Reflecting on TLA15

I was so glad to be able to attend the Texas Library Association's Annual Conference last week in Austin, TX.  Not only did I get to hang out with colleagues and friends, I was able to meet some authors and illustrators (!!!), and I even attended some great sessions on how to make my library a better place.

I attended the Bluebonnet 101 session about how to make my Texas Bluebonnet reading program better for my students, and my teachers.  My big takeaway was that I am not supposed to push my students to read all 20 books on the list.  I am to encourage my 3rd - 5th grade students to "read 5, then decide".  Not all books are appropriate for all age levels.  This will slightly change how I approach my Bluebonnet program.  I will focus more on getting the students to read 5, rather than trying to get them to read more.  I have ordered my Bluebonnet books and they should get here in the next few weeks so we can get started!

Me and Oliver Jeffers, illustrator of the 2015 Bluebonnet Award winning book, 

The Day the Crayons Quit.

Another session I attended was a brief introduction to MakerSpaces.  While this is a big trend in libraries, I am learning it is not something most of my teachers have every heard about.  I want to start the school year off with a MakerSpace and I see that I am going to have to spend some time teaching my teachers about it!  I think it is going to be another great way to draw students (and teachers!) into the library and to show them the resources we have available.

I attended the Texas 2x2 Session where I got to meet:

John Rocco

(That's me. I obviously need to do some push ups and tone my arms.) 

Again, I came away with some ideas for the 2x2 program that I can use next year.  I want to incorporate more technology into my lessons, and the 2x2 provides some lesson activities that I can use.  Listening to John Rocco speak inspired me to communicate more with my parents on the benefits of reading aloud and reading together.  

The session on Board Games in the Library gave me some thoughts about my MakerSpace and about my centers that I do with 1st grade.  I'm not ready to buy a bunch of board games, but I do already own some puzzles and checkers boards so I would like to incorporate those more next year.  

The Graphic Novel session hosted by Mavericks was fascinating.  I know I need to bolster this part of my library.  Listening to Jeff Smith speak about his history with graphic novels and the graphic novel industry was really interesting.  I am ready to sit down with my book rep and discuss how to expand this section of my library.

All in all, I did not come away with one big, huge AHA! moment from the conference.  I came away with many little, "I cannot wait to try this in my library" moments, which is really what I wanted.  My library program (and students and teachers) will be the better for it next year.