-researched examinations of this particular bit in west-coast maritime history. The authors used family interviews, pictures taken by senior crew members at the time, and spent hours combing through every edition of the Los Angeles Times on microfilm to gather a complete picture of not only how these ships ran, but also how the LOSSC impacted society around it.

The Honolulu Star Bulletin has called this book a “must read for steamship enthusiasts.” If you’re a librarian of any Nautical Collection, of Maritime History, or of Los Angeles/ California history, give me call. This is a book you’ll want to include. 

The Extreme Read Challenge made the Long Beach Press Telegram’s ”Reader Page!” This article  and picture was submitted by our PTA president, Jeri Lynn Cullison (who has also been a great supporter of this event for all three years). It reads:

The Marshall Academy of Scholars Librarian, Ameelia Ghareeb is surrounded by participating students at the end of the evening when Marshall held its 3rd Annual Extreme Read Challenge on May 26.  Ghareeb, started this as a fun, collaborative event that encourages nothing more than the joy of quietly reading. This year 74 people participated including students, special guests, family members and school staff. Ms. Ghareeb’s signature “brain food” trail mix and lots of healthy snacks were served to keep everyone focused. When the gong chimed at the end of four hours, everyone cheered, prizes were distributed and cake served. This year the Marshall Extreme Readers reached a combined total of 10,860 reading minutes. That is the equivalent of seven and a half days of reading!
Jeri Lynne Cullison
PTA President, Marshall Middle School

Marshall’s 3rd Annual Extreme Read Challenge

The collection includes:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
His Dark Materials trilogy
Sabriel
The Canterbury Tales
Candide
The Divine Comedy
Paradise Lost
The Godfather
Mort
Interview with the Vampire
The Hunger Games
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

–among many others. After checking on the legality of such a thing though Yahoo! Questions, this librarian-in-the-making decided that she and her peers should be able to experience ideas that may be socially or politically inconvenient (her argument: “Most of the books were banned because they contained information that opposed Catholicism”). She then points out that lots of her freinds (who were “too chicken” to go to a public library) actually like reading now, thanks to her. 

I can’t love this kid enough. Not that I advocate breaking any sort of school rule or defying your parents, but this one has the guts to back up her keen perspective on literature and society.  When questioned as to the ethics of such a practice:

or is it a good thing because I am starting appreciation of the classics and truly good novels (Not just fad novels like Twilight) in my generation?

Rock on with your banned self!

Via Boing Boing: Kid keeping a lending library of banned books in her locker

And the math isn’t easy, either. “One real estate agent charges 1.2% of a home’s sale price, and the other charges a flat rate of $2,600. Which is the better price if the house sold for. . .” I had to even re-read these problems a few times. Sales Tax. Fractions Exponents. Now I understand why seventh graders are so cranky. 

But as we’re working, I notice something that brings me great sadness. It ‘s nothing at first; we do a few  of the easier problems, which he gets mostly right. As we tackle harder and more complex problems (and he gets them mostly wrong) I realize: this kid is using some great guessing skills, but he has no idea how the math works. And he tells me so.

“I know A and D can’t be right, because it’s going to be a positive number.”

“But show me how that fraction is going to be reduced.” 

“But I don’t have to. I know it’s one of these two.”

“Here, (hands him the pencil) show me how you actually work it out. ”

Nothing. Blank stares. More conversation about how he eliminated some answers and guesses between the other two. I don’t think he crunched a single number the whole time. 

So this is what we’ve come to? So focused on passing a multiple choice test that we actually send kids to the next level more prepared to guess correctly that put pencil to paper and do some math? Anyone else want to tell me  Standardized testing is a good thing for learning?

Good Luck, kids.

But this time of year always brings up waves of deep emotional  inquest for me. It’s not too surprising, when you think about it; you’ve been through the hardest part of the year, pulling day after day of meaningful learning out of 900 unwilling children, desperately applying booktape to everything (Please let this last copy of Naruto last for one more check out!)  and scrapping for pennies to keep the library eking along. Blood out of stones, people; I’m telling you.

But while all these immediate issues keep you hopping along at quite a clip, you also being to realize that the year is wrapping up: your window to improve, create and implement the perfect library program that you so brilliantly envisioned is pretty  much closed. Testing is imminent, discussions pop up about end of year activities and teaching assignments for next year, and kids begin to show up in their summer clothes (translation: uniforms are out the window).

This presents an entirely different set of thoughts to sort out, and these questions are much more personal and frankly, a little difficult. The thoughts sneak in, “Did I really do my best job teaching this year? Could I have put in better effort, taught more focused lessons, provided more collaboration? Do I make any difference at all? Is this credentialed Information Specialist really as valuable as she likes tell everyone she is?”

Well, the answer I’ve arrived at is “who knows.” When I taught English these same questions came up, but with the acceptance that you are dealing with way too many variables to determine if it’s you or not. You teach the best you can, adjust the best you can, and send ‘em off to seventh grade, crossing your fingers that they arrive at their new teacher’s class a little smarter that the first day of your class. You don’t beat yourself up over “should haves,” you just chalk it up to “will dos”  for the next school year.

Maybe all librarians have trouble living up to their own high standards (or maybe it’s just me–completely possible). Maybe it’s because we plan and implement our own instruction; there’s no department head or curriculum guide to turn to. Maybe we feel the need to be so productive because we cost so damn much (not to mention the money that, if we’re any good at advocacy, gets spent on our libraries). Or maybe it’s because we sometimes feel like libraries are the last best hope for balanced literacy in public schools, but there’s a pretty high level of performance expected–realistically or not, self-imposed or not, I think now’s a good time to give myself a break.

Repeat after me, Crazy Expectation Teachers everywhere– “you are a competent teacher and a asset to your school. Expecting perfection is not going to work out so well.  Just keep doing your best.”

Superintendent Linda Paramore says to deal with this reality, the school board has sent every employee a pink slip.

From NPR: In Pontiac, Mich., Schools, Everyone Gets A Pink Slip.

Student council holds their banner reading, "Marshall Middle School Welcomes President Obama"

Mr. Algie (History) and I watched from the Library as Marine One (there were five copters in formation, so one of them must have been Marine One) took off carrying the President to his destination earlier this morning, and according to close sources who were in a grocery story at the time, when Air Force One left LB, it “rumbled the whole building.”

More Obama coverage:

Great Pics of the LB landing, plus video.

Ethan Lopez, age 8, gets to ask the President one question, and he asks about Education cuts.

Cptn. Snyder answers student's questions about being a pilot.

I must stop here and loudly thank my guest and airline pilot, Captain Eric Snyder, for  attending. Not only did he drive 2 hours to get here,  and then stand out in the hot sun for 3 more, but he talked and talked with our students, telling wonderful stories about traveling the world and patiently answering all thier questions (even when they asked if he was afraid of heights for the hundredth time). My informal polling later that day showed he was a top favorite. 

The event was in two parts: one was a formal assembly, in which student council members interviewed several professionals, including a neurologist, an inventor, a lawyer, a museum director, and several public service jobs. But the real fun was out a t the “fairgrounds,” where the firemen and beach rescue had pulled up their trucks, a welder was demonstrating his blowtorch, Verizon had electrical gadgets the kids could take a part, and several others (including my favorite pilot!) had tables set up. Kids could wander around and talk one-on-one with anyone and everyone.

As I circulated with the other teachers and helped supervise, we all noticed something amazing happening out on the PE field that day: these kids were genuinely interested and curios, they were asking very good questions, and  without a doubt they were–without a multiple choice test in sight– learning. 

Students get a peek inside the firetruck.

Our Library put together a special display section on careers especially for this event. Featured titles included:

Career Building Through Blogging by Deirdre Day-MacLeod. Even some of our teachers didn’t know this was a viable career field.

Working In The Fashion Industry by Margaret McAlpine. Not to be discounted (was that a pun?); there’s serious money and huge career opportunities in this industry. 

Working With Animals by Margaret McAlpine.

Cool Careers Without College for People Who Love to Organize, Manage, and Plan by Robert Greenberger. GREAT series! Covers a range of interests, form nature to computers to building. What a concept: introducing careers based on what kids actually like to do!)

Earning Money by Patricia J. Murphy. Basics, basics, basics.

Design and Technical Art by Richard Spilsbury.

How The President Is Elected by Heather Lehr Wagner. Aim big, kids.

I did not believe it would ever happen. Our Book Truck Guy strolls in: “I’ve got some books for you.”

Ms. G looks at his empty hands for a moment, puzzled.  She’s thinking, “So. . .where are they? I don’t see any books? Why would you tell me you have books when you don’t have any books. . .” 

“They’re out in the hall.”

“Oh.” pause. realization. no way. “OOOOHHHHHHH!”

There they were. The huge order we placed to bring our library into the 21st century. All $19,000 worth. Science, History, Poetry! Topics the kids have been dying for, like soccer, current biographies, and awaited additions to several fiction series. There were shouts and cries alive with sheer joyousness.  I may have teared up. It’s entirely possible. 

Only issue? We ordered these books two years ago. Before California’s Budget Crisis consumed every resource we had. Before the economy got so bad I was thankful for even bookfair junk. To see this; this was magic. This was a miracle. Everyone told me I’ d never see a single page of those books. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m not thankful. I know a blessing when I see one. But alot happens in two years, enough to make you feel a little dumb as you start opening boxes. Like the 5 copies of “Diary of a Whimpy Kid”  that were already finagled through various donations. Or the soccer books that don’t have last years’ world cup winners in them (and you’d better believe the kids notice). Or that biography of a young Illinois senator who, two years ago, was only just getting his “I’m going to make history” groove going. 

But no matter, we are grateful to have these new books and our 900 kids will love them until they, quite literally, fall to pieces. Universe, however you  managed to pull this one off, I humbly thank you.