Two Days of First Graders

Last week Ms. H was at a meeting, so we had a sub, D.  I have worked with D many times through the years and think she is an excellent sub.  Ms. H left great lesson plans and the morning went well except for library.  I checked in the books from the previous week.  Then I checked out the books they had picked out.  Well, things did not go as planned.

One of the books showed up on another child's name.  I struggled with the computer, not using the words I use at home.  Finally the book was checked out to the correct child.  I scanned the next child and the message came up Patron not found.  But the child's name came up with all her information.  I rescanned, put her name in manually, closed the window and reopened it.  Nothing worked.  The little girl was nearly in tears, she wanted her book.  I told her to go back to class, I would fix the problem.  I fixed it old school.  I wrote her name down, the name of the book, and the bar code number.  I left that clipped to our class bar code page and took the book back to her.

So today, problems from last week popped up.  I scanned two names and the computer said they had books overdue.  I knew that was wrong, I remembered checking those books in last week.  With the help of another volunteer and a teacher, we found the books on the shelf.  I rechecked them in, and then checked out the books they wanted this week.

Last week the teacher who every spring sets up our incubator and eggs for us, brought in a bonus.  Baby rabbits in a box lined with the fur Mama rabbit had pulled out for her nest.  I didn't get to take a picture last week.  But today the bunnies came back.

               Two bunnies visited us, while their brothers and sisters were in other classrooms.

                                             I told Ms. H that they looked like Ying and Yang.

  They are cute little bunnies.  Ms. H held the black bunny as each child petted the bunny.  The children were very careful using two fingers and rubbing the fur the way it grows.

The little bunnies made me forget the problems of the "lost" checked in books.  They made us all smile and laugh.  

New Skills

Tuesday was my day at Kaiser School.  Usually I work with the children, read a story, and go home.  Ms. H asked me to learn a new skill in order to help the children. 

Backstory: Several weeks ago the librarian retired, moved, got a better job, I don't know what.  But she told the children good bye and said next week a new librarian would be there.  Well, Oakland Schools' bigwigs are dragging their feet and haven't hired a replacement.  So a few library volunteers are trying to keep things going.  But they are not there every day.  Children have books that may or may not be checked out or back in.  Their regular library period is not happening. 

A volunteer happened to be there Tuesday, her work schedule had changed.  I was to learn how to check the books in, and then how to check the books out.  I would go down before the children come to the library and check in the books.  Then when they came to the library I would check their books out.

Of course there is a computer involved, password, user name, notebooks with bar codes for each child, and a scanner.  I also know where they hide the scanner when not in use.  I am trusted. 

 

My scanner.  I practiced checking in books.  There was a huge pile of books stacked up that teachers had returned and no one was there to check them in.  Then I checked out some of them and then checked them back in.  Lots and lots of practice.  I hope I am ready for Tuesday.

 

 

Some of the books I checked in.  I don't have to shelf them, thank goodness.  Just put them on a cart for the library volunteers.

 

With this new skill maybe I can get a job at Costco.  I was pretty fast with the scanner.