The "Yes" Librarian

Don't worry. I'm not a curmudgeon exclaiming "Bah Humbug" at every checkout. I'm like Ebenezer Scrooge because I've seen the error of my ways, and it's time to make amends. A few years ago, I chased kids who wanted to play games like Slitherio and Mope.io out of the library. Literally.  Then, like Ebenezer Scrooge, I woke up and realized I was doing it all wrong. Photo by James Vaughan on Flicker Here's what happened. A few months ago,  I  wrote about why I decided to allow gaming in the library. This decision represented a change of heart for me. I wasn't  completely sure if I was making the right decision, but I thought a little experiment couldn't hurt. I promised readers an update on my gaming policy, so here it is. I never advertised the fact that I had lifted the ban on playing games, but somehow word spread. Now that the weather is getting colder, more kids want to play games instead of going outside for recess. Had I turned a ...

Photo by    Nick Hillier   I've been thinking a lot about special education students lately. I'm not a special education teacher, but of course, I teach special education students every day.  I was reaching for a gallon of milk, and my eyes gravitated to the "Sell By" date. I zoned in on those words and I thought, "I hope that when I am teaching a special education student I remember to see more than just a label." Some of our students have an  Individualized Education Plan (IEP), but shouldn't we be individualizing education for ALL of our students? Shouldn't all education be "special"? In 17+ years, I have worked with over 100 different teachers.  I have seen teachers come and go. Some of my mentors have retired;  others teachers were peers who relocated, started families, or switched careers.  I can honestly say that the teachers I have come to know and love are good people. We care. We really do. But we are human. Sometime...