LOL Librarian

News, it's something that I can remember watching with my parents as a kid. There was one TV in the house and if you wanted to watch it you had to watch what you parents wanted, including the news. As an expat my news viewing habits are continually in flux depending on the country we live in and our ability to access an English news channel. Turning on the TV and having a wide range of news options is a thing of the past for many expats who live in a country in which they don't speak the language. In Hungary its been a struggle to find a reliable online news source, nevermind a channel on television. Whereas in China we were forever plagued by the Chinese authorities censoring Hong Kong news stations by randomly throwing up a picture of a mountain. CNN or BBC are great resources, but being very global in nature it is sometimes challenging to follow local events in your host city or country. With a movement towards everyone in the house having their own devices, it means familie...

The Dot by Peter Reynolds is a great way to have students think about perseverance, taking risks and reflect upon what their talents are. Internationl Dot Day was an avenue for authentic collaboration with the Art teacher. She showed the video and the students did a fabulous job 'making their mark' in all sorts of dot-tastic ways. Student work was shown off with a dot explosion in the front entrance of our school. The dot explosion extended into the library. After reading the story, we discussed if the book was truly about dots. The students discussed the idea that Peter Reynolds was trying to tell us much more. They drew their connections onto dots, which were then 'dotted' around the library. Not only were dots on display, but I also took the opportunity to highlight some of our great art picture books and craft books. Students were encouraged to browse and try something new!  

A while ago I attended an IB webinar on International Mindedness. Webinars are a great way for teachers to get some quick professional development from the comfort of our living room. And, you can join them even if you're not currently at an IB school. The course I attended was run by a fabulous PYP Coordinator/ Vice Principal / Friend  Andrean Holmberg Strachan  and her elementary librarian, who I forget the name of (forgive me!) and the work at the Canadian International School of Singapore. The librarian generously shared her list and I've since added titles that I found in my current library. These titles create great discussion during knee to knee or think pair share chats. Students of all ages can relate to the different perspectives and learn that inclusion and appreciation of differences is important. My Top 5 Favourite International Mindedness Books  (in order of age appropriateness)

In honour of the UN's International Day of Peace  our English as an Additional Language team helped our students to create a great Museum of Culture.  The students discussed aspects of their country and culture and many brought in items from their home to share and display. As a librarian, I helped by getting some books and the books aren't limited to books about countries or maps, there are cookbooks, craft books, fairy tales and celebrations. It was a great way for students to really delve into 'Who We Are' and to feel pride about where they are from. Well done AISB!