Welcome to The Book Life!
Hello! I'm Anne, and I'm so excited to share my experiences with you. This school year was my first year working as a library assistant at an elementary school in Oak Park, Illinois. I have learned a ton about collection management, book processing and repair, genrefication, Destiny Discover, Osmos, displays, and book care. The best part of my job is reader's advisory and helping kids discover books that they love! Prior to this school year, I worked as a middle school and high school English teacher for 17 years. I'm looking forward to using my teaching experience and love of literature in my future role!
About Me
I live in a western suburb of Chicago with my husband and two boys. I have become addicted to weight training in the past year, which I never in a million years thought I would say. LOL. I also find joy in adventuring in the outdoors and exploring new places with my family because it is very meditative for me.
One place that I love to visit in the summertime is Lake Okoboji in Iowa--I have traveled there nearly every year with my family for the past 5 decades! For me, summer is all about lounging around and in the lake, and it really holds some of my very favorite memories. One thing that I have learned from travel is that it changes my perspective about life as I learn about new peoples and cultures. I recently finished the Young Adult Literature course at Dominican, which is one of the best classes I have ever taken. I love reading non-fiction, especially memoirs, and YA literature of all types. One YA book I read recently is I Will Always Write Back by Caitlyn Alifirenka and Martin Ganda--I prefer reading the good old paper books rather than on device. However, I do like audio books for long road trips, and they are excellent for students who are struggling readers.
(Image Source: GIF)
Technology
I’m new to blogging, but I’m delighted to learn about writing blog posts (just like this Harry Styles song makes me smile) because this is a useful work skill. I have used a ton of different kinds of technology throughout my teaching career, and I enjoy how it makes my work more efficient. Some of my favorite digital tools that I have used in the classroom are Schoology, Padlet, Seesaw, Flipgrid, Peardeck, Gimkit, BreakoutEdu, and EDpuzzle. In 2012, I piloted the 1:1 iPad program with my team in the middle school where I integrated the iPads into my daily lesson plans. Personally, I use technology mostly for communicating with friends and family, reading, writing, and learning new things.
Great to meet you, Anne! I imagine the elementary setting is a nice change of pace after middle and high school teaching. The weight training tidbit is fun. I, too, weight train! Thanks, as well, for the tip about the lake in Iowa. My daughter goes to Iowa State so while this is still a bit far for her I'll have to let her know about the area. I have one question and one comment for you. My question: you mentioned the Young Adult Literature course was a great course for you. What made it so impactful? Was it the content or course design and activities? Finally, you mentioned limiting your social media use because it doesn't benefit you in any way. We'll spend some time exploring professional learning networks via social media so I'll be curious to see if this comment still applies after our time ends. Looking forward to learning with you.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole and nice to meet you too! I think the best part about the YA Lit class was the content and the group of people in the class. There was such a wide range of personalities and backgrounds that it made the class so engaging. We met weekly on Zoom and talked about books, which was phenomenal. It really felt like our own little community!
DeleteHi Anne! I would never have guessed that you are new to blogging...it looks great and reads so well! I love that you have a place that is a tradition to visit in your family. I bet you have a lot of wonderful memories and photos to cherish.
ReplyDeleteIntegrating the iPads into your lesson plans sounds wonderful!
Like you, one of my favorite things to do is find a book that a child loves!
Do you think you will stay with the elementary age group after your teaching experience and having loved the YA course?
Hi Carol, Thank you! My heart is really at the middle school level. I think these opportunities are rare.....so we'll se what happens!
DeleteHi Anne! I loved your intro and it looks great. I have used flipgrid and have heard about the uses for padlet and etc. There is so many apps to learn from and apply to blogs.
ReplyDeleteHi and thank you! Yes, the educational technology is really fun to learn and use with kids in the classroom. I love reading other people's blogs, and it's pretty fun to write my own!
DeleteYour summer vacations sound positively idyllic Anne! I can't think of anything better than hanging out at a lake, book in hand, with my favorite people in the world. I can see why you return year after year. I'm jealous that you are already working in a school library. I'd love to hear your story sometime about why you became a teacher. I always find those stories interesting. I also try and limit my time on social media. I find that there is not much positivity that comes from scrolling though Facebook and Twitter for hours.
ReplyDeleteHa! I totally agree....I need to surround myself with the positive! Happy to chat about teaching and school libraries!
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