Christa McAuliffe Conference 2018

For the second year in a row, I volunteered in the collaboratory makerspace at the annual Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference. Last year, my art journals were featured as one of the projects.

This year, I decided to try something a tiny bit more technology related. I have been reading the non-fiction book Zombie Makers with the 3rd grade classes, and we've been discussing scientific terms like host, parasite, mutate, spore, etc. The book is about real life 'zombies'; bugs that get infected by parasites, and stop acting naturally, because the parasite gains control over their nervous systems.

As a STEM tie in, they are going to create cardboard mazes for my 'zombie' hex bug. He was a special order from Amazon; he comes with his own coffin.

I named him Hector Salamanca!

Not only do I have a zombie hex bug, I made my own hex bug! I removed the head of a (new) toothbrush, bought a micro motor from Amazon, and attached a small battery to it. It's my first attempt with any kind of robotic, and it's very temperamental, but when it started moving I was like:

I also brought some art journals along, since so many people liked them last year.

The keynote speaker this year was great, and I attended his session on Digital Citizenship at every grade and got some great ideas and resources.

I also attended a session on Cyberbullying and Teaching Kindness, led by Carol Todd. Carol is the mother of Amanda Todd, whose video on YouTube went viral after she died by suicide in 2012. The story of how this teenage girl was targeted, sexploited, and bullied is pretty infamous now, and her mother uses the story to educate students, parents and teachers. If you're not familiar with Amanda's video, here's a link to a reputable copy of her original, sponsored by Suicide Prevention LLC. The video can be upsetting to some people, which is why I did not embed it into my post.

The makerspace had alot to offer, as well. Upcycling t-shirts, weaving with branches, using toilet paper tubes to make funny characters, and a Cricut machine were some highlights.

The best part about this year? My husband got to come, too!

His school had some tickets for the conference, and since there was a whole session on using digital history resources in AP classes, he decided to check it out.

It wasn't really a day 'off' but the change of scenery was great for letting me recharge my battery a little.

First Snow Day of the Year

I haven't updated in weeks, so here's one in honor of an important annual holiday:

My first snow day of the year!

 It's always exciting. I was up and ready to go, putting together an outfit for the day, when the phone rang. I'm really glad that I don't have to drive to/from school in all the snow, worrying the whole time, but I'm a tiny bit disappointed because I had some good plans for the day that I've been thinking about for a while.

The 4th grade has been doing a whole unit on Native Americans: first they got divided into different tribes (ones that were native to our state) and they had to claim a territory ( a part of the library) and design their flag. The next week, they had to set up trade lines with other tribes, using stickers that represent resources like corn, fish, medicinal plants/berries, animals, and goods brought over by European settlers. They are really enjoying it. Today was supposed to be the first marriage, to create an alliance between 2 tribes. The kids have been asking about the marriage part for weeks, giggling every time. I had the whole thing worked out, using dice to determine which tribes would be united.

I was also supposed to go observe another class, because the teacher has been coding with her students.

Speaking of observations, I had my first official teacher observation last Thursday. I didn't realize what was happening at first, but when I did I started to get pretty nervous. The students in the library at that time were working on a STEM assignment. They had requested the week before to try something new, and making cardboard mazes is not costly or too complicated for a first try.

I had my post-observation conference yesterday, and it was pretty good. I know there are some things I will do differently next time, but the students were so engaged and working well together, that my supervisor and I were both satisfied. It's a huge load off my mind, and now I can use the Thanksgiving break to re-charge.

Happy Halloween!

****I forgot to post this yesterday******


It's my favorite day of the year! It's a holiday devoted to eating candy and not being yourself!

This year, I decided to be Practically Perfect in Every Way (definitely not me!).

In case you don't get the reference, I decided to channel the most famous British nanny ever.

This costume came together so easily and naturally. My friend gifted me a bunch of leftover fabric a few months ago, and in the bag was this navy blue skirt with black velvet trim. It turns out she used to do traditional German dancing, and this was part of her costume. I didn't know that traditional German dancing was a thing, but I knew it reminded me of Mary Poppins!

From there, I looked for a white blouse at thrift stores, and I think I paid $1.50 for it. I already had the stockings, the shoes, the black blazer and my husband loaned me the red tie. I got the carpetbag suitcase from a local antique store (with a gift certificate) and I bought the hat on Amazon for less than $10.

So this costume cost less than $12!

I wore it to school on our designated Dress Up Day, and I was impressed with the number of students who guessed it. I also wore it to Ghosts on the Banke, and as soon as I walked in the door, a little girl came up to me tell me how much she liked it.

Now I am making it a point to read the stories by PL Travers.

Biography Project Complete!

I went back to YMS yesterday afternoon. It was a little strange to be back in the building, but I was really glad to make the trip. I had to return a library book that I had for four months (yikes- how embarrassing!) and there were a couple odds and ends I left behind. I received warm welcomes and hugs from the teachers and administrators and students. I miss some parts of that job, mostly the people, but I know I am doing some good work at my new school.

I recently accomplished one of my goals; I rearranged the biographies. Instead of just one big shelf that says 920 Biography, I organized them into smaller sections and gave them all their own space on some shorter shelves. I hope this will make them more accessible, and also look more appealing. Here are a few of the labels I made for the different categories:

As for other projects, I continue to weed the collection, and the other day, the Tech. Recycling Company came to take away all the old TV's and overhead projectors that were taking up space. 

Sometimes I wish I had taken the steps for Alt 4 certification sooner, rather than waiting five years to start, but I don't know if I would have been ready before then. I learned alot at YMS about what libraries should be, and how they should adapt to best serve the school community. I also learned what my own preconceptions about libraries and literacy were, and how I can be more flexible.

Divine Providence

We hit the road early today so we could spend the day in Providence, Rhode Island. Every year, the Lincoln School holds a Children's Book Festival, and they always have wonderful authors and illustrators there. This year we went specifically for David Weisner and Kevin Henkes. The school had a little photo booth set up, so I got this picture of me and John:

I have always loved Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes, so I brought that along for him to sign. I also brought two books from the school library that are now extra-special.I also brought along a couple of his books from the school library, and I told him that I use his books when I teach about Visual Literacy, and he said it sounded like a good project. Proud librarian moment!

David Wiesner had the longest line while we were there. We brought a couple books we already had, and I also got the school library's copy of Flotsam signed, but I bought the graphic novel Fish Girl as a treat for myself. Fish Girl is kind of like a modern version of The Little Mermaid, and I have that mermaid obsession, which I am seeking treatment for (not really though).

After we got all our books signed, we walked around a little, but the morning was pretty rainy and chilly. We did find a little playground, and had fun walking on wobbly rope bridges together:

Then we grabbed some lunch a Luxe Burger Bar in downtown Providence. I had the most amazing burger: it had the regular lettuce and tomatoes but it also had creamy goat cheese, caramelized onions, bacon jam, onion rings, and wasabi mayonnaise. I don't know if I'll ever have a burger as good as that one. I also had a Roadsmary's Baby pumpkin ale with a cinnamon-sugar rim.

On our drive home, we took a little detour to Danvers, MA to see the old Danvers Lunatic Asylum. The asylum opened in 1878, and was in operation until 1992. The property was sold in 2005, and much of the original building was demolished in 2007. However, since it is on the Register of Historic Places, it has been revamped and is now an apartment building.

  

The Gothic style "castle on the hill" inspired HP Lovecraft's horror stories as well as Arkham Asylum in the Batman Universe. (Arkham Asylum is where the Joker ends up, and meets Harley Quinn.)

This facility, which once utilized straitjackets and lobotomy surgeries, is now the centerpiece of upscale apartment living, and it has cheerful flowers planted out front; however, visitors should take a little walk.  .  .

Just two minutes down the road is the old cemetery, in which the remains of many patients who were 'treated' at the hospital now rest. It seems to be pretty well maintained, and some of the graves are marked with simple name plaques. However, the names of all those who died during their stay are listed on three monuments.

So, a day of children's books, playgrounds, pumpkin ale and asylums.  .  .sounds like a pretty good day.

Focusing on the Positive

I've been awake for 16 hours now. I had a terrible night's sleep, fueled by weird anxiety dreams and a mind that would not turn off.

When I got up this morning I watched an episode of Supernatural, a show on Netflix an 8th grader told me about. I am really enjoying it, because it focuses on urban legends and well-known horror tropes. This morning's episode focused on the Hook Handed Killer that preys on teenagers in cars, which coincidentally is the urban legend I speak about in the Scary Stories documentary.

I know that the first year of a job is the hardest. I am still getting used to a new school with new staff members and new students. I am adjusting to a fixed schedule with much longer days than my previous position. And all this comes with added responsibilities. Sometimes it's overwhelming.

I am using all my spare time in school to weed the collection. It's very exhausting and time consuming, but any librarian knows the sense of triumph and relief we feel when we dispose of unwanted books or technology that take up valuable space. So far I've withdrawn three book trucks, one media cart, and three big boxes full of books and VHS tapes.

So for now, I comfort myself with the knowledge that I am working really hard and I try to think about the good things:

I got hugs this morning as students walked down the halls to their classrooms.

My 8th grade class started doing their presentations on Visual Literacy, using the Whole Book Approach to facilitate discussions about picture books. One group did Where the Wild Things Are, and I had never noticed before how the moon changes shape throughout the story. It is full at the beginning and end, but when Max is in the land of the Wild Things, it is a crescent moon with pointed ends, mirroring the claws and teeth of the beasts.

One student decided to present by himself, and he chose The Very Hungry Caterpillar. He pointed out that the caterpillar eats his way through all the food, crossing over the gutter, and simultaneously passes into a new phase of life.

I do not often give full credit on assignments, but all the presenters today got 10/10 because I was genuinely impressed with their insights.

So tomorrow I'm off to the Rhode Island Children's Book Festival- hopefully it will be a good day for a road trip.

Scary Stories Documentary

On Saturday, Eric and I ventured into Salem, MA to see the documentary film I am in. We had no idea how crazy the traffic would be! I know that Salem gets busy in October, but it was only the 6th. I had hoped to visit a few of the filming locations for Hocus Pocus, but the streets were mobbed. We did drive by the historic Ropes Mansion, which was used as Allison's home. There were tons of people out front, taking selfies.

A few years ago, we drove into Salem during the summer so that my interview (as a children's literature scholar and librarian) could be filmed. I never knew how complicated making a film was until that point. When I arrived, I had to be wired with a microphone (but of course the wires couldn't be showing) and they had to get the lighting just right (which wasn't easy because too much light made my face look very white, but not enough light made my dark hair blend in with the wooden wall behind me). 

Here's my blog post from 2015, the day after my interview, including the topics I discussed.

In the first trailer for the documentary, I was shown discussing folktales and myths, and the banning of the Scary Stories books. I figured in the years since then, maybe the filmmaker would have so much more material that my measly interview wouldn't be necessary. I told myself that even if I was cut out, that I wouldn't mind because it was still a unique experience.

Yesterday as we sat in the movie screening room at the Peabody Essex Museum, I was surprised to see my face on screen not once, but twice! The first little snippet was me talking about the haunting illustrations by Stephen Gammell, particularly this one:

The second clip from my interview is my analysis of the urban legend about the teenage boy and girl in the car, and they hear a radio bulletin about an escaped murderer with a hook for a hand. The girl becomes frightened, and begs the boy to take her home. He does reluctantly, and when he steps out to open the door for her, he finds a hook on the car door handle. 

An alternate version of this story is featured in one of my favorite movies Adventures in Babysitting (and it's worth noting that babysitters also have a prominent place in urban legends)

Stories such as this function as a warning to young people about societal expectations and monitoring their behavior (two teens, alone in a car could lead to sex); the other popular urban legend about a teenager in a car is the one in which a girl is driving and a car follows her, flashing its lights at her, leading her to pull into a gas station and scream for help. The gas station attendant calls the police, and a murderer is discovered to be hiding in her backseat.

I really enjoyed the documentary itself, not just because I happen to be in it. It brought up some really interesting interpretations of the tales that I had never considered. I was extra excited because I ordered these books for my new library, and they had just arrived on Friday afternoon, so now when I go to promote them to the kids, I will have some fresh ideas in my head.

After the film, we got a drink at Notch, a micro brewery. It was pretty good, but we wish they'd had more food to offer because we were really hungry by that point. 

I don't think the doc is available for purchase yet, but I will be keeping tabs on it as it continues to be shown at more screenings.