The "Yes" Librarian

Photo by  Sandrachile .  on  Unsplash If you judge me by my latest tweet Your view of me is incomplete. You’ll never find out who I am  By looking through my Instagram. So consumed with social media And BuzzFeed and Wikipedia We never screen what’s on our screens Never asking what it means. Am I guilty, too? Of that I’m sure. I long for the world we had before. All this noise. It’s just too much. We’re not drawing close. We’re losing touch. I need your likes to make me whole And your retweets to feed my soul. But a hashtag is not the truth And a picture isn’t proof. So what do we stop to tell our kids?  Don’t do the things that I just did? Don’t waste all your time there on your phone And let your loved ones feel alone? Read a book or play a song Plant a garden, right a wrong. It all sounds so trite, so neat As if changing is an easy feat. I don’t have one quick solution  No preachy N...

A teacher's job is never done. That's why it's such a special one. And so I'd humbly like to share  Something I call "A Teacher's Prayer."  I pray for wisdom and for grace To help with challenges I face. On days when the going has been tough  I pray that I've tried hard enough.  Students, when I look at you  I'll see more than the work you do. And on the days you're calling out I'll see it's your youth that's spilling out.  I pray to be a teacher who Other teachers look up to: A leader, a fighter, and a friend With courage to begin again.  To accept the things that I've done wrong But when I'm right, to hold on strong. To know what's best and get it done. To teach with humor and with fun. To take the time on a hectic day To find my center and to pray. To take the lessons and make them art. To teach each day with an open heart. Photo by  Hush Naidoo  on  Unsplash

Friends, parents, readers Lend me your ears, lend me your screens. Lend me a minute of your time. In fair Verona I lay my scene. By now you have all heard About the referendum  About our aging buildings And how we need to mend them. I could stay silent and just hope  And then my moment would be gone. Instead I’m going to tell you  What I think you’re really voting on. It’s not a roof. It is a promise. It’s not a window. It’s  a dream.  It’s not our buildings. It’s our future. Things are more than what they seem. It’s not a track. It is potential.  It’s not a stage. It is a song. It’s not a playground. It’s a childhood. It’s a choice we can’t get wrong. Photo by  Myles Tan  on  Unsplash I don’t live here in Verona  And I know it is a lot to ask. Raising taxes and piling bills  On an overburdened middle class. But if I could, I would vote yes A million times. O...

Photo by  Kat J  on  Unsplash We can craft the perfect classrooms School supplies neatly arranged Bulletin boards that deserve awards  But it’s our hearts that need to change. Lesson plans are all aligned to standards Chromebook lessons set to go. Google Apps?  We have it covered.  But there’s something else we need to know. Why does Joey seem so lonely? Why doesn’t Anna have a friend? Patrick stopped by to chat with me. Is he avoiding lunch again? Why is Carmine so impulsive? Something about Ella doesn’t seem quite right.  I’m worried about John again. What happens when he goes home at night? Future doctors, authors, and lawyers  They’re all sitting in our class. So, too, is that child who’s struggling Who just can’t seem to meet the task. Sometimes when we  think about students  We think that their problems must be small. They don’t have mortgages or bosses. Sometimes I thi...

Photo by Baim Hanif on Unsplash You started out in fifth grade. You came through our doors a child. Running around at recess Carefree, breathless, wild. You were small but you were growing With baby teeth you’d yet to lose. Life seemed much simpler then. There was so much less to choose. You were innocent and silly With the exuberance of youth. You loved your friends and teachers. Our fond memories are the proof. We watched you grow. We saw you change You seemed to need us less and less. You were slipping  from our grasp Though we knew that it was best. When you were small we had the answers. The questions seemed so easy then. But how do we explain the tough stuff? Like heartbreak, loss and friends? In truth it wasn’t easy. All the projects and the tests The late nights, the teenage fights There was dr...

Photo by  Olga Pogodina  on  Unsplash I have always loved books, which should come as no surprise. I’m a school librarian. If I didn’t love reading, I would be in the wrong occupation. But why? What is so special about books? I think human beings want to be entertained. Hello, Netflix anyone? But what makes a book different from a movie? I think we have all heard someone say, “The book was better than the movie. The movie left out a lot of things that happened in the book.” The reason is that movies have limits.  The story needs to be told in about two hours. There are production costs to consider. I don’t know much about making movies, but I do know a little bit about making books, because I’ve had the privilege of meeting some really great authors over the years. I know authors will stay up late, wake up early, persist for years and years, and do whatever it takes to make sure that their story is told. I know that authors don’t need to worry ab...