Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow ...

Ahhh ... the end is near! For those of us in upstate New York, we have only about a week left of school. As another school year draws to a close, I can't help but reflect on what a wonderful job that we school librarians have! As summer begins, we can throw out our alarm clocks, sip our coffee for a few extra minutes, hang out with a pile of books on our deck ... oh, but I digress.

Yes, summer is one of my favorite perks about my job, but we educators have such a unique opportunity.  We get the chance to end one chapter and begin another - EVERY ten months! There is something supremely satisfying about wrapping up a school year. I love seeing all of my books find there way back to my shelves. I love packing away my lesson plan book ... all marked up and sticky noted with ideas on how to improve certain lessons and projects. I love the boxes of new books in my office that are just begging to be unwrapped for next year. What a feeling! There isn't another job on Earth that allows you such closure.

I AM looking forward to summer ... dipping my toes in the pool, digging around in my flower beds, paddling my kayak ... oops, digressing again! But even more importantly, I am looking forward to next year, a brand new start!

I have three summer goals.

First, I want to read more intermediate fiction books than ever. I am on a mission to get a few chapter books on my top ten circulation list for next year! So, I am brewing on strategies that I can use to encourage my kids to read something other than Babymouse and Stone Rabbit. Do you all have any suggestions for me as "must reads" that I can add to my summer reading list?

Second, I am preparing some research projects that will tie directly to the Common Core. I want to tie in more web 2.0 tools as final project ideas. I have my work cut out for me, because my poor teachers are feeling the crunch of all the state assessments. I am hoping that some newly created projects will help them meet both Core and some of the assessment skills as well.

Finally, I want to spend some time networking with other school librarians ... virtually! I am a relatively new blogger over at The Library Patch and have been excited to "meet" some fellow librarian bloggers. There is so much to learn from everyone and I am looking forward to having some time to blogstalk and connect with others. A big "thank you" to Jo for creating this collaborative blog ... I definitely plan on hanging out here and hope to meet some new friends.