I can't help but feel a little cheesy for this, but "Tis the Season" as they say.
As you begin to celebrate Thanksgiving (and a looonggg weekend for those of you in schools), here are things that I am thankful for this year.
1. New Overdrive MISBO consortium collection that adds 2000 fun electronic reading options to our print collections. (They can easily be accessed over the holidays as you're reading this and the library doors are closed.)
2. Invitations to listen to student presentations after I've helped students research a topic all fall.Especially when students thank me for visiting their class!
3. My advisory's willingness to discuss anything that is on their minds, and their respect for the voices of their peers.
4. The beautiful view from my library windows with Spanish moss-draped trees and the bayou in the distance.
5. A dedicated, fun-loving group of Bay Area librarians who can't wait to show off the Tampa Bay area to colleagues around the country this April.
6. Colleagues who are willing to step out of their comfort zone to try blogging with students around the world about current events.
7. Favorite authors writing new books, and the time to read those books while falling asleep each night.
8. Instagram account that showcases all of the roles I have on a daily basis.
9. Renovation and redecoration of the Campus Center Library with more space, new shelving (new books!) and beautiful artwork taken from children's literature
10. A job that allows for continual self-growth and has defined breaks where everyone returns refreshed and ready to begin again on the road to education.
Now eat your turkey or tofurky and be fully present for those in your lives.
Showing posts with label Thank You. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thank You. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Friday, October 31, 2008
Some concluding thoughts...
Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee or tea, relax, and settle in. I know that I’m never short with words on this site, but I believe that this is going to be the longest post. As I’m now flying back to the US, it feels like this is the conclusion to a book. The acknowledgments section is joining in. It's a real party over here. :)
reader interest, it became progressively harder to draft it in Microsoft Word then simply paste into the Blogger site. I also realized that I underestimated the ease of WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) software. I have a new-found respect for people who follow tightly prescribed formatting rules for fonts, type size, picture placement, etc. Frequently, “what I saw” on my compose screen was substantially different from “what I got” in the preview window. Some days, more time was spent on formatting than content. I’ve also learned that you see the world around you differently when you have an “audience.” I don’t know how many conversations among JFMF participants began, “Wait until the people on my blog read about this…” I also had this in the back of my mind, which was perfect for this trip, an educational venture. At the same time, I can see how documenting your life and your thoughts becomes an exercise in narcissism and self-promotion. I think it feeds into these tendencies, and also keeps people from experiencing the moment they’re in.
So, my (unsolicited) advice to you is two-fold. 1. Don’t embrace something just because it’s new. 2. Don’t fear some
thing just because it’s new. Simply being new isn’t a value judgment; new things aren’t in and of themselves dangerous or safe, worthwhile or worthless, good or bad. If you come across something that interests you, take the time to learn about it and decide for yourself if it’s worth your time. Before this trip, I had never blogged, and before October 15th, I had never commented on anyone else’s blog. (Yes, I actually prefer to lurk in the background of blog reading...) As much as I’m going to miss recording my experiences (and the experiences themselves), I’m very much looking forward to a computer-free weekend with my husband and parents when I return. Then, I’ll be back on track and tech-friendly Monday morning. I will be writing a few more posts and encouraging a few more caption contests.
One last paragraph before I step off my soapbox. (Ah the perils of a captive audience---oh wait, you're free to skip ahead or stop reading anytime I’m boring you.) I’m relatively certain that I’m the youngest person on this trip. That’s probably because the application a
sked for applicants who’d been teaching 2 or more years. In my application, I was honest about my lack of teaching experience. I said that I was new to my job but that I loved it and was planning on spending many years in school libraries. I also said that I brought the enthusiasm of a student, one who’d been working in graduate school for two years so she’d be able to have the job she had just begun. Thank goodness I didn’t let the “requirement” stand in my way; after this year, there’s no more JFMF. (Which is a huge loss to teachers and students across the United States!) As the Japanese like to say to their students, “Find your purpose, find your heart.” Whatever it may be, as Thoreau said, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.” For me, as a travel opportunity and an educational experience, this opportunity was priceless. (Although it's amazing how the incidentals on an 'all-expenses paid trip still add up quickly!) Personally, I value travel highly, and I am so glad that I spent this summer traveling the states. There were at least 2 attendees from each state, and I felt like I had a logical starting point for conversation when I knew something about their hometowns. You live in Champaign; I ate in a great restaurant there. You went to grad school at Berkeley; on the Fourth of July, I was playing wiffleball near the campus. Wisconsin? I just mail ordered apples from there. I understand that not everyone values travel the way that I do, and that's fine. I just encourage everyone to try to surround themselves with things and people that make them happy and fulfill them.
his professional development opportunity and allowing me to miss classes for most of the month of October. I will definitely utilize what I’ve learned. Thank you Tech Office, Mrs. Potwin, Library Monitors, Mrs. Bermudez, and Mr. Whelan for keeping the library running at base level while I’m away. Thank you Ms. Heap for the promotional hoopla you’re so excellent at. Thank you to everyone who offered advice about Japan and overseas travel, especially Mr. Yanelli, Mr. Moran, Ms. Spector, and Mr. Whelan. I have an adapter and lots of related reading thanks to you. Thanks to everyone who wanted to collaborate on a lesson about Japan or who sent me on an information-finding scavenger hunt throughout my stay.
One of my personal goals for my role in the school involves increased collaboration between classroom teachers and me, and I think JFMF is going to prove very productive in helping me work towards that goal. I’m also grateful to the JFMF selection committee, the trip organizers, the other teachers who taught me how education “really works” in much of America, and the Japanese government for allowing access to government officials and schools and for supporting me in a style way above my means. And, last but not least, thank you to everyone who read my blog and shared in th
is experience with me. I didn’t know any other participants when I stepped off the plane, but I never felt like I was out of the thoughts of my family, friends, and colleagues back in the states. Despite being an ocean away, I felt like this trip brought me closer (or back in touch!) with many of you.
In some way that’s meaningful to you, embrace the spirit of the Atlas Initiative. Show curiosity and care for the world around you!
(Thank you Karen for the suit. I got so many compliments on it. I kept saying to people that I had nowhere else to where it, and they said it looked like a great 'dinner suit.' I don't know where they go to dinner, but "dinner suit" is not in my vocabulary. I was also told to wear it for my presentation next Friday. It seems just a tad overdressed, but we'll see. I'm considering it...)
Conclusion
After my experience with how much time it takes to craft some sort of writing each day, I’ll never look at serious blogging casually again. Because I encouraged participation, both before I left by soliciting questions people wanted answered about Japanese culture and throughout in the form of comments, the blog was a dynamic medium. Because I was using multimedia formats and responding to 
reader interest, it became progressively harder to draft it in Microsoft Word then simply paste into the Blogger site. I also realized that I underestimated the ease of WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) software. I have a new-found respect for people who follow tightly prescribed formatting rules for fonts, type size, picture placement, etc. Frequently, “what I saw” on my compose screen was substantially different from “what I got” in the preview window. Some days, more time was spent on formatting than content. I’ve also learned that you see the world around you differently when you have an “audience.” I don’t know how many conversations among JFMF participants began, “Wait until the people on my blog read about this…” I also had this in the back of my mind, which was perfect for this trip, an educational venture. At the same time, I can see how documenting your life and your thoughts becomes an exercise in narcissism and self-promotion. I think it feeds into these tendencies, and also keeps people from experiencing the moment they’re in. So, my (unsolicited) advice to you is two-fold. 1. Don’t embrace something just because it’s new. 2. Don’t fear some
thing just because it’s new. Simply being new isn’t a value judgment; new things aren’t in and of themselves dangerous or safe, worthwhile or worthless, good or bad. If you come across something that interests you, take the time to learn about it and decide for yourself if it’s worth your time. Before this trip, I had never blogged, and before October 15th, I had never commented on anyone else’s blog. (Yes, I actually prefer to lurk in the background of blog reading...) As much as I’m going to miss recording my experiences (and the experiences themselves), I’m very much looking forward to a computer-free weekend with my husband and parents when I return. Then, I’ll be back on track and tech-friendly Monday morning. I will be writing a few more posts and encouraging a few more caption contests.One last paragraph before I step off my soapbox. (Ah the perils of a captive audience---oh wait, you're free to skip ahead or stop reading anytime I’m boring you.) I’m relatively certain that I’m the youngest person on this trip. That’s probably because the application a
sked for applicants who’d been teaching 2 or more years. In my application, I was honest about my lack of teaching experience. I said that I was new to my job but that I loved it and was planning on spending many years in school libraries. I also said that I brought the enthusiasm of a student, one who’d been working in graduate school for two years so she’d be able to have the job she had just begun. Thank goodness I didn’t let the “requirement” stand in my way; after this year, there’s no more JFMF. (Which is a huge loss to teachers and students across the United States!) As the Japanese like to say to their students, “Find your purpose, find your heart.” Whatever it may be, as Thoreau said, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.” For me, as a travel opportunity and an educational experience, this opportunity was priceless. (Although it's amazing how the incidentals on an 'all-expenses paid trip still add up quickly!) Personally, I value travel highly, and I am so glad that I spent this summer traveling the states. There were at least 2 attendees from each state, and I felt like I had a logical starting point for conversation when I knew something about their hometowns. You live in Champaign; I ate in a great restaurant there. You went to grad school at Berkeley; on the Fourth of July, I was playing wiffleball near the campus. Wisconsin? I just mail ordered apples from there. I understand that not everyone values travel the way that I do, and that's fine. I just encourage everyone to try to surround themselves with things and people that make them happy and fulfill them.Acknowledgments
And now I’m down from the soapbox conclusion and ready for acknowledgments. Thank you Mrs. Klein for sending the initial email last fall. Without you, I never would have heard about JFMF. Thank you Mr. Snodgress, Mr.Lisk, and Ms. Gunst for recommending me. Whatever you wrote must have been great. Thank you Mrs. Orr for proofreading my application. I know that lots of people take advantage of your proofreading skills. Thank you Mrs. Pullen, Mr. Snodgress, Mrs. Wolcott, and Dr. Watts for supporting t
his professional development opportunity and allowing me to miss classes for most of the month of October. I will definitely utilize what I’ve learned. Thank you Tech Office, Mrs. Potwin, Library Monitors, Mrs. Bermudez, and Mr. Whelan for keeping the library running at base level while I’m away. Thank you Ms. Heap for the promotional hoopla you’re so excellent at. Thank you to everyone who offered advice about Japan and overseas travel, especially Mr. Yanelli, Mr. Moran, Ms. Spector, and Mr. Whelan. I have an adapter and lots of related reading thanks to you. Thanks to everyone who wanted to collaborate on a lesson about Japan or who sent me on an information-finding scavenger hunt throughout my stay.One of my personal goals for my role in the school involves increased collaboration between classroom teachers and me, and I think JFMF is going to prove very productive in helping me work towards that goal. I’m also grateful to the JFMF selection committee, the trip organizers, the other teachers who taught me how education “really works” in much of America, and the Japanese government for allowing access to government officials and schools and for supporting me in a style way above my means. And, last but not least, thank you to everyone who read my blog and shared in th
is experience with me. I didn’t know any other participants when I stepped off the plane, but I never felt like I was out of the thoughts of my family, friends, and colleagues back in the states. Despite being an ocean away, I felt like this trip brought me closer (or back in touch!) with many of you.In some way that’s meaningful to you, embrace the spirit of the Atlas Initiative. Show curiosity and care for the world around you!
(Thank you Karen for the suit. I got so many compliments on it. I kept saying to people that I had nowhere else to where it, and they said it looked like a great 'dinner suit.' I don't know where they go to dinner, but "dinner suit" is not in my vocabulary. I was also told to wear it for my presentation next Friday. It seems just a tad overdressed, but we'll see. I'm considering it...)
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