Our End of Year Report for the CHS Media Center:
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I love reading. But I apparently also had a long list of excuses about why I couldn't read as often as I should: 1) My family keeps me pretty busy (a husband, two school-aged kids who play sports) 2) I work full time, coach, sponsor multiple extracurricular activities 3) I work at my church (youth leader, choir director, musician) 4) I'm just REALLY, REALLY busy. But, all of this doesn't matter when part of my job means I'm supposed to be able to recommend books at the drop of a hat to students, teachers, and community members. In August, I challenged myself to read a book a week and I made sure students knew what I was doing so they could hold me accountable. I created posters (like the one below) on Canva and posted them at my desk (i.e. bookcase) and the main door of the media center. I created email graphics as well (see below) and put the books I finished out on social media so others could use my recommendations. Once I finish a book, I hang the poster up on my "Guess What Gibson's Reading" wall in the media center so students can take a look at the covers & scan the QR codes to see if they might be interested in something I've read.
I didn't think that this small challenge would make an impact, but boy was I wrong. Once I finished a book and students asked for recommendations, anything that went up on "The Wall" was immediately checked out. Some of those books have never made it back on the shelves because there is a hold list a mile long for them. Those copies include: I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter The Hate U Give Dry Scythe The Poet X Monday's Not Coming One of Us is Lying Dear Martin More of our teachers are giving students the time and the space to read independently in their classes thanks to some in-depth studying we have made in Penny Kittle's Book Love, but our students are just excited about reading and it's the coolest experience I have ever had as an educator. How excited you might ask? Well, we hit 10,000 checkouts for the Fall 2018 semester. Our high school students checked out that many books in 90 days!! It is amazing! The trend continues this semester as I saw more than 3100 checkouts in the month of January alone. Our school focused on student literacy for the 2018-2019 school year and our entire district will focus on literacy in the coming year so we are excited to see what impact this will have on student achievement! The Hall County Schools Reading RocketEND OF YEAR BLOCK PARTIES: Back in May, we had the opportunity to host three block parties the week right before school got out. Those block parties were at three of the neighborhoods where we stop during the summer with the Reading Rocket and we wanted to have an opportunity to connect with the families and the students that we serve in order to build positive relationships with our patrons. For an hour each evening, we had pizza, drinks, and games. Students were also able to check out their first two books from the Reading Rocket. In those three days, we checked out almost 200 books to our students and met so many of their family members! On a side note, I'd like to give a shout out to Chestatee's Eagle Eye Graphics for designing and printing such an awesome banner for us to display at all of the neighborhoods (see photo below). READING ROCKET SUMMER STOPS & ROCKET FUEL: We are pleased to announce that for the second year in a row, we have had massive turnout for summer checkouts from the Reading Rocket that's sponsored by the Hall County Schools Media Specialists. In June alone, we served 1,062 patrons and checked out 1,952 books over the span of the eight days that the Reading Rocket operated. With this data, we hope to add our Tuesday stops back in July since we've continued to see increases in outreach and circulation. We also continue to see the community step up and help in various ways. First, I want to give a HUGE shout out to CHS teachers, Kit Walker and Kimberly Holland, for volunteering to work on the Reading Rocket back in June. It was so great having two of our Chestatee teachers join our media specialists on the route! Second, our partnership with More than Sparrows has been amazing. The organization has coordinated volunteers to help with "Rocket Fuel," an initiative that gets sack lunches in the hands of our patrons at all of our neighborhood stops. They've fed anywhere from 150-200 people each day Reading Rocket operates. We've been so impressed with all of the Hall County sports teams, teachers, and community members who have stepped up and volunteered by preparing the lunches and delivering them at the stops. We cannot thank you all enough for the heart you have shown for the children of Hall County. Finally, we are so thankful that the relationships we've created through the Reading Rocket have led to additional community outreach opportunities. Because of this program, a local organization "adopted" 30 Hall County students in order to gift them with a new book bag and all of the school supplies they need to begin a new school year. This outreach has continued to multiply as individuals donated monetary funds that will now be used to meet needs of our local students and their families as the school year progresses. All I can say is HOW AMAZING IS OUR COMMUNITY!?!?! Chestatee HS Summer CheckoutsStudents had the opportunity to check out up to ten books from our media center this summer and I had many students take me up on this! We have more than 400 books checked out right now and I cannot wait to talk to everyone once they get back about their reading picks! Many of them selected their books during the "Book Tasting" we did back in April so I'm definitely going to have to order some additional copies of those books since they are in such high demand. There are also door prizes that our summer checkout students will be entered into once we return to school so make sure you checkout @chestateemedia on Twitter for updates!
The focus of our October faculty meeting and subsequent planning period meeting was about the benefits of station teaching. This best practice is something that we have been able to do over the years in classrooms, but it's something I really focused on when I moved into the media center just because it was an excellent use of the space and our resources in the media center (i.e. me (the Media Specialist) and our technology). We just successfully completed a three week introduction for the 9th Grade Literature classes and their study of The Other Wes Moore, an nonfiction book by Wes Moore that follows his life and the life of a man serving a life sentence in prison. The other man just happens to share the same name as the author and he explores what happened in both of their lives to cause each of them to have such very different outcomes. We used stations in three different ways: 1) to introduce the four central ideas or topics of the text: poverty, crime, drugs, and racism; 2) to give students the opportunity to research one of those central ideas throughout a time period in history (the 1960s, the 1980s-1990s, or the 2000s); 3) to have students present their research and information to their classmates via station teaching. So exactly how did we do this? 1) All of the classes were in the media center during the three week time period. This was a great co-teaching opportunity between myself and the 9th Grade Literature teachers. We collaborated on the lesson plan in the weeks prior and used that time to collect resources for the introductory texts for the first week of thee unit. 2) There were two periods in the day where we had TWO classes doing this simultaneously; that means we successfully used stations with 60+ freshmen AT ONE TIME. 3) I had the opportunity to serve as the lead teacher for this three week period. We collaborated together and supported each other through out the process, but it was a great chance to co-teach with our 9th Grade Literature Teachers. When we informally surveyed our students at the end of the three week period, they gave us excellent feedback:
-They loved presenting in small groups. It took the pressure off of them having to stand in front of the whole class (or two classes) and they had the chance to improve each time they presented. -When students weren't presenting, they liked getting to move around to take notes. We included tiered graphic organizers that were tailored to each student's needs. -The students also enjoyed having the extra help they could get in the media center and the flexibility of the space. There's something magical about doing research from a bean bag chair! This was the third year that we did this assignment, but there was a stronger sense of community and engagement this time around. We got "all up in our feelings" that first week, we shared a meal of s'mores around a fire pit, and we talked about some tough subjects. But this experience created a sense of trust and an open line of communication between the students and I. They are now coming to me for help outside of the 9th Grade Lit classroom and because they trust me, it's even easier for me to work with them in other classes too. Trust the process & give stations a try! Regardless of the subject that you may specialize in, if you are a teacher, you are a READING teacher.
Let that sink in. Research shows that if students are not read to early on, they will struggle in school and that is compounded in high school when a student doesn't want to admit that they struggle with literacy because it's assumed that they can read and read well. According to the National Education Association: "...only 53 percent of children ages three to five were read to daily by a family member (1999). Children in families with incomes below the poverty line are less likely to be read to aloud everyday than are children in families with incomes at or above poverty." "The Educational Testing Services reported that students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores; however, students read less for fun as they get older." Did you know that students who do not or cannot read well deal with other negative impacts ranging from "dropping out of high school...[to] increased criminal activity & incarceration to poorer health outcomes" (Education Commission of the States). So why is it important that we understand that we are ALL reading teachers? Each teacher can have a dramatic impact on student literacy and achievement by encouraging a culture of reading regardless of what content area he or she teachers in. The infographic below (courtesy of Library Girl) is a great starting point for teachers to use to develop their own reading lives and support students. Giving students access to reading materials of any kind (books, magazines, newspapers, digital formats, etc.) can make a huge difference, especially if the student does not have access at home. While access is important, I honestly believe the most important thing you can do is share what you are reading with your students and do it with passion! They want you to engage them in conversation that goes beyond the normal school talk so what a great way to do so! The final bell of 16-17 rang and five days later, we were collectively and purposely planning for the 17-18 school year. You read that correctly. It's June 4, 2017, we've been out of school for exactly one week, and some of my colleagues and I just wrapped up two days of amazing professional development with other leadership teams from our school district. As our superintendent told us yesterday, "Please know I did not pick the dates for this; I asked the organizer if he'd lost his mind!" BUT, this PD came at a good time. We leave tomorrow for our School Leadership Team's Retreat where we will develop our School Improvement Plan & lay out our goals for the upcoming school year (the first bell of 17-18 rings in just 66 days. Let that marinate.) Our school district made a very intentional goal last year of having all schools & all teachers study & work to implement the Four Cornerstones of Effective Teaching in our Professional Learning Communities. The Four Cornerstones are: 1) Organization, Rules, & Procedures 2) Positive Relationships 3) Engagement & Enjoyment 4) A Culture of Thinking and Learning At Chestatee, we really felt we had a handle on Cornerstones 1 and 2, so we covered them initially and then moved on to focus on Cornerstones 3 and 4 for the majority of the school year. This year, we're looking at how we can implement the Tools for Classroom Instruction That Works. This is a reorganized framework of Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works where the nine standards are presented in a flowchart/framework (see below). The top three should occur every day, in every lesson, with every student. The other standards or initiatives occur based on the instructional needs of the students and the standards they're learning. Dr. Silver and his associates will publish a new book this year titled Tools for Classroom Instruction That Works. We were able to preview and practice with many of those tools during the professional development workshop and I found myself frantically taking notes and making mental notes about what strategies would benefit different content areas and skill sets. To make the tools easily accessible for our faculty, I'm going to create templates that we'll make available through out faculty course in Canvas, our district's LMS. This will allow our staff members to easily download and modify the tools for their particular classroom needs. At our school leadership retreat tomorrow and Tuesday, we'll take a look at how we want to Professional Learning Communities to develop over the course of the 17-18 school year. We've had some great experiences with Lesson Studies and Ed Camp, but we hope to make the PLCs next year even more meaningful for the faculty. If you have any great PLC ideas or arrangements that have worked for you our your school, PLEASE send them my way via email ([email protected]) or in the comments below. Finally, I want to leave you with the quote that stuck with me on day 2 of the PD conference that I cannot shake. Dr. Tom Dewing was talking about best practices with our small group and he mentioned that when he and his wife first married, they bought a cheap kitchen table to get them by. He said the only problem is that they "were not rich enough to buy that cheap." The table was messed up in less than six months and they had to buy another one; in other words, they "bought it twice." He then turned that same quote on us at teachers: "We're not rich enough to teach cheap." Truth. We don't have the luxuries that afford us the opportunity to teach cheap. Instead, we have to treat every experience and resource as a precious gift that we cannot lose. Best wishes my friends. Gibson Special shout out the to dream team and best conference roommates ever! Mrs. Grace and I had a great time showing Mrs. Conley around our old stomping grounds at UGA.
I can't go without waterproof mascara. I can cry at the drop of the hat so I don't know why I buy non-waterproof mascara. Today was one of those days I immediately regretted my eye makeup choice.
I found out today that I was selected as the 2017 North Georgia District Library Media Specialist of the Year by the Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA). This means I'm now in the running for the State award. I'm so extremely honored and excited, but while that was cool and all, it did not top what happened at the end of the school day. See the pictures above? Those are our kids and staff out in the hallway with signs and banners. I walked around the corner to shouts, cheering, and congratulations from these amazing kids and my dear friends (they are way more than coworkers). And I cried. I cried because this award would not be possible without them. If you know anything about the changes to School Library Media in the recent years, you know there has been a drastic change to the role that a media specialist plays in a school. There are hundreds of "hats" that I get to wear throughout the day, but those are not possibilities without some amazing people. First, there's my clerk Karen. She puts up with my craziness and her mantra is "I"m here to make you look good." Man oh man does she do just that. She's amazing and works harder than anyone I know. Then I have my amazing faculty and staff. They let me try just about anything out on them and their classes. I crash conversations and offer services without solicitation. They collaborate with me all of the time, let me co-teach with them, and allow me to interfere with curriculum and their day to day lives. They are gifted professionals who have a heart for student success, even if that means sharing their castle with me! Next? My administration. As one of my UGA professors pointed out, "You must have a very forward thinking administration to get to do what you do." Yes. You have no idea how awesome they are. And finally, there are my kids. They literally made tons of signs, lined the halls, recorded all of the craziness on Snapchat (because let's face it, if you don't, did it really happen?), and asked to take pictures with me after the announcement. What teenagers do that, especially for their media specialist? Mine do. Why? Because they are AMAZING and I am not worthy of them. These kids make my world go round. They have made the media center a place that they want to hangout, a place where they can go to work and feel supported, and a place that they can call home. I cannot wait to see what next year holds as we plan, improve the facility, and do even more to support our students and teachers in their most successful year yet! Gibson / Gibby / "The O.G." We are very excited to announce that we have some incredible changes coming to the media center during the spring and summer months and we want to share those with all of you!
Change #1: We have purchased new tables and chairs for the large group area. The new tables are on wheels and are easily configured into a variety arrangements to give flexibility to whole class usage, grouping, and more. The new tables are light, modern, and will be an integral part of the instruction that takes place daily in the media center. Change #2: We are being outfitted with brand new audio/video equipment over the summer. For the large class area, we're getting a new wireless projector, screen, ceiling mounted microphones, a mounted swivel camera for Skype & video conferencing, a smaller screen and wall-mounted projector for the desktop area, and all of the needed wireless accessories and infrastructure. This is going to be an awesome resource for our students & community and I cannot wait to try it out in August. Change #3: This one is not a reality yet, but we are keeping our fingers crossed for new carpet. This would be the icing on the cake and take care of a major eyesore that will not go away, even though the best custodial staff in the worlds has done everything they can to lift the stains away. With the increased usage in our facility, it's just high traffic, all day, every day (not complaining!) so the wear and tear are just part of our reality. We hope you are as excited as we are about these facility changes! I'm already plotting what we're going to do next year to upgrade the space even more, so if you have suggestions, please let me know and I will do everything I can to make it happen! Gibson Photo: GAfutures.org November is National Apply to College Month and our festivities are getting into full swing here at Chestatee! The Media Center is completely decked out in college memorabilia and pictures of our teachers in college. I collected the Alma Mater information from our faculty and staff and placed it outside of their doors in hopes of generating a conversation between our students and teachers about post-secondary experiences. We are hosting a Lunch and Learn in the media center on November 10th that is a College Admissions presentation and Q & A session with admission representatives from the University of North Georgia. November 16 is our school-wide Apply to College Day that we're also hosting in the Media Center--students will apply to college(s), meet with college reps, apply for scholarships, and get to participate in a full-blown tailgate! Anyone interested in signing up for Apply to College Day should see Mrs. Lambeth in the counseling office. We look forward to this awesome month as students learn about all of their post-secondary options!
We are currently in the process of outfitting our new collaborative space in our media center for the 2016-2017 school year. This room will house two booths with tables and a collaborative table that has a large monitor and switches that allow students to hook up multiple computers and switch the views to their group members screens. If room allows, this will also be the location of our maker space until we have carved out that area on the main floor of the library.
I am very excited about the addition of this space; it is an area that the students have asked for and we were happy to oblige! Stay tuned for changes and updates as we repaint, add furniture, and more! |
Author: Jenn Gibson
Teacher. Librarian. Technology Guru. Barista. Archives
May 2019
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