Good Morning!

What a beautiful, cool morning! It seems more like fall with three weeks of school already under our belt and football games under way.  This cool weather is time to get a read on.

Last night, I made good progress reading Closing the global acheivement gap. While it is interesting reading what can and should be done to create 21st century schools, it just gives me more reason to be frustrated by what I see. I’m not a decision maker.

While I have a plethera of YA to read (Secret Keeper is on deck!) I’m considering purchasing Webbers Rules of thumb which I read about on Chris Brogan’s blog.

Hey Jude hasn’t posted anything lately but came back on line to give a post that is timely to me. With the year just beginning, I have to look at where the media center has been and where it should be going.  New building administration of course affects the direction. The media center isn’t my vision, it has to be a collective vision to work. Jude’s post begins with

What types of media, access, and support do cutting-edge media centers and school libraries offer students? How are teacher librarians and library media specialists leading the charge to help students master 21st century literacies?

I’m looking forward to reading the article she linkes to in ASCD Express.

I’ve been following Bowllan’s WAR postings and was really moved by Ari’s postings this week. I asked my own children to comment on their experiences with racism and got all three of them as well as one son by another mother, to take the time to give thoughtful comments. I am so proud of my children! Today, Bowllan’s blog (which is house in the School Libraryl Journal site) reviews Beat the Black Kids by Asadah Kirkland. It looks like I’ve found another must read!

This past week, I’ve found myself drawn to the stories, speeches, images and memories of Edward Kennedy. I’m sure it’s because I grew up in the Kennedy mystique, observing the blessings and tragedies of the powerful family that really seems to only want our attention when absolutely necessary. They seem like such an all American family, how can we not want to watch? And, how can we not want to watch, to observe and to say good-bye to someone who did so much for the country on a micro and macro level? I usually avoid these overdone news stories, getting burned out on the second or third day on someone who for some reason is made to seem larger than life, impossible to have been so godlike. But, with Kennedy, we got the good and bad. We got the little personal touches that were never meant to be to be spoken aloud. The one that touched me the most, no doubt was how this man who fought so that billions of dollars could be appropriated for education would spend a couple of hours each month visiting classrooms reading with elementary students. He’s given me ideas of what I can be doing in my media center. He’s reminded me how important my friends and family should be to me. What more can we do with our lives than to leave a positive influence even when we’re gone?

Need more? Don’t forget Susan’s Sunday Salon!

So let’s go out there and make it a good week!