They used to tell me that at this school you really didn’t learn anything because the teachers didn’t care,” she said. “But once I got here everything changed.
Our local newspaper, the Long Beach PressTelegram, reported today that Franklin Middle School is finding success after “failing” for several years.This is good news. Good news for them, and good news for the other half of Long Beach middle schools (mine included) that are on the Federal Watch List.
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
We write ‘em and read ‘em
Our new Poetry Crew!
Over 50 students showed up for yesterday’s lunchtime Poetry Reading in the library; and not just a bunch of GATE kids, either. We had a group of 6th grade boys laugh at all the mentions of love, 8th grade girls shushing them, and a collection of middle school couples who actually read love poems for each other (cue 6th graders: add fake barfing here). Some poems were serious, while others were on the silly side (I personally read my favorite poem by Jack Pretulsky, “Homework, Oh Homework, I Hate You, You Stink”). As brave leaders got up to share their poems first, the list of kids who wanted to read got longer and longer. It was a wonderful and positive event for everyone.
Writing Workshop Gets Our Authors Ready
All week long, a group of kids have been attending a Creative Writing Workshop hosted in our library. The first day provided a very informal introduction to collaborative writing; we did acrostic poems and worked together on choosing only the best, most interesting words for our poems. We were then blessed to have a wonderful poet, mentor, and writing coach, Shawn Marie Turi, join us for some more direct instruction. She worked with a group of about 10 girls, working on opening up the creative process and helping them find confidence in their words. She tirelessly listed to poem after poem, giving feedback and suggestions for revision. Several of these young ladies proudly read their poems at Friday’s event. As we wrapped it up, one student asked if we could do this every Friday!
Now I’ve done a few very successful creative writing events in my years, one including Ms. Turi’s magical ability to get kids to take their own ideas seriously (when all their regular teachers ever get from them are eye-rolls and attitude.) What stuck me about this event is the ease in which everything came together. We didn’t need fancy staging, tons of prep, or stuffy teachers directing the whole thing. All these kids needed was a opportunity to to try reading a poem out loud, whether it was their original work or one from our library’s poetry collection, and they created their own successful experience.
My assistant principal recently asked for a list of high interest, relevant books for our very diverse student population. This list features some of the best books out there, passing both Librarian Review and kid approval.
Read More
Here are two great books for grown-ups I checked out from my local public library. I would definitely recommend these for chocoholics, foodies, or just us non-fiction geeks.
Candy Freak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America by Steve Almond. I absolutely loved this book, and not just because I, like the author, have a secret habit of peeling off the caramel layer of my Twix bars and munching the cookie separately. Almond combines a fascinating history lesson bout America’s candy past with a gourmet tasting guide, deconstructing the textures and flavors that make up our favorites, and did it all in a narrative that had me laughing out loud. Candy Freak was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read. Find it in the LB Public Library catalog.
The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce and Obsession by Adam Leith Gollner. It wasn’t until I saw a real Coco de Mer fruit at the Flower Conservatory in San Fransisco that that realized: this guy knows what he’s talking about! Fruit Hunters details how we came to know some fruits as “common” and why some seem so very exotic. Filled with delicious descriptions of fruits we’ve never heard of (and can’t wait to try if we ever get our hands on one), this book was a joy to breeze through. Find it in the LB Public Library catalog.
Long Beach Unified has just published the results of a comprehensive budget survey, designed to help identify priority programs as huge budget cuts loom. There were almost 6200 responses and among the top results were elementary and middle school libraries.
Here are the results broken down for middle school:
This tells me a few things about. First, it clearly demonstrates that parents, teachers, and administrators are noticing how important school libraries are to the educational process. I often feel like I’m just a broken record, having to repeat over and over again all the ways I’m closely involved in learning. Results like these whisper to me, “Hey, people notice. ” It’s nice to hear.
Secondly, I think it’s very interesting how two reading-involved programs (School Libraries and Reading Intervention) out-weigh math. My experience has been that Language Arts teachers are constantly having to point out that acquiring reading skills is a vastly different (and much less clear-cut) process than acquiring math skills. It’s not that reading is harder or more important, but the process is just so complicated, lengthy, and vital to proficiency in every toher content area that we can’t let reading development out of our sights for second. Results like these lend support to this point of view.
The results of this survey are meant only to “assist” in deciding which programs will be cut, and with California’s financial situation worsening everyday (today was the first Furlough Friday!) I’m certain school libraries will be affected in some way. My hope is that if they do cut our funding, it will neither be hasty nor will it be overly deep. LBUSD now knows that people, and lots of them, will be watching what happens to their school libraries.
UPDATE: As of Feb. 18, this is the official word from our Chief Library Lady: ” No mention has been made whatsoever of changing Librarians for next school year.” Hopefully it will stay that way. A huge “Thank You” to everyone who completed the survey (and convinced their friends and family take it too!); our students really owe you one.
CONTINUED UPDATE: The LBUSD School Board just held their last meeting before the MArch 15 “pick Slip” deadline, with no one getting lay off notices. Whew!
Image from WikipediaWe just finished our annual history extravaganza! For the past three years now, one very awesome 7th and 8th grade History teacher, Mr. Algie, and I have spent a week attacking a huge problem: how to get 175 teen-agers to write a decent research paper. Here’s how we do it. Read More
A few of the latest Libraries to have made headlines.
Image from lbpl.org
Councilwoman Gerrie Shipske (District 5) wants special district assessment to fund Long Beach library system. She makes several good points about the benefits of public libraries, but I’m not sure how crazy I am about relying on specialty groups for funding. Sounds a little “iffy.”
Elementary students don’t have a school library, so they’re hoofin’ it. I applaud the staff at Castelar Elementary for “doin’ what you gotta do”: taking that weekly field trip to the public library and getting those kids reading. Now if only the school administration could get their act together. . .
It was a very sobering meeting on the Long Beach Board of Education tonight (1/26/09). The topic was to be the huge cuts coming to education funds once Sacramento has its way. Of course, the Long Beach librarians were there in number. We know from experience that when budgets get tight, our funding is always quietly called into question, and we want them to know we’re paying attention.
There was bleak fact after bleak fact presented by Kim Stallings, our CFO. Long Beach will loose another $20 this year in funds. We have already cut $20 million, so this $20 is just extra added pain. No relief in sight for next year, or perhaps the year after that. Glazed expressions and furrowed brows abounded throughout those present.
However, noting was more surprising than the final announcement made by Superintendent Chris Steinhauser : he stated that he would voluntarily be taking a 10% pay cut effective for the 09-10 fiscal year. That funding would be set aside specifically to assist Long Beach employees who were struggling through the economic crisis. He was visibly full of emotion as he reminded us “we’re all a family, here.” He spoke about his own experience growing up through tough financial times, and felt the need to personally answer President Obama’s call to pitch in. He received a standing ovation, both from the board and from the audience, after this unexpected announcement.
As I am writing, this, I still don’t know where to begin responding to this completely unforeseen event. This act of kindness comes at a time when financial stress has us all pointing fingers and worrying about our own futures. I would predict that very person who was at that meeting attended with a (understandably) fearful heart. Whose job would be safe? Whose program would be spared? I know I personally mull over the implications of our library closing almost on a daily basis. Whatever one’s opinion may be of the governance of our school district, and there are many, I have new found respect for our Superintendent. At time when all of us are wondering “Why doesn’t someone just do something;” it seems, at least here in LB, someone has.
“Omigod! I would totally kill for her API!”
We had an interesting discussion at our faculty meeting yesterday morning: if we could have any intervention to raise student achievement, what could it be? “Raising student achievement?” This is Edu-code for test scores and everyone knows it. And I had an epiphany. I know a great intervention to deal with fact that our test scores aren’t ever going to be high enough: let’s stop worrying about them. Read More
In a few weeks I’ll be presenting at the annual TRLD Conference (Technology, Reading, Learning and Diversity) in San Francisco. The title of my presentation, session 2309, is “A is for Access, Create an Inclusive Library with Universal Design” This is a similar presentation I gave to the Long Beach Teacher Librarians, focusing on what I believe are essential elements for a successful school library. This approach is based on following elements of Universal Design and supported by findings from my own library.
This is the official information off TRLD’s website (spelling errors and all). Supplemental materials can be downloaded here:
A is for Access (PowerPoint: 556k)
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Library Media Programs for Deaf Children (PDF: 281k)
Universal Design for School Libraries (PDF: 102k)
Recommended Reading for Middle School (PDF: 132k)
Ameelia Ghareeb is a middle school Librarian in Long Beach, CA, and has been employed in the field of education for 13 years. She is credentialed in English/Language Arts and School Librarianship, and holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education. Read More
