Best books for holiday gifts?

I am preparing to write an article for my school newsletter listing some "must" book purchases for households.  Beyond the regular, good dictionary, classics, I would like to suggest a few great destined to become classics titles.  I am considering "Ruth and the Green Book" by Calvin A. Ramsey, this is a very thought-provoking text about what it was like to travel during the days of segregation, and  "Chalk" by Bill Thomson, an amazing wordless picture book that elicits a great response from students.  Do you have any titles you would add to this list?  Maybe we can create a list we can all share!

Is my job getting in the way of my real work?

Ever tried not doing your job for a few days and just be an available presence in your library?  Last week, I did just that.  The bookfair had been scheduled for the media center but at the last minute it was moved to an empty classroom; so I had not planned with any teachers for this week.  Instead of rapidly filling my time, I decided to just "be" in the library and see what happened.  What a great week!  I had time to talk with students about what they were reading, what their projects were, and what they liked about the library.  Because I was in the library by myself, my assistant was in the bookfair madness, I asked students for their help on various things that came up, and they were so glad to help!  They were thrilled with the time for a one on one conversation with me, excited to be given trust and responsibility, and the week was a joyful one!  I made movies with  Pixie, edited narratives, searched for websites, and read books. Now I know I can't just abandon my work, but I will make time to just be; it is too important not to be too busy to spend quality time with students.  Now I remember why I went into this line of work!

Thankful for books even more than for pumpkin pie!

In light of the season, I am thinking of all my reasons to give thanks. There are so many this may take a few posts.

• First of all, I am thankful for having a job that I love.  Putting books into the hands of students and having them come back to say it was the best book ever ~ what other career rivals this? 
• I am thankful that my teachers are wonderful people who want the best for their students and love to plan with me to create lessons to engage students in learning.
• I am thankful for the amazing books being published right now, and that I can have access to them.
• I am thankful for my colleagues and friends across the country that I have gained because of professional organizations that have allowed me to meet others with like interests.

My hopes for the coming weeks:

• A room full of new books to read.
• A snow week to read them all!
• A fireplace, cozy chair, and hot chocolate for the proper atmosphere.
• Friends snowbound with me.

What are you thankful for?  I would love to know.

Where does the time go?

November, Really??  We are into our third month of school, and what have I done to positively impact student achievement.  This is a time for some reflection; I have assessed my students with the TRAILs, but have I used the data to plan with teachers?  When I do plan with teachers, am I making sure that the library skills are included in the unit?  Am I moving to be involved throughout the project, not just the research phase?  Do my teaching colleagues feel the library services I provide are invaluable?  These are all issues I must keep on the forefront of my thinking while I am instilling upon my students the 21st century skills they need to thrive.
How about you?  Do you continue to reflect on what you are doing, and why?