Wednesday Morning School

 This is my newest job - just started in September. It's a pretty small school and a pretty compact library, so it has been pretty good for not adding a lot of stress. I had four kindergarten classes which ran me a little ragged for the first few weeks - they are adorable little dumbasses, and having four classes of kids who know zero about how to library, including how to say their own names, was wearying. We're now a few weeks in, and one class switched to another day, and I have relaxed about the whole thing. 

Things I like: 

1. The space is nice. I like my long, wide desk. It makes it a little back-wrenching to get the books across and back, and sometimes I have to ask a student several times to push it a little closer, but it's a really nice bulwark for when a kid tries to sneeze on you - Monday school is terrible for this, and the ones that like to lean on the desk while I'm checking them out are waaaaaay too close during cold and flu season, which in an elementary school is any month ending in y, h, r or.... never mind, I can't remember how to spell any more months.

2. Big, neat office with a sink.

3. The handprint art over my head.

4. The shelving system is simple and easy. 

5. The check-out system is done by barcoded class lists for kinders, but cards for grade one and up. I lay out the cards before the class comes, the student finds their card and slides it into the top book and hands me everything, I scan the card and then the book/s. This is really nice, because I see upwards of 200 kids each day, and I gradually learn some of their names but not all, and saying "what's your name?" 150 times gets a little old.

6. A dedicated book-repair station. Most places I just have to find a space on the counter for the giant tape dispenser. There is also glue, which some schools don't have, and I was really happy but then I tried to use the glue and it all went horribly wrong and I need to refine my glue skills before I attempt THAT again.

7. Close to home. Close to the school I go to in the afternoon. 

8. Parking lot is easy to navigate. 

Things I like less:

1. The other librarian has a collection of little toys at the front of the desk that are for looking, not touching. Did I mention I have three kinder classes, and one grade one class? How do you think their impulse control for not touching cute little toys is? YOU ARE CORRECT. I moved them to a higher shelf once and she moved them back, so I have just stopped telling kids not to touch and left it to the teachers. Not my circus, not my monkeys. Wait, is there an actual monkey, because that would be funny. No, just a whale and a Cinderella and a ... chair?

2. Not as many books, obviously. I would try to round out the collection a bit. The kids work with what they have, though. There's been a serious run on The One and Only Bob. The shark books - in French and English - are madly popular. 

3. Regular ick-coloured book cart. I mean, why NOT make them purple, or yellow? 

That's all I can think of (and I'm already reaching). This is a good job.