Monday School
I don't think I ever answered Steph's question from a few posts ago about whether the kids really do call me "Madame Allison" (or 'Miss Allison'). For the most part they do! When I started, I followed the other librarian's cue and they called me Madame McCaskill or Ms. McCaskill (actually they say Miss - for some reason there are no single French teachers and no married English teachers if you go by the way they say their names in these schools). This was a trainwreck - they mostly pronounced it "Castle" - not that I blame them, my last name seems to be difficult for a lot of people). When I started at my Thursday school, the kids called the other librarian Miss Kate and I loved that, so I've mostly switched over. Some of them called me Miss Kate for a while, which made it disproportionately exciting when they started to get it right. Some of them still say "Teacher" or "Miss Librarian", which is all fine.
I thought that this week I would describe the schools I work at - definitely not because I'm desperate for post ideas. Actually I have been meaning to do this, and, like I keep saying, what better time?
My Monday school is a Kindergarten to grade 6. It's the second job I got when I started applying for jobs in the school system, and I've since been surplussed out of the first so it's the school I've been at the longest, since before Covid.
It's a nice, bright space. I didn't love the feel of the school at first, but couldn't quite articulate why. Then my husband brought my lunch that I had forgotten one day and said it felt like a big, sterile bunker - that might be it.
I have classes that are solely English and classes that are French immersion, and I am forever mixing them up - French classes usually have the kids take one English book and one French, or two French.
Things I like (and I am giving myself license to quibble on likes and dislikes):
1. The Dewey Decimal carpet the kids sit on when they come in.
2. I have an office with a sink. When I started I sort of thought all libraries would have this, and many do, but some don't. I generally wash my hands after each class - books and kids both have a propensity for stickiness and I have a tendency to compulsive hand hygiene.
3. The desk set-up is pretty good (I forgot to take a picture). They set up a giant towering printer beside my computer last year that makes me feel like I'm about to get buried, but I'm adjusting. There's a nice long counter so I can check books in, push them to the end of the counter if I'm short on time for sorting, and still have lots of room for checkouts.
Oh, here's a picture with a bunch of books on it.
You can see why the space is welcome. I have twelve classes on Monday, which means twelve bins of books come back.
4. The purple carts, which I also didn't get a good picture of, GET IT TOGETHER MCCASKILL.
Comments
Wait, this might be a dumb question - so forgive me, but do all Canadians speak French? Or does it depend on which part of Canada you are from?
The rush when a kid comes in after not being able to speak english yet and then asking you a question in English must be amazing.
I remember living in the US for a year I loved the librarian in the school. I felt like I could always spend my hours there and had someone to talk to. Funnily enough though I rarely checked out books that year. I guess i was so caught up in living the teenage live in an American high school that reading was not a priority.
My kids call basically all adults (other than their teachers who are Mrs/Ms/Mr) Miss or Mr and then their first name. I love it.
School librarians hold a special place in my heart. I have to admit I felt VERY sad when I read the bit about kids not having their books back on time being singled out. How humiliating for them :(
And that parking problem - what the what?!
Also, I had to think really hard about why French is a big part of your school. Right. Took me awhile. Are you bilingual? Why did this possibility never occur to me before?
The ratting out of kids who have overdue books IS aggressive. I feel like shaming kids in public is not a great way to instill a love of reading??? Obviously this isn't your call. Also, I have a kid who will just keep books forever so maybe a little shaming is necessary in some cases.