Digital Learning Day at WGBH was a fantastic day! The sessions were so relevant to our work as school librarians, and the time embedded to chat with colleagues during lunch or the tour made the day complete. I shared a few words before reading important info for the day and introducing the key note speaker. Many people commented on my opening, so much so that I decided to share them with you here.
A poem by Mary Oliver
With Thanks to the Field Sparrow,
Whose Voice is so Delicate and Humble
I do not live happily or comfortably
with the cleverness of our times.
The talk is about computers,
the news is about bombs and blood.
This morning, in the fresh field,
I came upon a hidden nest.
It held four warm, speckled eggs.
I touched them.
Then went away softly,
having felt something more wonderful
than all of the electricity of New York City.
When I was thinking about what I would say today, I was reflecting on the complexities of our profession, of the simple truths and the day to day miracles that happen in our libraries - and how often we, as educators, are pulled in so many directions - often with very little help and sometimes with little comprehension by colleagues and administrators of what it is that we actually do.
Whenever I feel stretched thin and overwhelmed or if I am questioning my choice of my profession - and we all do it at least once each school year - I stop and think about why I decided to teach and why it HAD to be in the library. The answer is always the same - it’s the kids. It doesn’t matter if that kid is 5 or 17 - they not only deserve to have a library and a professional educator staffing it - they need it.
According to a recent article in the NY Times, Is the Drive for Success Making our Children Sick?
Nearly one in three teenagers told the American Psychological Association that stress drove them to sadness or depression — and their single biggest source of stress was school.
As Mary Oliver’s poem illustrates - we have gifts all around us if we look for them. The library can be that gift for our students. As educators we can advocate for them and empower them to find the gifts for themselves.
At the beginning of this school year, my assistant principal approached me about a student. The student needed an internship. The student was described as - “not an academic”, “lost”, “needs a place to be”, “no direction” - would I be willing to be his internship teacher? Naturally, I said yes. I found out later that it was a student who had received a disciplinary action in the library when he was a freshman - he is now a senior. To me that didn’t matter. I was willing to give the internship a try and get to know him today and not hold onto what happened 3 years ago.
As I do with all of my interns, I asked this student to tell me about himself - what is he good at, what does he like to do outside of school - I then offered some tasks for him to do in the library - he likes to build things, he likes mechanical things. Through the internship he is able to create tutorials for students and teachers for equipment in the library.
It’s customary in my school for some intern teachers to give small tokens of appreciation to our students before the December break. This student was so appreciative of the gift that he was smiling more than I had ever seen him smile at school. He thanked me 3 times before the end of the period and over the vacation break - I received an email from him with his appreciation of the gift.
The gift was a $5.00 Dunkin Donuts gift card. I am reminded of how small acts of kindness matter.
In the words of Maya Angelou - “This is a wonderful day, I haven’t seen this one before”.
A poem by Mary Oliver
With Thanks to the Field Sparrow,
Whose Voice is so Delicate and Humble
I do not live happily or comfortably
with the cleverness of our times.
The talk is about computers,
the news is about bombs and blood.
This morning, in the fresh field,
I came upon a hidden nest.
It held four warm, speckled eggs.
I touched them.
Then went away softly,
having felt something more wonderful
than all of the electricity of New York City.
When I was thinking about what I would say today, I was reflecting on the complexities of our profession, of the simple truths and the day to day miracles that happen in our libraries - and how often we, as educators, are pulled in so many directions - often with very little help and sometimes with little comprehension by colleagues and administrators of what it is that we actually do.
Whenever I feel stretched thin and overwhelmed or if I am questioning my choice of my profession - and we all do it at least once each school year - I stop and think about why I decided to teach and why it HAD to be in the library. The answer is always the same - it’s the kids. It doesn’t matter if that kid is 5 or 17 - they not only deserve to have a library and a professional educator staffing it - they need it.
According to a recent article in the NY Times, Is the Drive for Success Making our Children Sick?
Nearly one in three teenagers told the American Psychological Association that stress drove them to sadness or depression — and their single biggest source of stress was school.
As Mary Oliver’s poem illustrates - we have gifts all around us if we look for them. The library can be that gift for our students. As educators we can advocate for them and empower them to find the gifts for themselves.
At the beginning of this school year, my assistant principal approached me about a student. The student needed an internship. The student was described as - “not an academic”, “lost”, “needs a place to be”, “no direction” - would I be willing to be his internship teacher? Naturally, I said yes. I found out later that it was a student who had received a disciplinary action in the library when he was a freshman - he is now a senior. To me that didn’t matter. I was willing to give the internship a try and get to know him today and not hold onto what happened 3 years ago.
As I do with all of my interns, I asked this student to tell me about himself - what is he good at, what does he like to do outside of school - I then offered some tasks for him to do in the library - he likes to build things, he likes mechanical things. Through the internship he is able to create tutorials for students and teachers for equipment in the library.
It’s customary in my school for some intern teachers to give small tokens of appreciation to our students before the December break. This student was so appreciative of the gift that he was smiling more than I had ever seen him smile at school. He thanked me 3 times before the end of the period and over the vacation break - I received an email from him with his appreciation of the gift.
The gift was a $5.00 Dunkin Donuts gift card. I am reminded of how small acts of kindness matter.
In the words of Maya Angelou - “This is a wonderful day, I haven’t seen this one before”.
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