Repping MSLA @ ALA Vegas

I attended ALA Vegas at the end of June as the President-elect for MSLA. I wrote about it -
HERE. 

Reflecting on advocacy

  Over the last several weeks I have been preparing to hold a Massachusetts Library Legislative Breakfast in my high school library. Save the dates, invitations, reminder emails and Facebook posts and events were created and sent. This event also coincides with our NEASC (New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Inc.) accreditation next week.  The entire school has been focused on showing what we do on a daily basis. I used both to reflect on the image I would like visitors to take away.  I believe I was successful in accomplishing my vision. 

Here is why: 

• The program began with the High School Administrators, the town Library Director, the Town Manager and myself welcoming the guests of the breakfast. 
• Four teachers and three students  spoke of the critical role that a library has in our community and in their daily lives.  Each of the speakers contributed an element of personal growth, worth, learning outcomes and community. 
• MBLC, MLS, MLA, CW/Mars and MSLA were all represented and given a few minutes at the podium to raise awareness of the bills that are in need of support from constituents. 
• Legislative Representatives spoke regarding the ways that they do and will support libraries. 
• A Declaration for the Right to Libraries Signing Event was also held during the event. Those attending the advocacy event, as well as students, teachers and staff members were asked to add their signature to the poster. The poster will continue to be available for signatures throughout the month of March. 
• An art project that was a collaboration between the digital photography teacher and the library teacher was on exhibit in the library. 
• Journalism students were more than willing to help by greeting guests, handing out programs, and guiding visitors throughout the event.  These students also served as photographers and a videographer. 
• At the end of the event, people did not want to leave and many stayed to continue the conversation.   

 But here is what I learned from this experience....

• Everyone needs to feel that they matter and are worthy.
• Even those who are convicted in their beliefs may be open to listening to the "why". 
• The "to do" list isn't as important as the "to be" list:  Be realistic in what can be accomplished.Be able to delegate and accept help. Be kind - it really can cure most situations. Be grateful for those who are willing to trust in your ideas. 
• Access IS the bottom line  - to libraries, to information, to the digital world, to learning, to equality, to chances... 

  

  

The Power of Performance Poetry

Performance poetry is a unique venue that provides a way in which students can communicate and feel connected with their peers, local community and greater Boston area. Performance poetry is an art specifically geared toward a visual audience. The term became popular in the 1980's to describe poetry composed for performance versus print. There is a continued need for teens to explore areas of creativity in which their voices are validated and celebrated.  Poetry Slam offers this opportunity.

Although I had heard of the genre, I was first exposed to a poetry slam at my district middle school. The librarian, Linda Kimball, and the English teachers collaborated during Poetry month annually to bring a Poet in Residence to the school.  It was my first year in the district and I was invited to see the Slam on the last day of the residence week.  Middle School students were totally engaged in the performance. I immediately began thinking about how to bring this to my high school students. After speaking with Alex, the Poet in Residence at Gibbons Middle School, I realized  that this would be a vehicle to empower high school students to find their voice.  

I continued my research with the resources that were provided from Alex Charalambides, Co-founder and Continuing Events Co-Chair of The Massachusetts Literary Education and Performance Collective (also known as Mass LEAP). Mass LEAP is sponsored by Mass Poetry.  MassLEAP brought Louder than a Bomb (LTAB) Teen Poetry Slam Festival to Massachusetts  in 2012.   I started tossing the idea around with English teachers and at this point understood that an entire experience would be most beneficial to our high school students.  As I explored the teacher guides and coach information regarding the annual poetry slam, I had a better idea of how to put this all together. Alex came to the school and met with us about what our program could look like. He was willing to be our Poet in Residence in the Spring.  All of our planning for the program happened the year before implementation. Now  we just  needed to find funding for the program. 

In our district, the Education Foundation offers Grants to educators. The Westborough Education Foundation (WEF) is a nonprofit organization of citizens committed to the support of innovative educational programs within the Westborough Public Schools. WEF grants are intended to provide the initial funding for such projects, with the idea that successful programs might later be integrated into the regular school curriculum. 

We wrote the grant and included the following: 

This initiative will be accomplished through bringing the transformative power of the spoken word to students in grades 9-12 through innovative workshops and interdisciplinary activities supported by MassLEAP (Literary Education & Performance) a collaborative with MassPoetry.  Students will participate in a series of interactive and performance based seminars and workshops throughout the school year that will culminate in a statewide Teen Poetry Slam Festival at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. 

·         In school events provided through collaboration with MassLEAP:

o   Poetry Slam 101 session                                                       

o   Demonstration Poetry Slam                                                  

o   Poet in Residence Intensive Workshop                           

o   Louder Thana Bomb film Screening and discussion       

·         Afterschool  Seminars  facilitated by Kathleen Stoker, English Teacher and Anita Cellucci, Library Teacher 

o   8 Seminars -

§  Team building

§  Poetry writing

§  Performances 

The Grant was approved for $2680.00 for the 2011-2012 school year. We began implementing at the beginning of the school year with a Demonstration Poetry Slam that was presented to all Grade 10 students. We gained initial interest and held afterschool workshops and seminars.  Promotion was on Library Posters, website, school announcements, online school newspaper and interviews. 

The 2012-13 program has been well received at WHS.  There have been 8-10 students consistently involved in the after school workshops.  The Demonstration Poetry Slam Assembly was held in October for grade 10 students and created an avenue for conversation surrounding the program.  Students were excited by the poets who shared their creativity on that day. Several students spoke with the poets after the assembly.  The excitement was continued with the October afterschool event, Poetry Slam 101, which allowed students to gain insight into the history of poetry slam and to work independently with a slam poet.  The Louder than A Bomb film screening in February was attending well, with about 35 students enjoying the 90 minute movie. Conversation after the film revealed that students were eager to share their own thoughts through the creative art of performance poetry. These students have worked hard on their poems in the afterschool workshops facilitated by Anita Cellucci and Kathy Stoker.  The Poet in Residence Program was also a catalyst to build further excitement.  Several English Teachers brought their classes into the library during the week long program to work with MassLEAP poet, Alex, in dynamic interactive lessons.  Alex was in the library for four full days, seeing classes every period of the day and also for four drop-in sessions after school.  Many students came into the library for advice from Alex regarding their poetry.  Alex was extremely adept at offering positive advice for each student individually in the after school sessions. Students were engaged, amazed and connected.

Here area few of the positive outcomes after the Poet in Residence:
**Students willingly performed their original poetry during classes and after school.
**One student performed from our new "stage" area in the library allowing her classmates to see another side of her personality.
**Several students stopped Alex, the poet, in the hallway to show him their latest poems.
**A diverse group of teens came  to each of the after school sessions.

Our goal was to have a solid team after our Residence week in March. We did accomplish this and brought a group of 4 students to LTAB held at MassArt after much encouragement to the students that were interested.  Our team competed individually and as a group.  It was a joy to watch the other teams welcome and encourage our newbie students. It was truly a day of community. We all left incredibly lifted by the spirit of the poetry slam experience. 

Looking ahead to the next school year (2013-2014), we have again been awarded a Grant to continue the program.  We plan to do much of the same but with more of a focus in the beginning of the year to create our team.  Three of our members from last year will be rejoining and have promised to bring friends.  With the connections that were made throughout the experience, we hope to offer Poetry Slams and open them up for friendly competition with nearby schools.

Libraries of the future!

I feel like I am already doing a lot of what this infographic shows as the tasks of the librarian of the future, especially the last few of the list. Organizing information for my students has been a large part of the last couple of years. I am seeing how this not only makes the tasks easier, but it also allows for students to reach for those higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Previous to this, there was a huge emphasis on having students spend their time on "research" evaluating all of their sources and never actually getting to the synthesis of the information that they found. Now, students have valid resources that they can delve into. I am excited to see this graphic today, as it emphasizes the value of helping my information users to "connect the dots,understand their objectives, and assist their efforts to achieve success"!

++ Click to Enlarge Image ++

Source:LibraryScienceList.com

The Ripple Effect

“Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that's a lot. Because if you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect.” ~ Rob Reiner

You may often hear about the ripple effect, but how often do you get to actually experience it? I mean, truly experience it with an awareness that allows you to connect the dots?  It happened to me today in my library.  It started out as a typical interaction with a student. I was eating lunch and my assistant came in to tell me that a student needed my help before the end of the period. I immediately did what any one would do, right?  I  headed out of the workroom into the library to find the said student.  The student was happy to see me because she said she needed to find books to read. She promptly told me her  criteria: romance, a challenge and something she would like. This is somewhat similar to  when a student comes in and needs a book which they know nothing about, except that the cover is blue!  We began to wander around the library, I showed her a couple of books, steered her toward my "just read and rated" shelf and to the display of "Best Teen Fiction".  We chatted about the books.  On this shelf was a book by A.S. King, the author of our Westborough Reads Together community read from last year, Please Ignore Vera Dietz.   Not only was the program fun, collaborative and creative, but it has had lasting and far reaching effects. Which brings me back to the story.... And that's when the magic happened.  I pulled the book, Everybody Sees the Ants, from the shelf. It was as if we were suddenly in a scene from a movie.   The action slowed, the sounds became muted and the focus was on the emotion in the moment. All of the emotion of the discussions from the community were lifted from the shelf with this book.  The student felt it, and so did I.  The book is not a romance. The book will most likely challenge her.  I am confident she will like it.  I am also confident, she will carry the ripple with her while reading the book and for a long time after. This is how I connected the dots today. This is why I  don't believe it when I hear that teens don't like to read. This is why we must all look for the connections, experience the emotions and watch for the spreading effects of a ripple.

Power of a Poem, a Poet and a Library

This past week, my library was lucky enough to have a Poet in Residence. English classes were scheduled thoughout the week to work with the poet in interactive workshops, held in the WHS Library.  Four after school sessions were held for any interested students to attend.  Throughout the week, students heard poems from teens who have been a part of the Louder than A Bomb Poetry Festival; they analyzed the meaning; they did free writing and created their own poetry.
Students were engaged, amazed and connected.
Here area few of the positive outcomes:
 **Students willingly performed their original poetry during classes and after school.
**One student performed from our new "stage" area in the library allowing her classmates to see another side of her personality.
**Several students stopped Alex, the poet, in the hallway to show him their latest poems.
**A diverse group of teens came  to each of the after school sessions.

I was struck by the students  willingness to listen, respond respectfully and give positive feedback to their peers; peers that they most likely had not interacted with previous to these sessions.
The experience left me with the knowing that one of the most important aspects of a library is the idea that it is a unique safe space for students.  A space that allows for creative thinking, sharing and respect for new ideas. A place that is a community builder of personal connections.
 
 Last school year, I collaborated with another teacher, Kathy Stoker, to write a grant through the Westborough Education Foundation to bring the art of performance poetry to our high school.
Details of the Grant through WEF:

The goal of  the project is to bring the creative art of performance poetry to WHS. This is a yearlong initiative that will be accomplished through bringing the transformative power of the spoken word to students in grades 9-12 through innovative workshops and interdisciplinary activities supported by MassLEAP (Literary Education & Performance) a collaborative with MassPoetry.  Students will participate in a series of interactive and performance based seminars and workshops throughout the school year that will culminate in a statewide Teen Poetry Festival at M.I.T.  Performance poetry is a unique venue that provides a way in which students can communicate and feel connected with their peers, local community and greater Boston area. The project will be a vehicle to empower high school students to use their voice through the genre of performance poetry. Performance poetry is an art specifically geared toward a visual audience. The term became popular in the 1980s to describe poetry composed for performance versus print. There is a continued need for teens to explore areas of creativity in which their voices are validated and celebrated.  

Comfortable with fumbles

One reason I absolutely love my job is that I am constantly humbled. Let me explain. I think of myself as a talented and educated human being and yet daily (yes, daily) I am reminded of how much I still need to learn.  I am also reminded of how much we can teach each other, if we remain open to that concept.

As an educator, I am sometimes (well, always) expected to be able to respond, answer and teach within a moments notice; and I can usually rise to the challenge.  It is in the moments that I am unable to rise to these challenges that my greatest growth is realized.  Is this true for you?

Yesterday, I was helping a student find titles of books for a book club that she is facilitating. As I was helping her, I was able to give her several great resources so that she could learn how to sustain her reading over her adult lifetime.  She asked me a question, that I felt unprepared for. She asked a question that most librarians would probably love to be asked and yet, I fumbled.

The question doesn't matter. How I handled the fumble does. It matters to me and it matters to my students and it should matter to you.  Here's why.  How I react to my own inadequacies, paves the way for how willing my students will be to do the same. Isn't this what we are striving for? A population of students who are willing to think, innovate, and create? A population of students who are willing to make mistakes, acknowledge their weaknessses and be willing to grow through them?

It is with this that I say to you today, celebrate your weaknesses; take comfort in them.  Be humble and be inspired to grow through them, each and every day.