I was just about to close up the library

Monday, January 9, 2023

I was off to elementary school to be the media specialist today. I went to an elementary school I have never been to – I had to listen to the map lady tell me how to get there. I have been through the intersection two blocks away many times, having no idea there was a school tucked off to the side.

With one exception, I had fantastic classes. Like, WOW! fantastic. In my one third grade group, there were two tables of 5 students each playing with Legos. One kid went to the other table with a tiny Lego popsicle and politely asked if that group would be willing to trade a watermelon slice for the popsicle. The five kids at that table looked at each. One kid asked, “Does anyone plan on using the watermelon.” Everyone shook their heads, and it was decided the trade could be made. When it was time to clean up, they all refilled the bins of whatever supplies they had been using, and even checked all over, including on the floor, to make sure their clean-up was complete.

The next group was 4th graders. They threw all the supplies at each other, knocked over other peoples’ buildings, kicked each other, pushed each other, and were generally awful.

Huh. Same instructions. Same supplies. Really different interactions. Sad.

I ended the day with an adorable group of 1st graders. All of the groups sat on the alphabet rug for story time, and one person had the square T with a picture of a turtle. I said I had recently been frightened by a tortoise, and of course, they wanted to hear the story. I explained about my not-very-honest-grown-up-as-old-as-your-dad son who tried to trick me into climbing into a tunnel to come face to face with a tortoise. There were 40 wide eyes just staring at me, listening to every syllable I uttered. They burst into joyous laughter when I said the tortoise waved at me and were filled with glee telling me a tortoise really wouldn’t hurt me, and it wouldn’t chase me, because it would go very slowly.

I read a story by John Rocco about a blizzard in New England that dumped 40 inches of snow in two days in 1978. He was the only one in his family (at 10 years old) who was light enough to attach tennis rackets to his feet and walk more than a mile to the store to get supplies when the plows did not come for 6 days. I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone was out with tennis rackets in the Buffalo area during the past couple months, with their 6 feet of snow – twice. It was a perfect choice, and I was so, so, so grateful to my friend, Michelle, the regular media specialist for choosing it for me to read (just to the K-2s).

Then I switched schools. I only had two groups at the second school, both 5th graders. The first group was not my favorite. Their job was to make a Google slide show about their winter break. There was a lot of noise, a lot of saying they had met Joe Biren (apparently a popular alternative spelling of the president’s name), and a lot of not doing what they were supposed to do. Second group was great. One kid went to Universal, and we talked about roller coasters. He used a picture of the Velocicoaster – I asked how he liked it. He said he didn’t go, because he doesn’t like roller coasters. Huh. I stopped by to chat with another kid who said he’d gone to New York. I said he couldn’t leave me hanging like that – he had to tell me something he had done in New York. He added, I went to the Philharmonic. What?! You went to see the New York Philharmonic?! He sighed. Yeah, my cousin directs it. Well, now. That is interesting, isn’t it?

I’m back for three more days, as my friend visits her mom (recently home from the hospital). Give her mom your best thoughts. I am very much looking forward to tomorrow.