In East Bridgewater this past summer, the common theme for books on the K-12 unified summer reading list was resilience. So it was no surprise for us to return to school in August and hear our principal emphasize resilience as a focus for 2018-2019. Our school has experienced an unfortunate increase in students suffering from anxiety. In preparing for last year’s NEASC visit, I learned that this uptick in anxiety is sadly prevalent throughout New England schools and beyond. Helping students build resilience may help them cope with anxiety. 

Kelly Depin is the Head Librarian at Derby Academy in Hingham.

Wordless books can be a librarian’s secret weapon for having a raucous story time! Students vie to give their interpretations to what happened, what IS happening and what is about to happen in the book. Amidst the controlled chaos, wondrous learning is occuring. Students are comprehending the story by inferring from the picture clues. Predictions of what comes next spout as each one defends their choice by citing evidence from the pages. The why’s and where’s spotlight their oral language skills. All from a book with pictures - and no words. Sounds like they have mastered some of the Common Core Standards for ELA, all while having fun with a story.
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Jill Leibowitz is the Library Teacher at Cabot Elementary School in Newton
and received a 2018 President's Award.​

Susan Harari is the librarian at Boston Latin School
and received a 2018 Super Librarian Award.  

As I drove home from my elementary school library at the end of another busy day, traffic began to thicken. All Things Considered droned in the background as I mentally composed a to-do list for an upcoming third grade ELA project. A story about how libraries had moved beyond books caught my attention; a library that checks out fishing poles or tool kits, or ...people? Despite the brief description (and nail-biting road conditions), I caught enough to find the Human Library’s website later that evening, and read about Ronni Abergel and the project’s idealistic origins in Copenhagen. The Human Library describes itself as “a worldwide movement for social change,...designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue.” It sounded amazing…and also like something I could never pull off in an elementary school, so I filed it away.

Zoe Keenan is the Library Media Specialist at Frontier Regional School in South Deerfield.​

Nancy Snow is the librarian at Bancroft Elementary School in Andover
​ and is a recipient of a 2018 Super Librarian Award

Margaret Kane Schoen is a Library Teacher at Newton South High School.

Wendy Garland is the School Librarian at Avery School in Dedham. 

Back to school - I have always loved this time of year with it’s fresh starts and dreams of possibility. I loved this time of year as a child and continue to relish the excitement. This is our library’s back-to-school story, where I confronted the challenges of years past, asked hard questions, and framed our year of learning around the concept of  “welcoming” all students in and “inviting” them into our space and our books. Do I have big hopes and expectations? Absolutely. Big changes? Not really. This is about the small, subtle ways I am choosing to build a positive library culture and grow learners. I consider this just the beginning of our journey.
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The inspiration for change came from two books I read over the summer - one being a powerful picture book, and the other being a dynamic professional book about reading. There is something beautiful about summer reading, soaking in the sun and ideas without the pressure of lesson planning and deadlines looming. I read, wrote and thought about Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst well beyond the time it took me to “read” the book. It planted seeds and I spent much of my summer cultivating them. What surprised me was I “thought” I was reading about reading. What I ended up thinking about was change. 

Jennifer Kelley Reed is the Library Teacher at Mason-Rice Elementary School in Newton
​ and received a 2018 Service Award from MSLA.

Mary Gaeta is the librarian at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Lynnfield, 
​and received a 2018 Super Librarian Award

Transformation achieved! I glance around the library and watch inquiry unfold. Some students, with their headphones on, are watching YouTube videos while others are reading. Two students are discussing our subject, Malala Yousafzai. There is learning buzz in all corners of the library. Students are actively pursuing information. This is our goal with HyperDocs - students taking charge of their learning and working at their own pace.

A HyperDoc is a document with links to articles, videos, images, podcasts, and more. It is a place to craft a research unit with students in mind. The term HyperDoc was created by Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton, and Sarah Landis. It is an interactive document crafted for student learning. It is not a static document like an online worksheet (Highfill 68). For me, the benefits of a HyperDoc are that it is student-directed with choice and it is self-paced.

Morgan VanClief is the Library Media Specialist at P.A. Shaw Elementary School in Dorchester
​ and the recipient of a 2018 President's Award.

I have always found the library to be a place of comfort, safety, and inclusivity for students. I have witnessed students that feel left out or are disengaged from the traditional curriculum find themselves in the library. It is a place they can come to and escape the challenges of daily life. The library is a place they gain support and are allowed to be themselves. Edith Ackermann says, “in a playful environment you feel safe enough to explore ideas that would otherwise be risky” (1:54). Having a makerspace in the library has given ALL of my students a chance to create and take charge of their own learning, equipping them with the social-emotional and problem solving skills to thrive in the future.

Kathy Lowe is the Executive Director of MSLA
​and a 2018 recipient of the Peggy Hallisey Lifetime Achievement award.