Got the job!

[curlygirl2]

Thanks, ladies

I landed the job! Now...any advice in beginning in an entirely new niche of teaching!? This will be my 13th year teaching, so that's not new, but obviously LMedia is!

Thanks!

 

[Mysterywoman]

I wish I had asked more questions my first year....asking the principal(s) what their expectations were...asking teachers how to support their classroom instruction...keep asking questions.

 

[blcw]

Congradulations!

What sort of questions did they ask?

Enjoy! The first year was a worlwind (sp) for me but I loved it. I had a great support system via my mentor and classmates from library school, several of us were lucky enough to get into school libraries quickly.

When do you get into your library?
Blcw

 

[slms]

Tips

The person who helped me during my first year the most, and still does, is my mentor librarian. If I had a question about a policy or need ideas, I can always count on her. Get to know other media specialists in your district; they can really relate to your frustrations and understand your needs. I would ask your principal to see grade level long range plans to get an ideas for collaboration and they would help coordinate your lessons with their units.

Good luck!

 

[LMS forever]

Congrats

I will also be a first year LMS after 17 years in the classroom. I know some things I will offer based on what I needed as a teacher. I am blessed with a library aide who has worked in the library for several years. I have the degree, but as with my teaching degree, what you learn in college is not usually how it is in the day to day job. I have been talking to teachers and the principal for pointers. Good luck and stay in touch. Maybe we can get through this together.
I also read through ALL the post in this section and copied (borrowed??) the ones that I thought would help me.

 

[BigBooks]

New as well...

Congratulations! I am not new to teaching but this will be my first year as LMS as well. I am excited but already overwhelmed. I have been told nothing about expectations and such...and schools begins soon enough! Not having an aid to offer guidance is a bummer. It's so different from being new in the regular classroom because no one else in the school is or has been in the library...

 

[curlygirl2]

Hey gals!

Thanks for the encouragement--yes, we'll make it through together, I guess!

My library aide has been there a long time too, so I am sure she will help me. It's probably tougher being in the classroom for so long and then coming to LMedia.

Let's PM each other a lot--I have a feeling we'll need it!

 

[vespergirl]

Congratulations on the job!

I'm a first year LMS after many years in the classroom...please include me in the support group

 

[curlygirl2]

first days

Vespergirl, BigBooks, LMS Forever--solidarity Do you have any idea what your initial lessons will be? Routines, getting to know names, etc? Like in the classroom? I was thinking of doing a cute book jacket--like design your own book jacket that represents you and your personality--but your name has to be in the title...something like that to get to know the kids since I don't know ANY of them, really!? Thoughts?

 

[blcw]

Include mr

Even though this is my 2nd year

 

[sportyteach]

Count me in...

I have 16 years in the classroom and this will be my first year as a LMS!!! I am super excited but realize I will feel stressed and overwhelmed!! I would love to share ideas!!!

 

[BigBooks]

Yay!

I'm so happy to have some support here!

I have been so busy cleaning and organizing the library (wow!) that I haven't spent as much time on actual lesson planning. I have written my standards into "I can..." statements and I have a few ideas, but not too much beyond that.

I know for my kindergartners and first graders I am reading Mr. Wiggles. Heck, I may read that to all grades just for fun...but I'll do extension activities based on the book with the younger students.

I love the book jacket idea for the older students!

 

[curlygirl2]

blcw and sportyteach

I didn't mean to forget you... see, Big Books, I need to really simplify things for the little ones. I am coming from 5th, so one size doesn't fit all--and I thought everyone could make a book jacket?!!

My first day or two I just want to get to know their names, establish a personal connection...I think that's so important.

So, let's pool our ideas together and make a list now for how we can do that:

~book jackets with your name in them (for 3-5)
~Wiggles (I'll have to check this out)
~Crysthanemum (K-2)--all about names
~Making a wordle on the computer with your name and other characteristics about you (2-5)

What else?

 

[Mysterywoman]

At the beginning of the year, after reading Mr. Wiggles, I have two backpacks: a "Happy" backpack, and a "Sad" backpack.

The happy backpack has a box of crayons, an eraser, and pencils in a zipper compartment. In a separate compartment are a bag of chips and a juice box. In a third compartment is a library book.

The sad backpack contains broken crayons, an empty chip bag, candy wrappers, an open bottle of juice, and a library book that has been damaged by crayons and spilled liquids. The sad backpack has all the items together so the book isn't protected.

I show the students both backpacks and encourage them to keep their books clean, safe, and dry.

 

[BigBooks]

Book Covers

I didn't mean to imply the younger ones can't do the book covers...they could do modified ones, it's just that I already have something in mind for them.

I like the idea of the two bookbags!

 

[BigBooks]

Though I'm in a newer library (few years old), we don't have enough computers for everyone at once. There is a separate lab another person mans. So that is something I must keep in mind.

And curlygirl, I'm coming from middle school...so this is a big adjustment to me as well as far as catering to the vastly different levels K through five.

 

[jebe105]

Pre-K, K, 1st

This is my second year in the library after 18 years in the classroom. We spend a lot of time discussing how to take care of a book. We spend at least 3 weeks reviewing procedures and routines. I even have them draw themselves taking care of a book. We also discuss parts of a book and author/illustrator jobs. Hope this helps!

 

[LMS forever]

700 + students

I will have over 700 K-2 students this year in 34 classrooms! I doubt I can do the book covers.
I have worked about 10 days so far this summer in the library "reading the shelves" for a current inventory. The previous LMS hasn't completed an inventory in 3 + years. There are over 10,000 books in the collection. I have my work cut out for me.
I am blessed in a couple of ways. She has 4 boxes of puppets I can use. She also has all the "library" books such as Wiggles, Shelf Elf, Genre Dude, etc. I just have to get time to preview them all before starting plans.
She also left her lesson plans from last year. However, the principal wants mine on 1 page for a week (word document). The previous LMS used 3 pages per week. She also gave me a wiki site full of lesson plans and ideas. I will post the link when I find it.

 

[BigBooks]

Nice!

Nice to have those plans even if just as a rough guide. I was left with...uh, well, nothing much. And there hasn't been an inventory taken in quite a while!

 

[curlygirl2]

sounds great!

I think it's great that we have each other! So many good ideas. I am being left with lesson plans too, but I don't just want to copycat what the former LMS did--I do also want to make it my own!

I'll be meeting with my former LMS and some LMSs that I know from my old district--whatever good ideas I grab, I will post here!

Oh--and what's Wiggles?! Not the tv show, right?

 

[Mysterywoman]

A series of books

The first one is Mr. Wiggles' Book. Then there's Mr. Wiggles Loves to Read.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Wiggles-Book-Paula-Craig/dp/1577686160

Here's a link.

 

[AL Librarian]

Congratulations

I have been my school's media specialist for the past 8 years. I cannot believe how the time has flown. It seems like you will have a lot of support through this board. I look forward to sharing ideas with you as you embark upon this new journey.

 

[curlygirl2]

Thanks Mysterywoman

Seems like Wiggles is a staple and must have in the library--but as I checked, of course our library does not own it...so off to other libraries to get them for now!

Let's all keep in touch, esp about first week things...We should make a wiki that we add to with ideas...I'll see if I can work on that!

 

[LMS forever]

I'll join

...if you create a wiki. Sharing ideas and stress of the first year LMS and the first of the year stress would be great. Of course, there will also be lots of great ideas and first-timers funny stories to share. : )

 

[BigBooks]

I'll be here!

I feel a little more at ease just knowing I'll have a couple new and experienced LMSs to talk with over the course of my year in the library. I'll check in here often!