Inspired by a Comment from Yesterday

Creative pal CCR suggested yesterday that I should write a mock response to all the stuff surrounding the practically underground posting. I'm going to one-up that.

Dear HR people, administrators, and other interested parties,

AT the beginning of the day today, my co-librarian encouraged me to do as much as I can to fulfill your requirements to be considered a candidate for the job opening. In fact, she advised me to work on my letter of intent and my vision statement today, and let the other ongoing things-to-do fall in line after those two items.

So, I sat down at my desk and started putting a few ideas down. Moments later, I was approached by a math teacher who needed to borrow some A/V equipment. I got up and took care of her needs, waited a few minutes for her to return with other equipment she told me she had planned to return a long time ago. She didn't come back, so I went back to my desk and tried to remember where I left off.

Shortly thereafter, the English teacher who had brought her class into the library for a writing assignment asked me about videos on African folktales. I did a materials search for her and printed off a couple of item descriptions from one of our databases to bring to her at the front of the library. She was thrilled with my finds. (Note: during the next period, she e-mailed me asking how to log in to said database; I replied with the appropriate instructions.)

During second period, another English teacher e-mailed me asking if she could send a group of students from her 10th grade class over to select books for outside reading. I replied, "Send 'em down," and in a matter of moments the herd rambled through the back entrance. I met up with them at the front (fiction area) and played reader-book matchmaker for the rest of the period.

Third period--well, third period still feels funny without the energetic bunch of free-period seniors who are now on day two of their internships. But I had a second set of 10th graders to pair with books, so that occupied the rest of the time.

Fourth period, I managed to get a little bit farther with my composition. I also got an update on how the recording of the skits the Theater class scripted for our presentation to the 8th graders when they visit the library next week was going. This has been a wonderful collaboration experience, and the skits, which are about the rules for appropriate use of our computers and network, written by the students who are themselves subject to the same rules every day, are very sharp. A witty video will make a much stronger impression than a lecture by one of us librarians. We have to thank the TV studio teachers for their input and assistance as well. So far it is a good report from the Theater teacher.

Fifth period, I got to eat my lunch and make a little more progress on The House of Tomorrow (leisure and YA materials research rolled into one). After lunch, I had a nice chat with a junior who was playing computer games illicitly downloaded and hidden on the shared server intended for video storage. He gave up the location of the games folder in exchange for not getting his network access revoked and/or having a chat with the assistant principal for his grade (which often involves detention). After our conversation, I e-mailed the IT helpdesk with the location as well as another location I found in the process of looking up the first one, so that both folders could be cleaned out.

Sixth period, I did a bit more materials locating for some students as well as a teacher, and handled several computer lab scheduling requests and changes for teachers.

Seventh period was spent helping the students settle back down after lunch and assisting with library equipment. I also spent some time at the circ desk to see what the study hall kids were up to, and booktalked a bit with another student.

Eighth period was a bit of a challenge in that we had no classes scheduled to come in, but there were more free period students than average for the last few weeks. I had to have a difficult discussion with yet another set of juniors who were playing games--the one game for which I have zero tolerance in the library. They were begging me not to write them up and, to be honest, this is one of the most difficult things to handle in the library. The one student was someone I see in the library on a regular basis and who usually is very well-behaved. I felt really disappointed by his poor decision. They came to plead with me again a few minutes later while I was trying to take care of something else in the office, and I noticed the story changed about how they had gotten the game. One of them logged back in and showed me where the games were downloaded and hidden on yet another server. I told them I would put all this information into the disciplinary referrals I was going to write.

That said, I did a little more thinking on the subject, and after conferring with my co-librarian, it was decided the students would receive a warning instead of a referral. I would tell them when I saw them tomorrow. . . at which point a light bulb went off and I realized that the students would be in at the same time tomorrow: They had been part of a small math class that had been sent to the library to do an independent research assignment. I sent an e-mail to their teacher about the incident, put tomorrow's computer lab schedule up on the board, and went over special arrangements for tomorrow's classes and study hall with the library aide because we will be short-staffed.

It was well after 3:00 when I saved what little I had written so I could head home after a very full day.

It can be challenging, but I love what I do at school, and I want to do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next year.



Comments

ccr in MA said…
That last sentence is why they should treasure you! Not everyone wants to do what you do, and likely a lot of those who think they do want to do it wouldn't be as good at it as you are, and look how they treat you! Grr, they are making me angry.
Amy Giglio said…
You should totally send that in.
nightfly said…
I'd hire you.

I'd also jestingly agree with FrederickBove, but who knows what that actually says. With my luck the Devil would show up at my deathbed holding a hard copy of my joke and claiming my immortal soul.
Annie Coe said…
I agree with ccr. They should hire you if they know what's good for them :-).
The post office said to expect the painting on the 18th!
xoxo
Kate P said…
CCR--I almost changed my mind after I had to write three discipline referrals yesterday!!!

Amy G--I totally should. After I add in the work I did on a presentation about some of our books for the 8th grade visit. Don't know how I forgot about that. :)

'Fly--well, thank you! And, um, I'm viewing this through Firefox so the spamola's just all weird square numbers to me.

Annie--Thanks and yay! The 18th is a special date for my family.

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