Libraries...

This has been an unusual year. I started the year off setting up my library. Its been wonderful not being in rotation. I hated having 40 kids at a time and not having any time to help any of them individually. I even have their teachers in the library with me as well.

I think that is why I was so thrown when I heard they wanted to move all elementary librarians down to 1/2 time. 90% of the time I am the last teacher to leave the building...around 6:30 in the evening... and I leave a pile of work unfinished. All they see is that I check books in, check books out, and read books to the students. Who do they think creates the catalog of books, who organizes the catalog, who researches what books to buy, who creates the orders, who creates a barcode, prints it and puts it on the book exactly one inch from the top of the book, who creates the spine lable and puts it on the spine of a book exactly 1 1/2 inch from the bottom of the book, who puts mylar covers on hardback books, who tapes paperback books, who comes up with creative little displays to entice readers, who plans the lessons, who looks at what the teachers are teaching and makes sure the library can supplement that subject? The list goes on and on...and all of this has to be done OUTSIDE of school hours, because the students are there the other times.

So I am supposed to complete the same amount of work in 1/2 the time. Because not one person has said...Don't worry, you won't have to do ____ anymore. I think it is sad. I know its sappy but I truly believe that if a kid can read and has access to a library, they can learn to do ANYTHING they want to and if that isn't the 1st Amendment in the flesh, then I don't know what is.

You might wonder how it all happened. Well, the school district is in a recession, just like the rest of the country. So they gathered a list together and came up with a list of 10 ideas they could "do" in order to save the district money. We were number 4. LIBRARIES are the 4th least important thing to the district. No one is getting raises...fine with that. They are going to mow the school yards every 10 days, rather than every 7 days...I'm fine with that. They are not going to pay the math and language arts reps extra...fine with that, but good luck in finding someone willing to do the job for free. Libraries are number 4.

I suggested we move the a/c up 2 degrees in the warmer months...to 74 degrees and down 2 degrees in the winger months...to 70 degrees. It would allow people to "dress the weather", teach students to be more frugal in their own homes, be environmentally conscious AND save THOUSANDS of dollars at EVERY CAMPUS. I also thought that we should get rid of the Styrofoam lunch trays and plastic spork packages. Again, it would be more "green" and would save a lot of money. What did they say..."it doesn't save money because they would have to hire another person for dishes. SERIOUSLY??? I looked into these little spork packages. They have a napkin, a spoon and a fork with a nice wasteful plastic wrapper. An SISD emblem is on the wrapper as well. These packages cost .17 cents each. SERIOUSLY! We have 700 students and they virtually all get their lunch here. 87% of them get it for free or close to it. They can't hire someone for less than that savings...and lets not get into the Styrofoam treys.

It just goes to show you...books, literacy, and the ability to have access to both for free isn't as important as people in education would have you believe. Please pray for our libraries.