Reflections of a Retired Elementary School Librarian

I'm sure that I'm not the only person pausing to reflect on things this month. The thoughts in my head are swirling so chaotically that I decided to write them down. I feel like Albus Dumbledore, wanting to pull those filmy thoughts and memories from my head to store in my own Pensieve, where I can return to them later and try to distinguish any patterns. For now, this blog will have to serve that purpose.

It has been 10 years since I discovered my true passion in life. Well, related to work, anyway. In January of 2011, I began a new position for the Montrose County School District in Colorado. I became an elementary school librarian. I was terrified. The job came to me in a very unexpected way. Just one month earlier, my principal had called me in to tell me that the district would be eliminating my current position (classroom para) at the end of the school year. We both got teary, and she explained that I had a couple of options. I could stay with them until the end of the school year, and wait to see what options would be available to me at that point. OR I could apply for the librarian position at another school, because their librarian was retiring at the semester break. The job posting was closing that very day. 

The choice was pretty clear. I applied for the position with my principal's blessing, turned in my paperwork, and then I interviewed for it a week later. Next thing I knew, Christmas break was near, and I was making emergency plans to fly to Ft. Worth, TX, where my oldest daughter had just delivered a 3 lb., 4 oz. baby girl, 7 weeks early. I spent the entire break in TX, spending every day with her and the baby in the NICU. While I was there, I got a call offering me the librarian job. I accepted.

January arrived. I flew home, took a deep breath, and went to the new school and new job on the teacher workday that began the new semester. I had no idea how to use the library system for checking in/out books, and I only knew one person in the whole building. I had that one day to receive a crash course in library management from the district rep, and I was thrown out of the frying pan into the fire.

I loved it. I loved getting to know every kid in the building. I loved creating lesson plans that were fun and engaging. I loved helping the children discover books. I learned how to run the spring and fall bookfairs, which were hugely successful. I loved hosting the pumpkin decorating contests in October, and the canned food drives in December. We watched videos that were inspired by books. Every spring, during standardized testing season, the upper grades and I spent 3 weeks watching "Holes"....and discussing foreshadowing, character development, and comparing the events portrayed in the movie to the way they evolved in the book. Every January, we began to read the nominees for the Colorado Children's Book Award, and voted as a student body, sending our results to Denver for the final tally in March. We played trivia tic-tac-toe, matching games, and did literary crossword puzzles and word searches. Over time, the kids developed several favorite read-a-loud stories, so we would have a week toward the end of the year when we pulled out all the old favorites to reread before the summer. We laughed together, and they saw me cry, too, during our read-aloud time. I did funny voices. And many times, we ended up having some very insightful discussions. I will tell you this now. ALL kids love being read to. From kindergarten to 5th grade, they love it. The older kids won't admit it as readily as the little ones, but they do. 

I held my dream job for 6 1/2 years, until my husband's new employment necessitated a move. I still work for schools, but I am now a special ed para, helping students with reading, writing and math interventions. But, from 2011 until the end of time, in my heart and soul, I am a librarian. It defined me in a way that I had not expected, and it will remain the definition of who I am, following only my roles as wife, mom, and daughter of God.