Friday is the tenth annual World Read Aloud Day! Each year the past few years I want to do something for WRAD, and each year it has passed me by. Not this year! I was determined to make something work.
So I started brainstorming, I don't have a ton of time or resources, but what can I do? Planning a school wide event? Not enough notice/time. Read to the classes that happen to be in the library that day? Not the reach I want. Spreading the word and encouraging teachers to participate in their rooms? I want to be involved...hmmm.... But then I got an idea to "check out" the librarian for the day. (Sidenote - I'm guessing this isn't an original idea and that others have done it, but it was a new idea to me, and I was excited!) I went over to SignUpGenius and made a sign up. (I have a free account. If you haven't noticed with me yet, I typically have free accounts unless it's something provided by my school or a library. I'm frugal, and typically the free version of things do enough that I need. If not, I find another tool that does.)
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I think I first heard about Multicultural Children's Book Day last winter, but I was too late to sign up as a book reviewer, so when I saw the posts on social media this fall I knew I had to jump in and be a part of this and signed up as fast as my fingers could type. I love books, and I'm constantly seeking out diverse books for myself to read and for the school library, so this was a natural fit. Based off of your grade level and preferences, they match you up with an author or publisher to send you a new multicultural children's book. Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace sent me the beautiful book below that was illustrated by Agata Nowikca and published by Little, Brown and Company in 2018. But before I dive into the book, I want to share a bit about Multicultural Children's Book Day.
My one word for 2019 is REFOCUS. I need to refocus my goals. I need to refocus my time and attention on those goals.
In the library, I plan to work on streamlining daily/weekly tasks and finding ways to carve more time into those large, time consuming, lofty, but very necessary and important to me goals. Personally, I need to refocus on getting back to the basics and redeveloping good habits/routines to help me rebalance (i.e. changing bedtime routine & establishing a bedtime). Professionally, I think that last year I went on a bit overkill on the PD (professional development - i.e. conferences, webinars, non-fiction books, trainings) I was intaking, which I found can eventually wear you out and make it harder to put what you're learning into action. This year I want to be more intentional about what PD I'm choosing to spend time on. (In my mind, almost all PD is good PD, but I need to not burn myself out on it. So as I go back to look at my goals, that will direct me to what PD I should seek out.) |