Joe
Tall, so tall! Joe is so tall he can reach the top shelf in our kitchen in the library. So tall that when Joe was in Year 10 he couldn't stand properly, his spine was damaged. Surgery followed and for this basketball loving lad the wheelchair became his confinement. Jo also struggled with a stutter; he likes Joe Biden, same name, same stutter.
For 6 months in Year 10 Joe was sent to the library during PE, and we got to know him. He made me get the SLAM magazine. That hurt my budget, but it made him smile so it was worth it. I realised behind the shy facade and the painful stutter was a smart, articulate young man, waiting to reach the heights of confidence and success that just stood outside his grasp.
Joe started to stand again; walk with a very tall crutch, a hobble and a dream. He dreamed of going with our school's 1st basketball team to the USA. He cleaned windows as a fundraiser, he didn't need a ladder. He did our windows at home - no streaks, sparkly clean. The sad thing is Joe was just not mobile enough to go on tour. He started to ref basketball instead, he never gave up. He started to speak more fluently as well, and with that his world views, his politics, his Christian faith and his love of History and Media Studies started to formulate into deep discussions with those around him. His stutter was leaving as his backbone grew stronger. Eventually he made the school 1st Basketball, all his height and all his gangliness disappears on a court, he became a different Joe.
Joe loved the library, he loved the library family we created, and he found his space in here. He started to grow as a leader, he defended the broken and served us so well. This year Joe was our Head Student librarian and I just love this stunning human. With such a depth of opinion he can articulate as a Jesus follower why he despises the "evangelical" voter in the US, and why he voted the way he did in our own election. Then he does the dishes and stays after school to help clean up the library, and tell me of a kid who is bullied and what we must do to help them.
At our Senior Prize Giving Joe was awarded top in History, top in Media studies, and we awarded him the Jaime Moore memorial Trophy for Services to the Library. Joe stands tall, in honour, in integrity, he speaks with intent, he cares for the lost, he is respected by everyone who meets him, he is a leader. AND he can reach the top shelf in our kitchen!
Not bad for a Year 10 lad in a wheelchair with a stutter. His parents have done a stunning job, and I would like to think that we in the library have been a part of Joe's journey at Cambridge High to help enable him to become the amazing tall man that he is.
School Libraries Transform
Tall, so tall! Joe is so tall he can reach the top shelf in our kitchen in the library. So tall that when Joe was in Year 10 he couldn't stand properly, his spine was damaged. Surgery followed and for this basketball loving lad the wheelchair became his confinement. Jo also struggled with a stutter; he likes Joe Biden, same name, same stutter.
For 6 months in Year 10 Joe was sent to the library during PE, and we got to know him. He made me get the SLAM magazine. That hurt my budget, but it made him smile so it was worth it. I realised behind the shy facade and the painful stutter was a smart, articulate young man, waiting to reach the heights of confidence and success that just stood outside his grasp.
Joe started to stand again; walk with a very tall crutch, a hobble and a dream. He dreamed of going with our school's 1st basketball team to the USA. He cleaned windows as a fundraiser, he didn't need a ladder. He did our windows at home - no streaks, sparkly clean. The sad thing is Joe was just not mobile enough to go on tour. He started to ref basketball instead, he never gave up. He started to speak more fluently as well, and with that his world views, his politics, his Christian faith and his love of History and Media Studies started to formulate into deep discussions with those around him. His stutter was leaving as his backbone grew stronger. Eventually he made the school 1st Basketball, all his height and all his gangliness disappears on a court, he became a different Joe.
Joe loved the library, he loved the library family we created, and he found his space in here. He started to grow as a leader, he defended the broken and served us so well. This year Joe was our Head Student librarian and I just love this stunning human. With such a depth of opinion he can articulate as a Jesus follower why he despises the "evangelical" voter in the US, and why he voted the way he did in our own election. Then he does the dishes and stays after school to help clean up the library, and tell me of a kid who is bullied and what we must do to help them.
At our Senior Prize Giving Joe was awarded top in History, top in Media studies, and we awarded him the Jaime Moore memorial Trophy for Services to the Library. Joe stands tall, in honour, in integrity, he speaks with intent, he cares for the lost, he is respected by everyone who meets him, he is a leader. AND he can reach the top shelf in our kitchen!
Not bad for a Year 10 lad in a wheelchair with a stutter. His parents have done a stunning job, and I would like to think that we in the library have been a part of Joe's journey at Cambridge High to help enable him to become the amazing tall man that he is.
School Libraries Transform
Denise Year 10 & Bill Year 9
Denise* is a year 10 student who has been with us for nearly 2 years. She came to us from a smaller contributing school, and is socially awkward. Very quiet and reserved and doesn’t engage with many people. I invited Denise to join the library team, and she is a reliable member but talking to her can be laborious, and you have to be careful to use open ended questions or you just get yes or no answers.
Most breaks since she started here Denise can be found in one of the stand-alone comfortable chairs in the library, either with her head in a book, or with her headphones on and her laptop playing a video. While the other students in her class are friendly towards her, Denise doesn’t have friends as such to spend her breaks with. And then there is Bill,* a year 9 who spends every break in a corner drawing on his own. He also has trouble relating to others, and never talks to anyone else as he works.
Last term, I decided I wanted to get our students off their phones occasionally during break times, so I introduced “Tech Free Tuesdays”. I invested a couple of hundred dollars in board games like Uno, Exploding Kittens, Suspend, Sequence and Rubix’s Race, among others, and told students they could play a game, work on a communal jigsaw puzzle, read a book or sit and chat but their phones had to be gone. Initially there was a bit of grumbling, and numbers are down a bit on Tuesday’s as those who want to play games like “Among Us” go elsewhere, but oh what we have gained!
Students were keen to see the games, and the favourites quickly emerged – Uno, Rubik’s Race and the jigsaw puzzle. I still have lots of students in the library on Tuesdays, and now they are chatting over their games – and laughing, lots and lots of laughing! Bill turned out to be a jigsaw fan, and every Tuesday is looking for the puzzle if I am slow to get it out (and often asks for it on other days too). There is a group of about 8 regulars who work on the puzzle with me (I try to stay close to make sure pieces don’t disappear, (or that’s the story I tell the boss!) and as we work we chat. About the puzzle, about things we like doing, about books, anything that keeps them talking. And Bill has made connections through a jigsaw. Now at breaks he is sitting at a table with a couple of the other jigsaw fans, and even if he is drawing he is part of their group.
And then there is Denise, who I invited on the first day to join a game of Uno along with another member of our library team whom she knows very slightly from her duty days, although she is a different year level. Now there is a group from 4 different year levels, many of them slightly quirky or on the outer, who have formed an Uno gang; playing most breaks and having raucous and hilarious games. Sometimes Denise is still too shy to ask to join them, but if they or I see her hovering, we know to pull her in. (Edited to add that yesterday, Bill was playing Uno with them too for the first time!)
And every time I hear a burst of laughter & look at their table, my heart swells a bit, because I know that with the connections they are forging in this library, their progress through school will be just that little bit brighter.
*names have been changed
Denise* is a year 10 student who has been with us for nearly 2 years. She came to us from a smaller contributing school, and is socially awkward. Very quiet and reserved and doesn’t engage with many people. I invited Denise to join the library team, and she is a reliable member but talking to her can be laborious, and you have to be careful to use open ended questions or you just get yes or no answers.
Most breaks since she started here Denise can be found in one of the stand-alone comfortable chairs in the library, either with her head in a book, or with her headphones on and her laptop playing a video. While the other students in her class are friendly towards her, Denise doesn’t have friends as such to spend her breaks with. And then there is Bill,* a year 9 who spends every break in a corner drawing on his own. He also has trouble relating to others, and never talks to anyone else as he works.
Last term, I decided I wanted to get our students off their phones occasionally during break times, so I introduced “Tech Free Tuesdays”. I invested a couple of hundred dollars in board games like Uno, Exploding Kittens, Suspend, Sequence and Rubix’s Race, among others, and told students they could play a game, work on a communal jigsaw puzzle, read a book or sit and chat but their phones had to be gone. Initially there was a bit of grumbling, and numbers are down a bit on Tuesday’s as those who want to play games like “Among Us” go elsewhere, but oh what we have gained!
Students were keen to see the games, and the favourites quickly emerged – Uno, Rubik’s Race and the jigsaw puzzle. I still have lots of students in the library on Tuesdays, and now they are chatting over their games – and laughing, lots and lots of laughing! Bill turned out to be a jigsaw fan, and every Tuesday is looking for the puzzle if I am slow to get it out (and often asks for it on other days too). There is a group of about 8 regulars who work on the puzzle with me (I try to stay close to make sure pieces don’t disappear, (or that’s the story I tell the boss!) and as we work we chat. About the puzzle, about things we like doing, about books, anything that keeps them talking. And Bill has made connections through a jigsaw. Now at breaks he is sitting at a table with a couple of the other jigsaw fans, and even if he is drawing he is part of their group.
And then there is Denise, who I invited on the first day to join a game of Uno along with another member of our library team whom she knows very slightly from her duty days, although she is a different year level. Now there is a group from 4 different year levels, many of them slightly quirky or on the outer, who have formed an Uno gang; playing most breaks and having raucous and hilarious games. Sometimes Denise is still too shy to ask to join them, but if they or I see her hovering, we know to pull her in. (Edited to add that yesterday, Bill was playing Uno with them too for the first time!)
And every time I hear a burst of laughter & look at their table, my heart swells a bit, because I know that with the connections they are forging in this library, their progress through school will be just that little bit brighter.
*names have been changed
He came to our school in 1945 and stayed until 1948, a weedy young lad, by the look of the photos I dug out of the archives. Back row boy. Not much to see in his face. He visited our library to find those photos and see his old year books. He is 90 now. He became a prefect and was so proud when his name was announced as having University Entrance accredited. When he left out school, he became an apprentice to a local chemist in our town. He did a course and became a pharmacist. He was proud of that; his dad was a farm manager and he was going to be something different.
The stories he told of all the boys getting the strap because a few of them threw some stones, it took the Principal all day to get through the lads. He told of the teachers who came back from the war. He wanted the boys to have fun, life a good life and have choices. That is why they went to war, for boys like him to be free in New Zealand. He told how he fell in love with the young French teacher, it still made him smile. He described her perfectly.
He looked at the old photos; told stories, gave me names, dates and he looked at me, a tear in his old eyes and he said "school days were the best, I loved my time at this school". Even at 90 he remembered the nicknames of the teachers. Grimm was one. His 1st XV rugby and his 1st XI soccer photo made him smile. He had to be in both teams as there were only 200 students and they needed to play both codes if they were to have any chance of beating other teams. He looked like Caleb Clarke would have left him imprinted on the turf, he was not a big lad.
I got out the year books, oh did he chuckle, he wept, he remembered. A cup of cocoa was given to every student one day. What a treat that post war cocoa was, it was recorded in the yearbook as a highlight for the year! Of course the girls did all the work for it!
Our archives in this library gave this old man a day of beautiful memory, a day of joy, pride, a sweet trip down a memory lane which gave a beautiful man a chance to reflect on a long life that had four happy years spent in our school. It was a day where I re-learned to be thankful, to make time in a busy day to listen and learn from those who had come before.
I didn't know who this man was, his past story, his future accomplishments, I just watched the joy he had in our library archives, reliving his carefree, happy, successful youth.
He is a well-known New Zealander. I did not know that, and I'm pleased. I just wanted to listen, learn, and watch.
School Library Archives Transform. I was that day!
The stories he told of all the boys getting the strap because a few of them threw some stones, it took the Principal all day to get through the lads. He told of the teachers who came back from the war. He wanted the boys to have fun, life a good life and have choices. That is why they went to war, for boys like him to be free in New Zealand. He told how he fell in love with the young French teacher, it still made him smile. He described her perfectly.
He looked at the old photos; told stories, gave me names, dates and he looked at me, a tear in his old eyes and he said "school days were the best, I loved my time at this school". Even at 90 he remembered the nicknames of the teachers. Grimm was one. His 1st XV rugby and his 1st XI soccer photo made him smile. He had to be in both teams as there were only 200 students and they needed to play both codes if they were to have any chance of beating other teams. He looked like Caleb Clarke would have left him imprinted on the turf, he was not a big lad.
I got out the year books, oh did he chuckle, he wept, he remembered. A cup of cocoa was given to every student one day. What a treat that post war cocoa was, it was recorded in the yearbook as a highlight for the year! Of course the girls did all the work for it!
Our archives in this library gave this old man a day of beautiful memory, a day of joy, pride, a sweet trip down a memory lane which gave a beautiful man a chance to reflect on a long life that had four happy years spent in our school. It was a day where I re-learned to be thankful, to make time in a busy day to listen and learn from those who had come before.
I didn't know who this man was, his past story, his future accomplishments, I just watched the joy he had in our library archives, reliving his carefree, happy, successful youth.
He is a well-known New Zealander. I did not know that, and I'm pleased. I just wanted to listen, learn, and watch.
School Library Archives Transform. I was that day!
Emma Year 13
Yesterday I had a situation that just made me smile and be thankful. Even though it was raining, and my perfect holiday library was getting trashed. I have known Emma since she was born; a quiet girl, thoughtful and sensitive. But she never really thrived at school and her Mum feared she had dyslexia. She did Speld at primary school and managed to become average enough to get by. She wasn't a reader. I got to know her better when we went to India together last year when I took a bunch of teenage girls with me for a bit of a look! Emma did not contribute to any bookish conversations and there were many, but we persuaded her to buy a couple of books, because in India they are so cheap.
She read them.
She came into Year 13 wanting another book. I gave her the first in a series - A Thousand Nights by E.K.Johnston. She read the second one. Then she got hooked on Amanda Hocking. This year she has read 55 books. She talks non stop to her friends about books and yesterday I COULD NOT STOP her. The books she read over the holidays she can't read now because she must study, but when study is over, can I hold that author and that series....please. Emma- is this you? I was so stoked!!!
We talk about reading impacting learning outcomes. The following is from our English HOF who teaches Emma. "Last year, in terms of writing, Emma was writing at an Achieved/Merit level for NCEA Level 2 and her writing lacked flair. This year, I worried about what that would look like for her in terms of Year 13 English. However, with a lot of perseverance and taking onboard of critique, Emma has produced two pieces of writing at Excellence Level for NCEA Level 3. She has done a really great job and when I questioned her about what has changed (as the same processes have been followed each year, she told me that she had recently started reading regularly and she felt that this had really helped her."
"Excellence", that changes my smile to a tear! Readers succeed. No longer is Emma average, reading has transformed that, with the support and help of a dedicated English teacher, a good library, and friends that encourage her. She is thriving!
SCHOOL LIBRARIES TRANSFORM!!!
Yesterday I had a situation that just made me smile and be thankful. Even though it was raining, and my perfect holiday library was getting trashed. I have known Emma since she was born; a quiet girl, thoughtful and sensitive. But she never really thrived at school and her Mum feared she had dyslexia. She did Speld at primary school and managed to become average enough to get by. She wasn't a reader. I got to know her better when we went to India together last year when I took a bunch of teenage girls with me for a bit of a look! Emma did not contribute to any bookish conversations and there were many, but we persuaded her to buy a couple of books, because in India they are so cheap.
She read them.
She came into Year 13 wanting another book. I gave her the first in a series - A Thousand Nights by E.K.Johnston. She read the second one. Then she got hooked on Amanda Hocking. This year she has read 55 books. She talks non stop to her friends about books and yesterday I COULD NOT STOP her. The books she read over the holidays she can't read now because she must study, but when study is over, can I hold that author and that series....please. Emma- is this you? I was so stoked!!!
We talk about reading impacting learning outcomes. The following is from our English HOF who teaches Emma. "Last year, in terms of writing, Emma was writing at an Achieved/Merit level for NCEA Level 2 and her writing lacked flair. This year, I worried about what that would look like for her in terms of Year 13 English. However, with a lot of perseverance and taking onboard of critique, Emma has produced two pieces of writing at Excellence Level for NCEA Level 3. She has done a really great job and when I questioned her about what has changed (as the same processes have been followed each year, she told me that she had recently started reading regularly and she felt that this had really helped her."
"Excellence", that changes my smile to a tear! Readers succeed. No longer is Emma average, reading has transformed that, with the support and help of a dedicated English teacher, a good library, and friends that encourage her. She is thriving!
SCHOOL LIBRARIES TRANSFORM!!!
Devon Year 10
"Clap Clap Clap for the handicap." That is what Devon had said to him as he crumpled in my office, a broken Year 10 boy. Why are kids so cruel, so mean, so heartless! I was angry beyond word or action!
Dev was born with clubfoot so bad that at times he couldn't walk. Nineteen surgery's so far, more to come!
Devon was a library lad. He had to be, to stay safe from the bullies. Every form time he hid in my office, every morning tea, every lunch. He was gutsy, yet so afraid. I like Dev, he was so engaging to chat to, I reckon when he was 14 he talked like a 60 year old man, deep stuff.
The boys in his year didn't get that either. They mocked him for his deep thought. One day he was doing PE and they trapped him under the high jump landing pads so he couldn't move. Then there was the day he got hit ... badly.
Sometimes Devs defence was his mouth and at times he didn't help himself because he could wield it well and they did not like that either. Dev was on a precipice. Which way would he go; depression, anger, a loner, broken- or could he, with the support of his wonderful parents, the care of his school and the library as his haven, claw back his schooling life. His parents fought for their boy, they did such a great job!
Dev lived in our library in Year 10, I worried for him. He joined the library whanau and it took a while for them to understand Dev, he had been through so much, so he saw the world with different eyes and they could not adjust to what he saw. But bit by bit Devon grew, he started to get better grades, he started to make friends who saw him and understood him in our library family. He started to be a leader in our family; liked, respected, funny and part of us.
This next bit brings me to tears . . . Devon knows I am writing this and has given me permission to do so.
Devon is in our senior library leadership team, he is in the Maori Leadership group, he just went on the senior leadership camp for 2021 senior school leadership roles. Devon is now representing Aotearoa in Parafed cycling, he has worn the Silver Fern and all being equal could well be at the Tokyo Olympics. He and my husband follow each other on Strava, boy can Devon ride a bike!
Devon is a respected leader, who makes even better lolly cake than my Mum and he is a kind, thoughtful young man, who cares for the other kids who are broken and hurting like he once was. I know it takes a village to raise a child and I know his parents deserve all the credit for making such a stunning young man, but I would like to think that his home in the library made a difference. It gave him the aroha, belief, safety, sometimes correction and unwavering belief in who he was.
School libraries transform!!!!
"Clap Clap Clap for the handicap." That is what Devon had said to him as he crumpled in my office, a broken Year 10 boy. Why are kids so cruel, so mean, so heartless! I was angry beyond word or action!
Dev was born with clubfoot so bad that at times he couldn't walk. Nineteen surgery's so far, more to come!
Devon was a library lad. He had to be, to stay safe from the bullies. Every form time he hid in my office, every morning tea, every lunch. He was gutsy, yet so afraid. I like Dev, he was so engaging to chat to, I reckon when he was 14 he talked like a 60 year old man, deep stuff.
The boys in his year didn't get that either. They mocked him for his deep thought. One day he was doing PE and they trapped him under the high jump landing pads so he couldn't move. Then there was the day he got hit ... badly.
Sometimes Devs defence was his mouth and at times he didn't help himself because he could wield it well and they did not like that either. Dev was on a precipice. Which way would he go; depression, anger, a loner, broken- or could he, with the support of his wonderful parents, the care of his school and the library as his haven, claw back his schooling life. His parents fought for their boy, they did such a great job!
Dev lived in our library in Year 10, I worried for him. He joined the library whanau and it took a while for them to understand Dev, he had been through so much, so he saw the world with different eyes and they could not adjust to what he saw. But bit by bit Devon grew, he started to get better grades, he started to make friends who saw him and understood him in our library family. He started to be a leader in our family; liked, respected, funny and part of us.
This next bit brings me to tears . . . Devon knows I am writing this and has given me permission to do so.
Devon is in our senior library leadership team, he is in the Maori Leadership group, he just went on the senior leadership camp for 2021 senior school leadership roles. Devon is now representing Aotearoa in Parafed cycling, he has worn the Silver Fern and all being equal could well be at the Tokyo Olympics. He and my husband follow each other on Strava, boy can Devon ride a bike!
Devon is a respected leader, who makes even better lolly cake than my Mum and he is a kind, thoughtful young man, who cares for the other kids who are broken and hurting like he once was. I know it takes a village to raise a child and I know his parents deserve all the credit for making such a stunning young man, but I would like to think that his home in the library made a difference. It gave him the aroha, belief, safety, sometimes correction and unwavering belief in who he was.
School libraries transform!!!!
Michael Year 10
In our school we have a daily report system called "Check in- Check Out" or CICO. It is one of my jobs in the library. The students are referred to us through the Deans or Senior Management. They come in the morning to pick up their form, I give them a cherry morning greeting and send them on their way to class. In the afternoon they drop their form back off to me and we go through it together, we chat about the day; what went well and what fell apart.
I get to know students that never would normally come into the library, I get to know our characters, our Year 10 boys who are pushing the boundaries and our students who just struggle even to be here. Is this on my job description? No! Do I love doing this? Yes.
Meet Michael. A Year 10 student on CICO- sent because he was wagging, missing classes and completely disengaged. He did not come in for his CICO form so for the first few days I had to hunt him down. Good for the daily step tally. Eventually he realised I cared about him and his story and he started to pick the forms up and drop them off. He started to feel safe in our space and then one day, he did something that surprised me - he issued a book out. I didn't say anything - incognito for a while I thought was best. The last thing a Year 10 needs is a nagging old lady librarian.
Then he got another book out. He has taken out 5 this year, all nicely spaced out, so he is reading them. Not bad I think!
Michael has issues with his hearing and once he knew I would listen to him talk and talk so he could listen, he spent more time in the office.
He started to do well on CICO, teachers started to give really positive comments and get off his case about the wrong shoes. Finally they saw he mattered more and that Michael was a creative, artsy, deep thinker. When he started to reveal himself, we all could see the depth of his mind and the beauty locked in it.
Michael started to flourish. He was no longer on CICO. He found new friends; safe ones - my library crew. And now he reads and we talk about it.
His last book was "Frozen Charlotte" by Alex Bell. Michael has 30 Credits, and he will pass Level 1 NCEA. Last year we wondered if he would make it another week. Michael smiles as I walk past him and the library crew who clutter the office every morning.
And I smile because I know school libraries transform.
In our school we have a daily report system called "Check in- Check Out" or CICO. It is one of my jobs in the library. The students are referred to us through the Deans or Senior Management. They come in the morning to pick up their form, I give them a cherry morning greeting and send them on their way to class. In the afternoon they drop their form back off to me and we go through it together, we chat about the day; what went well and what fell apart.
I get to know students that never would normally come into the library, I get to know our characters, our Year 10 boys who are pushing the boundaries and our students who just struggle even to be here. Is this on my job description? No! Do I love doing this? Yes.
Meet Michael. A Year 10 student on CICO- sent because he was wagging, missing classes and completely disengaged. He did not come in for his CICO form so for the first few days I had to hunt him down. Good for the daily step tally. Eventually he realised I cared about him and his story and he started to pick the forms up and drop them off. He started to feel safe in our space and then one day, he did something that surprised me - he issued a book out. I didn't say anything - incognito for a while I thought was best. The last thing a Year 10 needs is a nagging old lady librarian.
Then he got another book out. He has taken out 5 this year, all nicely spaced out, so he is reading them. Not bad I think!
Michael has issues with his hearing and once he knew I would listen to him talk and talk so he could listen, he spent more time in the office.
He started to do well on CICO, teachers started to give really positive comments and get off his case about the wrong shoes. Finally they saw he mattered more and that Michael was a creative, artsy, deep thinker. When he started to reveal himself, we all could see the depth of his mind and the beauty locked in it.
Michael started to flourish. He was no longer on CICO. He found new friends; safe ones - my library crew. And now he reads and we talk about it.
His last book was "Frozen Charlotte" by Alex Bell. Michael has 30 Credits, and he will pass Level 1 NCEA. Last year we wondered if he would make it another week. Michael smiles as I walk past him and the library crew who clutter the office every morning.
And I smile because I know school libraries transform.
Marcus Year 3
I work with a Year 3 lad (let's call him Marcus) who comes from the most amazing, supportive family with multiple siblings. He was adopted by the family and so has some issues that he deals with on a daily basis.
He wears his heart on his sleeve and you can tell what kind of mood he is in by looking at him. If things aren't going well he walks around with a black cloud over his head.
Oftentimes he arrives at the Library for his weekly class session with said black cloud looming - but I am always confident in the knowledge that as soon as we settle for a story he will come around. You can almost see the transformation - from defiant, grumpy and over-demonstrative, through sulky and pretending to not be interested, to active engagement and participation.
Books - and by default Libraries - do that.
Marcus is lucky enough to come from a family who values books. He understands that the Library is his safe place and that he can come in when he needs to. How wonderful for him - and his mental health.
But what about the students who DON'T have a Library and a Librarian on hand? It doesn't bear thinking about.
I work with a Year 3 lad (let's call him Marcus) who comes from the most amazing, supportive family with multiple siblings. He was adopted by the family and so has some issues that he deals with on a daily basis.
He wears his heart on his sleeve and you can tell what kind of mood he is in by looking at him. If things aren't going well he walks around with a black cloud over his head.
Oftentimes he arrives at the Library for his weekly class session with said black cloud looming - but I am always confident in the knowledge that as soon as we settle for a story he will come around. You can almost see the transformation - from defiant, grumpy and over-demonstrative, through sulky and pretending to not be interested, to active engagement and participation.
Books - and by default Libraries - do that.
Marcus is lucky enough to come from a family who values books. He understands that the Library is his safe place and that he can come in when he needs to. How wonderful for him - and his mental health.
But what about the students who DON'T have a Library and a Librarian on hand? It doesn't bear thinking about.
James Year 10
James (not real name) is a big lad, he is Year 10.
James spends every morning and lunch time in the library. He lounges all over the ottomans and tries really hard to keep his big feet off them, but somehow he never manages. Sometimes James just walks around the library - he looks agitated, like one of those polar bears in a zoo. You can tell he is agitated, but he knows, in our library, he is safe.
James loves to read, Manga comics mostly, but he will charge through Cherub books as well. Books are safe places for James.
He doesn't speak much, but I know he understand what I say, because he reads a lot; those two things go together.
The library is a safe place for James. He knows in here, even if he paces, I will look after him and if he throws a beanbag, I will make sure the duty teacher understands and shows kindness.
James is on the spectrum, and for him our school library is a place to read, to be safe, to be understood and now, to find friends.
Our school library has transformed James and made school for him not just survivable, but likable.
Imagine what a school without a library would be like for James....
James (not real name) is a big lad, he is Year 10.
James spends every morning and lunch time in the library. He lounges all over the ottomans and tries really hard to keep his big feet off them, but somehow he never manages. Sometimes James just walks around the library - he looks agitated, like one of those polar bears in a zoo. You can tell he is agitated, but he knows, in our library, he is safe.
James loves to read, Manga comics mostly, but he will charge through Cherub books as well. Books are safe places for James.
He doesn't speak much, but I know he understand what I say, because he reads a lot; those two things go together.
The library is a safe place for James. He knows in here, even if he paces, I will look after him and if he throws a beanbag, I will make sure the duty teacher understands and shows kindness.
James is on the spectrum, and for him our school library is a place to read, to be safe, to be understood and now, to find friends.
Our school library has transformed James and made school for him not just survivable, but likable.
Imagine what a school without a library would be like for James....
