Ridge Road Library is a safe, inclusive and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students. The school library space is open, warm and welcoming; it is flexibly designed to meet a wide variety of needs as well as to foster learning and curiosity.
The Library is a place that students feel valued and appreciated. I want them to feel comfortable, and that it is as much their space as it is mine. Students visit the library for their Library Special, and for the Learning Lab, but they also stop in to exchange a book or ask a question in the morning.
I have kept records of the number of students who visit independently of library special classes, and since becoming the full-time Librarian at Ridge Road Elementary, I have seen significant increases in independent student visits. There was a 114% increase in independent student visits for the 2016-2017 school year as compared to the year before! As for the 2017-2018 year, the statisitcs so far reveal an additional 38% increase over last year's impressive numbers, with over 5,000 student visits--not including classes--to date! I am so excited that the students are choosing to visit the library more and more frequently, and in greater numbers than were even possible before. I look forward to even greater gains in the future!
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| Students make themselves comfortable in the Cozy Corner, reading the selections they have made from our collection. |
Students work independently on computers in the Learning Lab area. |
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In my four years in the Horseheads School District, I have had the pleasure of working with a number of parent volunteers, both at Ridge Road Elementary and at Big Flats Elementary. Volunteers have the unique experience of really being able to witness first-hand, the environment that I create and the relationships that I have with my students. Two of these parents, Sarah Tedesco and Dennis Tubbs volunteered to share their observations:
I had the pleasure of being a parent volunteer with Amanda Robbins, in the library at Big Flats Elementary School, for two years. I truly enjoyed my times working with Amanda; she had a great rapport with the students, and was very in tune with their interests, allowing her to curate a current and exciting collection of books, that inspired the kids to try new things...even the more reluctant readers. My favorite part of being a library helper, was listening to Amanda read aloud to the classes. She has a knack for picking books with themes of kindness, and humor. I was as enthralled as the students, listening to her read each character in the stories with enthusiasm and amazing voices. My absolute favorite was a classic Roald Dahl story, "The Witches," but it was also great to hear her bring a new tale, "Limoncello's Library," to life. I was impressed with her lessons on safely using Internet Technology, addressing concerns, and giving very practical information. I had a wonderful experience working alongside Amanda as a volunteer, and it assured me that our students were having an enriching library class experience, as well.
Sarah Tedesco
I have learned that “multi-tasking” and juggling are very similar. This revealed after spending a few hours a week over a couple of years in the Ridge Road elementary school library. I have enjoyed watching Amanda Robbins reading to kids holding a book in her left hand, emphasizing with her right, checking the clock with one eye, engaging them with the other, lacing questions, clarification, behavior praise, and correction into the story as if it was printed in the book. She is respectful and expects the same from the kids, is commanding when necessary and joking when appropriate, and appears to care deeply about their growth and well-being. I have been welcomed by Amanda and thoroughly enjoyed this volunteer experience with her.
Dennis Tubbs
Classroom Management
As any teacher will attest, classroom management is a large factor in effective instruction. I have developed and put into practice strategies to provide an environment that is conducive to student success and learning in the library. I establish and communicate fair and reasonable expectations in the beginning of the school year, which I maintain and follow though with throughout the school year. I rarely have any behavior issues, and have yet to encounter a situation that the student and I cannot work out ourselves. Ultimately, I have a great respect for my students, and they demonstrate that they have respect for me as well through their behavior. I have also instituted a rewards system in the library:
The Green Day Chart
Every time a class comes into the library, they are able to earn a "Green Day." The goal is for them to earn ten Green Days, after which the class will participate in a Green Day Celebration (usually an educational and relevant video as well as a lollipop). The Green Days do not have to be earned consecutively, and the students work together in order to earn it as a class. A Green Day is earned by:
~Listening respectfully when other people are talking, including the teacher
~Remaining on-task to complete the activity
~When working in groups, quiet, indoor voices are used
~Quiet, indoor voices while selecting books
~After selecting books, reading in the Cozy Corner, using only whisper voices when talking
Students are given warnings if these expectations are not being met. There is a chime that is rung, and they know that they need to monitor themselves and encourage each other to keep the Green Day. After two warnings, if the misbehavior continues, the class loses their Green Day, and then have a "Yellow Day." The warnings continue as before, and if students continue to be off-task and disruptive, the day becomes a "Red Day." Students consider a Green Day a "great day", a Yellow Day is an "ok day," and a Red Day is a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" (to borrow the title Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst). Teachers are always interested to know the kind of day that their class had in Library as well,
and of course, encourage Green Days.
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