Top Ten Tuesday (on Wordless Wednesday) Dream Library

1) It sounds terrible to say. But you already know what it is. WALLS. I WANT WALLS IN MY LIBRARY CLASSROOM. This middle of the hallway thing is For. The. Birds. Not walls between kids or between me and the kids. Well. The kids IN the library. I want walls between me and the kids /staff/parents talking very loudly in the hallway and not even trying to be quiet while we're trying to learn inside the library. YOU try ignoring 400 people as you're trying to teach a lesson ... and you're not in 2nd grade trying to PARTICIPATE in the lesson. I want walls between us at these moments very badly. :/ #callmecrazy

2) This. Outlandish dream, right? This is dream library classroom, mind you. The Pinterest image just came from Tumblr. In the interest of time today that is where I will link back to credit ... but eventually I'll track down the original. Does this help kids learn more? I honestly don't know ... but it would sure make the school library a magical place.

3) So they might still misplace the bag (I know because I've tried some of the plastic Upstart ones) ... some of the little ones that have the really crazy home lives. But how fun would it be for at least PreK-2nd to all have a specific bag in which to keep their library books? Then in my idyllic little world they'd all bring their books back on time and be able to get NEW ones. And then read (or be read to) them every single week. And come back for more ... with no "unmentionable substances" adorning the covers/pages. That's a dream classroom. Lots of kids getting books! And keeping track of them!
(This pic/link is from the SHINY HAPPY WORLD shop on Etsy! Sorry, shop. Not purchasing the pattern and making 300+ of them. Though maybe one or two just for ME. You know my mom is a sewing queen.)

4) This one is partially coming true. Instead of 1 iPad we'll have 8. But it would be cool to have one for each kid. Along with an iTunes card for each device ... wouldn't have to be an unlimited card, even. With $20 you can make a powerful little device NIGH UNSTOPPABLE. Well. Also with a decent wi-fi connection for at least part of the time. ;)

5) Of course the two most important ingredients in any dream school library ... lots of kiddos (sorry, I just realized there are no BOYS in this pic and that was not intentional because I love me some funny little boys who love Star Wars and Transformers and sharks) and BOOKS. But this was the first CC licensed pic I saw. ;)

6. Space, materials, and time for HACKING. And by that I mean kid-led creation. Goodness. Does it ALL have to be about THE TEST? There is great possibility in tinkering and messing around. Follow Cari's Library Makerspaces Pinterest Board (and join in!) for other ideas. Also no. That doesn't count as three wishes in my Dream Classroom. Just one. ;)

7. A space for a simple media creation lab that is also not in the middle of all the chaos. Our morning announcements are broadcast from the staff workroom with cast trying to read scripts while teachers are making copies (I'm guessing their kids are watching with another teacher?). When we try to make videos in the library there is always loads of background noise. Even a decent sized CLOSET. With a small window (so teachers can see what is going on inside). Camera. Computer. Microphone. If I find a pretty pic for you I'll come back and edit. Right now I've spent too much time on blog posts this morning as it is. ;)

8. Treats for staff ... both sweet and healthy. I would love to be able to provide such. So ... some sort of chocolate BEHIND A LOCK THAT MS. O CAN'T GET AT BECAUSE OTHERWISE SHE EATS IT. And some fruits or veggies because we all need a quick pick me up and in the staff room if there's anything it's always cheap donuts.

9. Somewhere comfy to read. Right now due to space (and noise!) limitations there's nowhere to relax, even for the 10-15 minutes a class might be there for checkout. Only hard and awkward chairs. I love these. Comfort does affect student learning. 

10. We're not allowed to have plants (well, with no windows that wasn't an issue for us anyway) or stuffed animals due to air quality. I see the concerns ... but in my dream library classroom we'd have BOTH (think of all the fun book characters! They were so handy for displaying on the shelf near the books ... "See Frog and Toad over there? That's where the books are!").

I could go on. Search "school library design" on Pinterest. Color. Comfort. Creative space and calming space. :)


And here's my Wordless Wednesday pic. Even though this post was far from Wordless. And it's a weird pic to share as it's not necessarily super artistic. But I was trying to organize the mess that is my laptop folders and came across these. We made a video last summer before my Dad's retirement. Now ... this particular birthday is still a good 8 or 9 years months (gotta be honest ;)) away for yours truly. But MIND BLOWN.