ColleenJironinBoulder

Hi! We are still drying out here in Boulder, with many teachers/families and some schools highly impacted. My awesome colleagues soldier on and returned to work with all of us a week ago Wed., despite living in temporary housing. This year I am half-time at two elementary school Libraries, Community Montessori and Creekside, with no paraeducator at CM, and a fantastic paraeducator at Creekside who is evacuated from her home for about two months until the road is restored. It feels like we were "off to the races" and then got knocked flat, and now we're instantly accelerating again. Kind of like living on a rubber band that's being stretched, then released, then stretched again.

My "survival" strategy this year is to recruit, train and organize a cadre of volunteers, as well as do hands-on lessons in book-finding and DDN so that students can also help out. With only 50% of the week at each school, hosting a "fixed" schedule for all classes with some "flex" time for research, I plan to conduct more activities on Edmodo than in the past, as I can do this from home during "off" hours. The good news is that kids are SO excited about checking out books! I love seeing them all lined up, comparing books and pictures and really talking to each other about what they're reading. Despite all the logistical pressures, this is still a terrifically worthwhile job, and I love it!

- Colleen