Kim Pauley is a Nice Person; Lesson for the Week

After reading Sucks to Be Me (which was a very fun book), I felt a little bad all week, due to a depiction of a librarian as a "study hall Nazi". It's not a bad thing to question what you do and how you do it; it's just uncomfortable. I went out of my way to greet students and be pleasant even when I had to tell them to be quiet. I normally do those things, but I was especially mindful of them.

Ms. Pauley did reply, and although at this early hour I was unable to find her comment on her site, I wanted to share her her explanation:

"As for the librarian thoughts, I'd left you a comment on my site. I didn't actually see the librarian as that bad! I thought it was nice that she told Mina that she could come talk to her if she needed help (when she thought Mina must be pregnant because of the book). And Mina tended to give nicknames to everyone...and while I'm sure the librarian in the book didn't feel that she was a Study Hall Nazi, from a teenager's point of view when trying to sneak talk to a friend...well, I think you see what I mean. But I certainly didn't mean to insult librarians! Honestly, you're the only one out of the many librarians I've talked to that even mentioned that at all. But I am sorry it offended you!"

I wasn't offended-- I just felt bad because I know that there are librarians out there who are nothing but "study hall Nazis". And there's something niggling at the back of my mind that its wrong to assume a student is pregnant because she checks out a book. Anyway, apology accepted, and Ms. Pauley should be glad to know that the book has not been on the shelf since it arrived in the library. I have been recommending it heartily!

Lesson for the Week: I have 20 Sustained Silent Reading Groups each week, and I give them all one three minute lesson, which is more than I have done in the past. Last week was The Encyclopedia Can Be Your Friend When Google is Being Difficult. This week, I think I will cover different ways to select books if I am not available to help. As much as I love recommending books, I am always concerned when students seem incapable of making their own choices. This is especially hard for me, since I have never had trouble selecting books!