Did you know that there's a new Facebook group for school librarians? Laura Trapp (The Trapped Librarian) and I have started a new Facebook group for school librarians who LOVE TpT resources! TEachers Pay Teachers Marketplace sellers, and customers alike, will be sharing favorite resources that help busy school librarians get the job done!  There'll be no pressure to buy... just lots of sharing resources, talking through ideas, and encouraging each other! We hope you can drop by... the link is https://www.facebook.com/groups/tptschoollibrarians. Or CLICK HERE. We have gained nearly 900 members during our first week, but we would love YOUR ideas, too! THANK YOU for ALL that you do for kids and teachers! 😍 New Facebook group for school librarians Teachers Pay Teachers resources ... Keep Reading...

I want to visit about summer reading for school librarians... but I realize I've been missing for awhile! Sooo, where have I been, you ask? Well, I retired last June (2021). I had some COVID issues during winter 2021... but didn't expect the cancer diagnosis that quickly followed. But hey, I'm doing okay! AND, if looking for an upside... I have had a lot of incentive to let go of my usual, way too busy, go-go-go lifestyle -- and just read! (Even if it's because of cancer -- it's such a blessing to have time to read, y'all!) That brings me to my summer wish for YOU... I wish you the amazing ability to carve out some downtime for yourself to just enjoy good books.  If you need some ideas, my Facebook - CLICK HERE - and Instagram - CLICK HERE - are filled with book talks of great picture books and middle grade chapter books that have kept me happily entertained (and somewhat distracted) while undergoing all the things... surgery, chemo, and now radiation. As those treatments wind up ... Keep Reading...

COVID Resources for School Librarians I'd like to share two COVID resources for school librarians who are looking for fall 2020 solutions. The photo above illustrates a social media idea that I created in PowerPoint. The template can be downloaded here: Behind the Mask_ThatLibraryGirl. Each day, beginning in late July, I've opened the template and added photos of a teacher posing with... and without... a mask. Then, I've saved the template slide as a jpg in the drop-down menu. The slides have been used as daily posts on our school Facebook page. In the description, I've shared a bit of news about each teacher, introduced him or her to our new families, and I've hopefully helped our students get used to seeing the school staff all masked up. Family Connections on Social Media While the template that I'm sharing is very simple, the feedback that we've received from this series of photos has been heart-warming. We've gotten lots of "likes," "loves," and sweet comments! I hope you find ... Keep Reading...

Ready to Collaborate with Your Specials on Classroom Management? Oh boy, is it time to work on the behavior in your classroom? If your specials team has inconsistent behavior expectations and discipline guidelines, students can easily get confused. When a student knows what’s expected, no matter where he or she is on campus, better choices are made. After 35 years in education, I believe school-wide discipline plans are best, but hey, that might not be possible for you this year. On the other hand, let's explore getting your specials team on the same page. Curious? Well, this is how it happened for us. The Plan A few years ago, my principal wanted to start a school-wide behavior plan. She and a committee of teachers had come up with a basic set of rules for EVERYONE in the school to follow. In our case, this was kindergarten through fourth grade. Her goal was that no matter where a student was on campus, he or she would know the school rules and be actively obeying ... Keep Reading...