A childhood wish fulfilled at last!

And you were all there to witness it. Yesterday I had the honor of representing the faculty against the students in the Thunder Cup Spelling Bee, ably assisted by Mr. Woods. As a child, I was an excellent speller - so much so that by sixth grade my English teacher excused me from spelling tests and sent me to the library instead. (Maybe that's where it all started?) For whatever reason, my town did not have spelling bees, so I never had the chance to put my skills to the test on local-access TV or compete for scholarships or any other spelling-related glamorous prize.

I will confess that I did not feel good about having to wrest the glory from Nick C., but a game's a game, I suppose, and Nick was very sportsmanlike indeed, as is his habit. The final word was "kaleidoscope," and although it was a major struggle at the time, I have never been more grateful I took Greek in grad school. Well, I might have been more grateful that day I got stuck in an elevator in Athens, but this was a close second.

Now all we have to do is get Arno Weller to ask me to my junior prom and we will pretty much have fixed up any lingering girlhood dreams from my past. Let me know if you find him, OK?

Welcome back!

Let's see . . . I'm cataloging new books, making sure all my library patrons are updated in the system, had the chairs re-covered, there's a new photocopier - yup, the new school year is just around the corner!

There are some exciting changes to behold in the 09-10 season, including a brand-new library system with all kinds of great features. I can't wait to show it off to everyone. Plus, I've got scads of wonderful new books on all kinds of subject and tons of new DVDs, too. Stop by and see me and get the latest on what's new!

Vegas, baby!

Well, you've heard the rumors. It's true: the librarians are converging on Las Vegas. That's right, we're going to kick up our heels in our sensible shoes. Do rhinestones go with brown tweed? Oh, stop. I've spent at least a portion of every day here proving that librarians are not at all the stodgy, puritanical, bun-wearing student-shushing harpies that popular culture would have us believe. At least, I hope so.

This week, the Association of Independent School Librarians is having its annual conference, and this year it so happens it's in Sin City. It's just the luck of the draw - it could have been Indianapolis or Pittsburgh. I"ll be spending the majority of my days learning about how other independent schools operate their libraries, what they have in common with us, how we might improve or be an example for others - very important, useful things. But, when in Rome . . . so perhaps in the interest of empirical research I might finally learn what "double down" actually means.

Already?

Here in the land of academia, we divide our time into semesters, then quarters, then weeks . . . the short version is that having returned from Spring Break, we've got six weeks left! Didn't I just get here a few minutes ago? And yet here I am, six weeks away from the end of my first year as a librarian.

As some journeys end, others are just beginning: the seniors go off for their internships for the month of May and return for commencement before they fly the nest for good, off to college and the great beyond. "Commencement" is an interesting term to use: it literally means that something begins - we picture it as the end of a long journey, but it's also where the path starts, doesn't it?

If I seem more philosophical than usual today it's because I'm contemplating my own journey. Several weeks ago I was hunting through some stored clothes, looking for my cap and gown to wear to commencement. The more degrees you have, the more elaborate the gowns get and so my ensemble includes a red velvet hood, along with assorted tassels. I found it, hung it up to shed its wrinkles and went on my way that day. And then suddenly I realized I'd be wearing it twice this year. My own graduation is mere months away, the culmination of years of work, and so in that regard I think I feel a little bit of what our seniors are experiencing - the relief at least, if not that delicious sensation of what the future might hold; that's already been fulfilled for me (see above!)

I have been working towards a master of arts in library science since 2003 and this summer I can finally enjoy some more letters after my name, finishing the last two classes required of me and taking that short but meaningful walk across the stage. And after that, a well-deserved celebration! The beauty of graduating as an adult is that one can plan one's own party; I suppose the downside is that I also get to pay for it, but hey, won't I be doing so with funds I earned because of the job I have due to the degree I'm getting?

So happy graduation, everyone. May your journey take you wherever you wish to go.

Toga party!

The ninth grade English classes are doing research papers on aspect of Greek and Roman life - what kinds of jobs people had, what they did for fun, what they ate, how they fought, what their music sounded like - all my favorite stuff. In graduate school (art history school, not library school!) I wrote my thesis about Greek jewelry, because I think that people's everyday personal objects tell us what we really want to know. Their literature and marble buildings tell us some very fine things about them, truly, but how a lady wore her hair or whether she liked long necklaces or short gives us a more evocative peek into her mindset, I think. Certainly what they ate makes us grateful to be in the 21st century - you were picturing a nice Greek salad and some baklava? Sorry. Not in 450 BC - try coarse bread and olives, some fish if you were wealthy.

So I got to host the ninth graders here in the library all week and point out where the best books are for their subjects, introduce them to the mysteries of double-sided copying, and offer to be of service for search terms and suggestions. I'm pleased to say they took me seriously, and I've been fielding requests ever since. In many cases I've copied articles from some of the larger books to preserve their bindings (but you have to do the bibliography work yourself - there's no free lunch!) So you out there, if you're looking for that article on how to fold your peplos or what silphium tasted like . . . see me at the desk!

Incidentally, for you sharp-eyed folk who looked at the picture: the Greeks didn't wear togas. They wore all kinds of other big folded and pinned pieces of cloth, but not togas. Go ahead, ask me about it. I'm here weekdays until 4:30.

Not quite infinity, but definitely the future

Last night was the 100 Days, excuse me, 86 Days Dinner. It was well-attended by two Belles, one Cruella, three Minnie Mouses (Minnie Mice?) two Jack Sparrows, three or four toy soldiers, Winnie the Pooh, Ursula, Tigger, Pocahontas, the whole Cool Runnings bobsled team, Tinkerbell, Hades, Hercules and his muse, and Jiminy Cricket, just to name a few. But the real showdown was between the two Woodys. Dan B. looked great, but Mr. Newhams looked even greater. (Sorry Dan.) And in a beautiful bit of symmetry, Dan's tribute to Mr. Newhams left many of us a little moist around the eyes.

One of the things I enjoyed most was hearing about all the accomplishments of my colleagues and what an impression they have left on our soon-to-be graduates. It's a good feeling to know I am among such a caring, skilled group of teachers and I am glad to be counted among them. I was also impressed by the public speaking abilities of our seniors; not everyone finishes high school with such a well-developed sense of calm behind a podium addressing a crowd and it's a more useful skill than you might think.

Eighty-five days left to go. Time flies, huh?

100 days to go

Happy March! Tonight is the 100 Days Dinner, an event at which senior students and their teachers enjoy an evening of togetherness over country-club food. But that's not all. Because I'm a newbie, I had no idea of the entertainment. Not only are all attendants required to come in costume, but each teacher is lauded by several students with original speeches about his or her fine qualities. This year's theme is Disney, and if I told you how much of my week I spent researching characters and their attributes for students and faculty, you'd be amazed. But do credit my professionalism: you want information, and I provide it, whatever it is.

The best term I can use to describe what I feel for the students . . . is pity. That's right, pity. Why? Because that's an impossible task. For those of you who have known your teachers since seventh grade, how do you encapsulate all you might feel for them in a minute or two? And in my case, nine of you have only had me as a teacher since January - how could you actually fill a minute or two? Furthermore, it's a tribute, not a roast, so you can't be funny, and report cards come out on the 26th, so you can't be honest either! You don't want to be sappy, because that's embarrassing and your fellows are watching. You don't want to be lame, because, well, that's lame.

So yeah, I pity you, you poor dears. On the other hand, I feel lucky as heck because I get to dress up in blue velvet pantaloons and eat some lovely chicken dinner while at least two or three of you tell me how great I am, and then of course I get to blog about it the next day. See you at 6:30!