chatter from the Library Monkey

I am not sure how to view being a school librarian at this day and time, as it might compare to a generation ago. It is really hard for me to say, since it was about 20 from the time I graduated high school to the point I stepped in a public school again. For the education itself, it might be like comparing apples to apple sauce. Quite similar, but expressing in different forms.

My memory of those high school years is pretty hazy. I’m not even sure my high school had a library. Either that is how out of it I was, or how little my high school used it as a tool. In fact, there was a public library across the street from my high school. I hardly ever went inside. My mom would pick me up from school some times and that was our meeting place, but I waited outside. My mom was once an hour late and I still didn’t go in.

I know one thing for sure, I don’t remember the students back there being any more motivated to step outside their world than they are now.

For example, I remember taking a current events class where I was one of the smartest merely because I read the newspaper and watched the nightly news. Well I wasn’t the smartest, I was just prepared. I would guess the average student is even less prepared or media savvy now, mainly because they think a blog is news. They think myspace is the place to learn. I know what you are reading has less to do with facts than an apple press.

I also know in my high school class of 1,000 kids, only about 850 graduated. I am guessing it was much better accepted back then — kids not graduating that is.

One thing is for sure — though I don’t have statistics or a glass of cider — but if a student has decided not to learn, education is tough. (related story) It doesn’t mater if it 1970 or 2006. You can make not learning so unbearable that they give in; you could find something he or she likes and hope you can relate information to it. But really, it is tough.

In the library there are students that come and have decided they are not going to do anything for the next 40 minutes. I know I should send them back, but I want the library to be a friendly place. I have to say at times I am losing. In the attempt to be friendly, I am ’shhhh-ing’ and ‘please be quiet’ and ‘could you get back on track’ to the point of annoyance. I suppose I might as well just have them not be there and cut out the middle ’shushing.’

Perhaps what is the most frustrating is 70 percent of the students are working and getting things done so they can go play baseball or practice the play or play video games all night. Those are the kids I want to remember at the end of the day.

I am the first to say you can not just say, “I am sorry,” and that relinquishes you from trying to do good or all the wrong you created. But when you falter, you should be willing to ask for forgiveness.

I am not sure what pries that thought into my head tonight (10:04 p.m.), but it seems to have slipped in.

My main thought is that a week ago, I put on the morning announcements that the next day would be spring picture day and to dress nice. Right after the Tuesday announcement I started hearing that the students were upset at the lack of warning that this was picture day.

They would have dressed nice if they knew. When a teacher came up to me and said I was going to catch a lot of flack I was a little annoyed. I would have to say of all the announcements I have made, from photos for the baseball team to the softball team have mostly been ignored.

This time I thought I had screwed up. then I check the previous day e-mail and there it was right in the announcements. I forwarded to the teacher, whom I am guessing did not tell all the students they were wrong, but they were.

That is a small thing, but it is nearing the end of the year and a lot of the small things are adding up. Today a student told me I told him how to do his bibliography card wrong. The english teacher has the students do their MLA style citation on an index card and connects those cards with note cards. Bib card one could be an encyclopedia. Three or four note cards, with facts about a give topic could be associated with that card. So it might be note card one, with a number 1 on it, showing the note came from the resource #1.

I looked at the student’s card and he didn’t have an author or a book listed on it. I think he had an article from the book, a publisher and a copyright. Again, I thought maybe I did make a mistake, but I remembered the only thing I did tell him, was to use the big long title of the book.

“O yea,” says student.

I guess in his mind that was the apology.

Maybe I want the apology because it seems educators receive so few ‘thank yous.’ I can accept the lack of thank yous, I just don’t want to be beat up when I didn’t do anything wrong and if I actually did the right thing, “I am sorry, that was my mistake.”

This goes with the thought that this generation is the ‘entitlement generation.’ They deserve everything.