The colours are perfect! Look, bird houses, and subtle pink birds, and tree trunks! Squeee!
Guesses in the comments welcome! (I'll answer, and show you, soon...)
Cheers
Ruth
Sunday, February 6, 2011
GIFSL teaser: what's this for?
The colours are perfect! Look, bird houses, and subtle pink birds, and tree trunks! Squeee!
Guesses in the comments welcome! (I'll answer, and show you, soon...)
Cheers
Ruth
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Rap: I'm reading a book
Forwarded to me by one of the senior executive at my school:
Find it here if the above doesn't work for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuRuwR2JSXI
Which I'm sure I'll find an opportunity to show!
Cheers
Ruth
Find it here if the above doesn't work for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuRuwR2JSXI
Which I'm sure I'll find an opportunity to show!
Cheers
Ruth
Hunger Games film news
The Hunger Games and its two sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay (how often was I asked for this before it came out???? - a gazillion times!), are rarely on our shelves, and when they are, their thumped and thumbed appearance (we have multiple copies) shows the popularity of this trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
Don't hold your breath just yet, but a film of the first book is in production. Release date for the movie is 2013. The director is Gary Ross, who directed Pleasantville, one of my favourite films. There's a bit more news about the film here from the Wall St Journal, and this is the IMDB page for The Hunger Games.
Think I might put the WSJ article in my wall cupboard, to alert the kids.
Cheers
Ruth
Don't hold your breath just yet, but a film of the first book is in production. Release date for the movie is 2013. The director is Gary Ross, who directed Pleasantville, one of my favourite films. There's a bit more news about the film here from the Wall St Journal, and this is the IMDB page for The Hunger Games.
Think I might put the WSJ article in my wall cupboard, to alert the kids.
Cheers
Ruth
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Measuring your use of time
Toddling about the internet, collecting resources and ideas for the senior study skills program, I came across this article: "I shipped in 2010 - you can too" by Doug Johnson on his Blue Skunk blog. While his main focus is on the extras he did related to his work, such as conference presentations, papers and articles, one sentence jumped out at me for its use with students.
I personally measure my days not whether they were happy or unhappy, but whether they were productive or unproductive.
One aspect of my work as a teacher is talking with students about their work. They sit in my office and tell me their successes, failures, concerns. Sometimes, tissues are involved. It's always been part of my work, not only through mentoring programs etc but also just because I'm findable, there, a listening ear. Thinking over what they say, often enough it is about happiness - "I feel terrible" "Nothing is working" etc - stuff related to feelings/emotions.
The rest of the paragraph reads like this:
Did I have a fruitful conversation or meeting? Did I get something finished? Did I write something worth sharing? Did I read something challenging? Did I do an hour's worth of physical activity? Did I clean up a mess, revise an article, or organize something for the future? Did I do something that made my own life or someone else's just a tad better?
Looking at this idea, it's one I plan to try with students, and see how it can be worked into the study skills program, too. Refocusing from emotions (so much trickier to wrangle) to more measurable activities/achievements that can be done/replicated and from which positive feelings can flow seems like a useful idea to play with. I'm not saying that feelings aren't important, but rather that this is a way to get from the tissues/tears/frustrations/sense of impotence/being stuck that some of those students have when they plonk themselves in a chair in my office, and help them onwards. From a study skills program perspective, it also points a way from the emotional to the measurable, helping students to progress.
Cheers
Ruth
I personally measure my days not whether they were happy or unhappy, but whether they were productive or unproductive.
One aspect of my work as a teacher is talking with students about their work. They sit in my office and tell me their successes, failures, concerns. Sometimes, tissues are involved. It's always been part of my work, not only through mentoring programs etc but also just because I'm findable, there, a listening ear. Thinking over what they say, often enough it is about happiness - "I feel terrible" "Nothing is working" etc - stuff related to feelings/emotions.
The rest of the paragraph reads like this:
Did I have a fruitful conversation or meeting? Did I get something finished? Did I write something worth sharing? Did I read something challenging? Did I do an hour's worth of physical activity? Did I clean up a mess, revise an article, or organize something for the future? Did I do something that made my own life or someone else's just a tad better?
Looking at this idea, it's one I plan to try with students, and see how it can be worked into the study skills program, too. Refocusing from emotions (so much trickier to wrangle) to more measurable activities/achievements that can be done/replicated and from which positive feelings can flow seems like a useful idea to play with. I'm not saying that feelings aren't important, but rather that this is a way to get from the tissues/tears/frustrations/sense of impotence/being stuck that some of those students have when they plonk themselves in a chair in my office, and help them onwards. From a study skills program perspective, it also points a way from the emotional to the measurable, helping students to progress.
Cheers
Ruth
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Valentine's Day ideas for your library
Click on the link below for some Valentine's day ideas from our library in words and pictures. I like Valentine's as a start of year theme because it's friendly and happy for our new kids (esp. Year 7). Our SRC or Year 12 also use it for fundraising, so our displays support/promote that too.
The banners are back,
the posters are up (printed on reds and pinks this year),
our entrance ceiling is awash with hearts
and the bookmarks are going out the door with every loan.
I have some pink heart-shaped post-it notes and ideas about using them...more on that another time. Oh, and our bookcase is loaded up with pinks and reds (which includes adventure books and so forth, not just love stories or girl-oriented stories).
Read all about these ideas at the links you'll find here: http://skerricks.blogspot.com/search?q=valentine
Cheers
Ruth
The banners are back,
the posters are up (printed on reds and pinks this year),
 |
| Please note this is my original and copyright wording. You're welcome to use it in your library, but it's not for commercial use. Copyright © Ruth Buchanan 2009. |
Read all about these ideas at the links you'll find here: http://skerricks.blogspot.com/search?q=valentine
Cheers
Ruth
Outfitting a teacher librarian for the 21st century
If yesterday's blog entry was lowering to your spirits, here's an alternative view: Joyce Valenza on the skills needed by a teacher librarian in the 21st century:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/888448-312/fully_loaded_outfitting_a_teacher.html.csp
Always handy, lists like these, so you can give yourself pats on the back for the stuff you know and new directions to explore in the things you haven't yet tried. Doesn't just apply to teacher librarians either, but all teachers...
Cheers
Ruth
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/888448-312/fully_loaded_outfitting_a_teacher.html.csp
Always handy, lists like these, so you can give yourself pats on the back for the stuff you know and new directions to explore in the things you haven't yet tried. Doesn't just apply to teacher librarians either, but all teachers...
Cheers
Ruth
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