The Daring Librarian

Because you asked. I occasionally get emails from followers, readers, and conference audience members asking for advice. It's lovely! And flattering! And OK, a lot of work sometimes. But, I always try to answer and help. Recently, I spent so much time answering, linking to past posts, and giving paragraphs and paragraphs of advice I thought - Hey! This would be a good blog post! Some of these topics, I've blogged about before. I'm kind of passionate about being a passionate teacher, being positive, and just choosing one NEW thing at a time to try. So, though it's taken me a better part of a week to write this, and I warn you -- it's LONG. It's what they call nowdays a "deep dive" or a "long read" and that's OK! I thought... or hoped, it could be helpful to some new Educators, Admins, Teachers and Teacher Librarians! My Usual Disclaimer: These are my humble opinions and to quote the great Dalton, played with great gravitas by lat...

I was touched by this timeless Huffington Post article from Mr. James Perry, once mayoral candidate and the the Executive Director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center: "Among the most important lessons I've learned from Dr. King is the example of servant leadership. A servant leader is one who offers an inclusive vision; listens carefully to others; persuades through reason; and heals divisions while building community. It is easy to spot servant leaders. In a room where others are jockeying for attention, they are the ones listening to someone others might consider unimportant. When faced with a problem, they look for solutions that benefit everyone. When something goes wrong, they take the blame. When things go well, they share the credit. They tell everyone the same story, even when it is inconvenient or difficult. They know that they don't have all the answers, so they seek advice from others. They work hard and inspire others to do the same. ...

  #X Before You Drive Here's a news story written by our MHTV correspondent, 8th grader the uber awesome herself, Stephannie J. "AWESOMENESS TV and many of your favorite celebrities, including James Maslow, Demi Lovato and R5, have joined the movement to stop texting and driving and you should, too! Check out this video featuring some of your favorite YouTubers. Weekly Chris looked pretty good in that video, am I right ladies? (Steph's words, not mine!) So how can you join the movement? Go to itcanwait.com and take the pledge. Spread the word and make this known! #itcanwait "  Thanks Steph! We grownups need to model this for our kiddos. Like transparency and creating a positive digital footprint, we don't have any credibility if we're texting and driving the same time we tell teenagers to X before you drive. My new crosover RAV4 (Squee!) has hands free paring with my phone and I will use that - but I don't touch my phone when I drive...

  Inspired by a recent blog post by the amazing Richard Byrne I wanted to add a few more things to the list I wrote 3 years ago how to use QR Codes to connect with students, parents, and the community on Back to School Night and during the school year.  Some of these ideas include examples, links to free downloadables, and graphics that you can snag & use in your school.  I've also updated my popular How to Create a QR Code in 3 Easy Steps Infographic comic tutorial to help out! Set the Stage: Have Parents Download the QR Code Scanning App! In preparation for BTSN I posted on our school digital newspaper Murray Messages: QR Codes Hit the Hill! "We hereat MHMS, embrace mobile media. Proof of which you’ll see in cool black and white when you visit us for Back to School Night! Have a smart phone? Be ready & download a QR code scanner app! We really like the FREE iNigma QR code reader available in both Droid, iPhone, or iPad versio...