chatter from the Library Monkey

right into my humor hand.

Up and at’em — lot to do today.

I can never figure out why it is so hard for me to just sit down and write. I could throw down at least five pages without even trying right now. And doing so wold probably help me get to the other pages. I was up ready to go too. The wicked irony is I am writing to avoid writing. So on with my last day.

Two funny things yesterday. Make it several funning things and not ha ha.

From the first moment on star was saying kind of jerky things. I guess a preface to star is to point out that it isn’t what she says, but the tone she uses. Either condescending or so fake it might as well be condescending. First comment: “Why are you here, are you a mentor.” there was no tone of interest. It was more: Wilco tang foxtrot are you doing here?

I told her I was the librarian, and she said: “O the sarcasm starts.” To which I said, “That isn’t sarcasm, I really AM a librarian.”

I later realized what the problem was…as par usually everything has to be about star. She accepts that the mentors are there, and of course the new employees — who else could the mentor (star) brag to about knowing so much — but why would the librarian be there to take some of the limelight. I just don’t fall down around that egocentricity.

After the ‘what are you doing here’ comment, I decided I wasn’t going to be sarcastic, I was going to be mean. In fact when I was making my presentation, she was talking, I stopped and stared at her until she was quite. She said something like, “Okay, sorry.” Not letting her off the hook, I replied, “Are you finished.” she gave me the look she gives people on occasion that she is eating lemon peels.

I think one of the things about it all, is when the principal and her friend is around, all the little comments about me being mean to her, are directed to him. She is like the little sister who does something to the older brother, right before the parents come in the room to see the revenge.

Finally I had had enough. I had organized pictures so we would have pix of our new staff members AND a new picture for the front of the web page. And star and her mentor were just hanging out in the music room (her mentor is the music teacher), I went in and said: “Everyone else is waiting downstairs.” The all about it being about star includes everyone waiting for her.

This is when star played right into my humor hand. As we were walking down the stairs, star said one more snide comment. So I looked at her protegee and said: “You are so lucky to have star as your mentor, about three of the people she mentored actually kept their job. It is pretty ironic since almost half of the people she has mentored with lost their job. The protegee laughed.

This is when inserted foot into month and responded with: “that isn’t fair, they give me all the difficult ones.” I laughed and was getting ready to say something, but the protegee cackled. It was clear she understood the implications.

“O man, right away she zings you,” I said. and the woman responded, “I know I can be difficult.” Falling on deaf ears was star saying — ‘but now I have a good one.”

To star’s credit, the very worse employees have had who everything seems to think is the best mentors. Which really tells me that they aren’t the best mentors.

It is an interesting match up. Star is a bbw kind of woman and flamboyant. And it is clear the new music teacher is also flamboyant, but rail thin. It will be interesting to see how this relationship works out.

Here is a typical, interesting librarian/principal interaction. I met with him yesterday to point out that by having the library aide working in the distance learning lab most of the day, I have basically lost my helper. First he suggest getting a student to help. That is always a joke, since you have the student for 40 minutes a day and they seldom feel like working. If you pressure them to work, then they quit.

I tell him that is not why I came to talk to him, but I would like that trend to end. I came to point out that because there is no aide, it means that I will have to close the library to students during certain times when I have classes. I realized I didn’t rally have a goal, but to let him know what the crunch is, but int alking to him, I just realized I was talking to star’s friend. That is he will work for different people, sincerely, but I am not that person.

He made me a little nervous, because he told me he had put something in my mailbox he wanted to discuss. I come in a couple times during the summer just to empty my mailbox and throw things away. I had a feeling I might have throw what he was asking about — out. I found it in another pile of stuff that worked it’s way into my office, but not by me.

Here is the great irony. It was a guideline for what students should be expected to know at various grades. Irony #1: Every time I am evaluated I bring a matrix of expectations that five times as comprehensive as the one he gave me AND mine is related to library skills. Irony #2: the one he gave me is about skills the social studies and English (star) teacher should be teaching kids. Things like Students will write a six page paper in eleventh grade, how to edit their work, using MLA style, etc.

Irony #3: when I am being evaluated I make note that I am only with students grades 6-12 — to teach library skills — about 12 minutes a year. I can’t even get the freakin’ school to let me meet with students in the beginning of the year to set up my library rules.

The Tigers continue their losing streak and got swept by the Indians. There is no reason for this. I can’t believe they are now dependent on Zach Miner every five days to be the stopper.

Gratitude (3)