This week has been bananas, and I'm taking some much-needed time to pause and reflect today.
We've been making arrangements for Robert's grandma, Carolyne, which has been tough, but I also think it's been cathartic for Robert and his mom, Audrey. We've had some family time with extended family, which has been nice. Heck, we even played Apples to Apples last night, which Robert and I haven't done in years. Games that involve more than two people have completely gone out the window since the pandemic.
It was also one of the craziest work weeks I've had in a long time. Though I tried to schedule booktalks at a local middle school during a different week, it just couldn't happen due to scheduling.
So that's how I started the week. I thought they went really well. We had some engaged kids and two of the five classes were super into reading for personal pleasure. The teacher also did something really cool that I haven't seen at booktalks before. She gave each class some time at the end of our presentation to come up and look at the books we brought and ask questions. As an introvert, I totally respected this and saw more kids write down titles at the end than they did during the booktalk. I've been wondering if there's a way to incorporate this idea into future booktalks.
There were also moments when I recognized my own awkwardness and saw that the kids noticed it too. The teacher also brought out a microphone, which was a first for me. I thought I was projecting enough and though I'm in my thirties, I felt some embarrassment when she asked us to use it.
I have really good days where I feel connected to the world, and I have days where I awkwardly stumble through my interactions. Whether it's a good day or an awkward day, 90% of the time I am wholeheartedly enthusiastic. When I told Robert the booktalks went really well, but I was also struggling with the awkwardness and felt embarrassment about the microphone, he said something that has really stuck with me. He said, "Don't undervalue your enthusiasm."
I am not one for pep talks in the mirror, but anytime I felt inferior or I wasn't the best person for whatever task/program I was doing this past week, I thought about what Robert said. And it helped me fluff up just enough to keep going, even when my voice was stuck in my throat or I was (enthusiastically) singing the wrong lyrics to a new storytime song.
And my life isn't about focusing on my moments of blunder. Really, if I take a breath and pause, I can usually remind myself why I'm here, which is to observe and soak up the beauty of others. And the reminders were everywhere this week!
I can't tell you how many times I've been inspired this week, but it's completely overwhelmed me a few times.
This past week was also our first week for winter/spring programming. We took a three-week break over the holidays. This week was my first winter/spring storytime and my first ever in-person book club, which was a tween book club. Bananas!
As always, the first storytimes had a lot of ups and downs. Though it was only a three-week break, it gave me an opportunity to reevaluate my storytime plan, and I made a few changes. I practiced those changes any time I had 15 minutes to spare (and even gave up some of my precious reading time), and I still made a couple mistakes. That was tough for me, but the mistakes were small and patrons were still ecstatic and having a great time. The good news is that the plan worked. Unlike most past storytime plans, I won't be making any changes for next week. I nailed it. I love it when hard work pays off and I've also been observant enough to figure out what kind of hard work I need to embrace.
Here is my plan with the things I changed since last season highlighted. If anyone wants specifics, just let me know.
Hello song: Good morning to you (to the tune of Happy Birthday). It's different than fall, but just as easy, and there's still an option to sing names if kids want to.
Wake Up song. This is a quick song to sing about waking up different parts of ourselves without getting too crazy, and kids can help me pick out what we wake up (hands, feet, etc.).
Book #1
Fun but not-too-crazy activity relating to our book theme each week.
Quieting Down Meditation (only if the activity ended up being crazier than I realized)
Book #2
Shaker Eggs/Scarves or the Parachute (if there aren't any babies on the floor or older patrons who've worked hard to get comfortable or are sitting in a chair)
Two Songs with Shaker Eggs/Scarves/Parachute
Quiet Song
Book #3 (if we have time)
Goodbye Rhyme Magnetic Board Activity (if it's not too crazy and I have older kids who can be helpers)
Goodbye Song: The Goodbye Train is Leaving (to the tune of She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain). This will be a hit once we get it down.
Stamps (I forgot to do stamps after my first session, and it's surprisingly one of the best ways to engage with patrons)
I also had a parent who took what I said a couple times during storytime and said it in a better way to her toddler. I learn something new every day at work, and sometimes the things I learn impact others even more than myself. For example, when I asked the kids to cross their arms and hold the parachute, this parent said, "crisscross." Simple! Obvious! Wonderful! Another time, when I asked the kids to gently toss their balls onto the parachute, the same parent told her toddler to "roll the ball onto the parachute." Oh man, was I taking notes! After storytime, I asked myself, "how do you still not know all these things?!?" And then I remembered what Robert said about undervaluing my enthusiasm, and I felt comforted by that.
I also had my first tween book club this past week! It was on the day of the first long and inspirational selection meeting for the library's teen literary magazine. The meeting was a little long for me, but not for the teen editors who are the decision makers for the magazine, from everything to the content that goes into the magazine to how the magazine looks.
This is my first year on this committee, so I am definitely getting more out of it than I am contributing to it. The teen editors for the magazine are thoughtful, articulate, and passionate about their roles. They looked through the first two hundred submissions and plucked out the first 20ish acceptances. We have another meeting where they will pluck out another 30 or so from 200-300 submissions. It's incredible to watch them present a poem they think should go into the magazine, explain why, and listen to the comments from other editors.
What the heck was I doing during this meeting? Inexpertly helping with the Submittable side of things along with three seasoned staff members who have been very patient with me while I learn Submittable and all the ins and outs of providing support for the teens. I left that meeting feeling so jazzed up about life and headed directly to tween book club.
And I was blown away again. I had seven tweens, 9-12, and we started the first tween book club by talking about favorite books we wanted to share (rather than discussing a book). I wasn't sure about this book tasting idea. I thought for sure I was going to be the only one talking the whole time, but I was so wrong! These kids were so excited about reading and had much to share. And they also had much to say about each other's books.
When we started working on an acrostic poem activity with a favorite book title, they did not silently work on their own poems. Oh no, not this talkative bunch. They jumped in and helped each other out. The only staff involvement on my part was making sure everyone was heard. And surprisingly enough, they asked me questions too every now and then. I'm always impressed when kids do this. It's a skill that some adults I know struggle with. But when they started talking about their pets, for example, they not only asked me about mine, but also what kind of dogs I have. Amazing, right? I'll admit it - I was nervous about this book group, mostly that no one would show up and if anyone did, they would be super quiet. I'm thrilled I was wrong. My plan for the tween book club was to have it divided up into a discussion and craft/activity to go along with the discussion. I think these kids could spend the whole hour talking about books though!
Here is a picture of the books we talked about. One of our teen volunteers helped me set up the room and run the first part of the book club. She's a super shy teen volunteer, but she did a great job. Eventually the kids took over the board where the teen volunteer was carefully writing down titles.
So, crazy week, right? Well, I have one more thing to throw at you. I haven't said anything because of my fear of failure, but I started graduate school last week too. Holy shit, right? It doesn't officially start until next Wednesday, but I had an orientation and all my coursework dropped, which meant we could start working on it. I haven't been in school in over ten years, and as much as I help patrons with their computer needs, I am sometimes hopeless with my own.
Thankfully, I chose to only take 5 credit hours this semester so I can ease back into the school mindset without drowning *crossing fingers*. I don't have a focus, which is one of the reasons I chose the school where I'm getting my degree. They don't require it. My plan is to take whatever electives look interesting. One of my electives this spring is time management (LOL 💩😂) .
I also don't have any plan to change my current job. This may sound like a lack of ambition, but it's contentment. I have crazy weeks, but I love the holy heck out of my work and life. Kind of a weird but good time to toss something else onto the fire, huh? If I get this degree, I will have options and we never know what paths our lives our going to take.
This morning I finished up my first assignment and submitted it. It is also my day off, so I am pausing to reflect, and not let all the wonderful (though sometimes stressful) moments of the week pass me by. Most of the beauty, as it so often happens for me, came from observing others in their moments of grace, composure, cleverness, and thoughtfulness. Being in a position where the door to inspiration and beauty is always open is not something I ever take for granted.
I race home to share it with Robert, and I also want to share it with the world and myself. Especially on those awkward days where I'm enthusiastically bumbling my way through life.
No comments:
Post a Comment