Tag: COVID-19

Fabulous Face Masks for School Librarians

(Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, and if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)

This image is a derivative of a photo by Robert Wilkos from Pixabay

I will admit it…face masks freaked me out at first. When people first started wearing them regularly in my area of the world, seeing folks wearing face masks would put me in a melancholy mood. Masks seemed like such a bold reminder that everything had changed. I remember distinctly when I started spending time at school again in August to get ready for the school year, I felt so awkward wearing a mask and seeing my colleagues wearing them. And when school started and I kept seeing all those cute little grins covered with masks, the sight made me feel so sad.

My school has been fully in-person, five days a week since August, and that has given me plenty of time to get adjusted to the face mask thing. Little by little, I became accustomed to the new normal, and now, once in awhile, I actually feel a little bit naked when I take my mask off.

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I even discovered benefits to wearing a mask throughout the school year (in addition to the obvious benefit of reducing the spread of COVID). A mask DEFINITELY keeps your nose warmer during recess duty on a cold day, and I made it through the winter without getting chapped lips this year. A mask is great for “eeek…I have a big zit!” and “oh snap, some of my lunch has been stuck in my teeth all afternoon!” days. And finally, some masks are pretty adorable. And some of them are even library-themed!

My Favorite Four Masks for Librarians

These are my favorite library-themed masks in my collection. (You should know before purchasing any that I prefer my masks to be pretty full-coverage, to have a nose-wire, and to have a filter pocket, so if you prefer a small, thin mask, these are probably not for you. Also…Disclaimer: I’m recommending these because I have had positive experiences with them, but I can’t weigh in on whether they are effective at protecting against COVID because that is not my area of expertise!) I have found that these masks fit me well, have lasted through numerous library lessons, and usually prompt several compliments each time I wear them! šŸ˜

This was the first book-themed mask I purchased, and probably the one I get the most compliments on:

Here’s a bookshelf themed one:

Here’s another bookshelf mask that is super colorful and cute:

And here’s another stylish librarian mask, which combines design elements of the other three:

So, that’s the round-up of book-themed face masks I recommend. (Please remember that I’m basing this on personal experience as a teacher…I’m not an infectious disease expert, so I can’t speak to the effectiveness of these masks in terms of controlling the spread of illness! I just think they are cute.) šŸ˜Š

Feel free to purchase these masks for yourself and be my twinsie!

Back to School with a Boom!

It’s probably safe to say there has never been a wackier back-to-school season. With COVID-19 forcing schools to hop back and forth between different possible scenarios for how school will look this year, so much is still up in the air for everyone.

As it stands, it sounds like I will be teaching in-person, but going into the classrooms instead of having students visit me in the library. But who knows when we’ll turn on a dime and enact either the hybrid or virtual learning backup plan?

I recently started exploring Boom Learningā„ , and with all the uncertainty surrounding the new school year, I’m excited about the possibilities it provides. If you’ve never used it before, Boom Learningā„  is a platform on which students can complete interactive digital task cards. I’m excited to get my students started with this platform because it seems like it will be super easy to transition from using Boom Cardsā„¢ for in-person learning to using them as a part of virtual learning and back and forth as needed.

The Basics of Boom Cardsā„¢

  • Your students must be connected to the internet for Boom Cardsā„¢ to work.
  • They’re interactive task cards, so your students will be clicking on correct answers, dragging and dropping, or typing in responses on each card.
  • They cover many disciplines – from speech therapy to algebra to library skills.
  • They are designed by “teacher-authors,” just like the products on TpT.
  • They are self-checking and provide instant feedback (including a cheery little “Ding” sound when you get an answer correct. Click here to try a deck and enjoy the “Ding” for yourself!).
  • You as the teacher can view the data it collects when a student completes a deck of Boom Cardsā„¢ to gauge mastery.
  • The membership fees for teachers range from $0 to $35 a year, depending on what features you wish to use and how many students you have.
  • In addition to your membership fees, you can purchase additional “points” that can be used to buy more Boom decks in addition to the free ones.
Here’s an example of what you might see on a Boom Cardā„¢! This is a Boom Cardā„¢ I created to allow students to practice ABC order. Clipart on this card courtesy of MyClipArtStore | http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Myclipartstore and TQ Colours | https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Tq-Colours

What I Love About Boom Learningā„  So Far

  • You can open an account for free. I love to try before I buy!
  • I purchased the Ultimate plan for $35, which didn’t seem bad at all for a year’s subscription to an educational website. With this plan I have access to the entire library of free decks and am able to create as many decks as I want for up to 200 students.
  • There are a lot of decks available for free, and any that need to be purchased seem like a good investment since they can be used over and over again.
  • If you use free or for-purchase decks, Boom Cardsā„¢ are no-prep.
  • But, if you want to create a customized deck for your students, Boom provides you with that option as well. (And making decks is really fun!)
  • In addition to buying decks with points through the Boom Learningā„  website, you can also purchase them on TpT (where I hang out a lot anyway…and where I can use TpT giftcards).
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Make Room for Boom

Since you can open a basic account for free, why not give it a go? I think we can all agree that the more tools we have in our teacher toolbox as we head into this school year, the better!

Here are a couple of simple FREE decks I have designed…feel free to give Boom a try with one of these freebie decks!

Click above to try out a FREE deck for the elementary school library!
Click above to try out a FREE deck for practicing addition facts!

You can also check out the whole collection of free and paid Boom decks I’ve designed here:

OR take a peek at them in my TpT store right here…where they are all ON SALE until 11:59 PM ET on August 6, 2020. Wahoo!

Reflections on 2020

Well then.

I haven’t written in a long time, because, really, what do you say?

So far 2020 has brought us problems that have never happened before, like COVID-19, and issues that have happened all too often before, like racism. It has been a storm of confusion for everyone, and teachers and students have had to process it all while trying out an uncharted teaching and learning lifestyle called “distance learning.”

It’s a lot for everybody. And it’s even more for some, especially those who have experienced the evils of racism firsthand, or those who are struggling to manage during the widespread economic hardships of 2020, or those who have lost a loved one to COVID-19.

I want to start writing light blog posts again about things like free TpT products and awesome books and super-duper fun school library ideas. And posts like that are on the way, because any type of normalcy provides at least a temporary escape from the perils and pains of right now, both for me and (I hope) for you too. And because, despite the obstacles of 2020, education, and life, must go on, and things like cute children’s books and free printables do add to the sparkle of teacher life.

But.

First, I want to address the bowels of 2020, even if what I put out there might feel inadequate to some.

I don’t have any of the answers, guys. But things need to change, and here’s my take.

Driving Change

This is what I know to be true about making things change.

1. Money can drive change. I’m no millionaire, but thanks be to God, my family has enough, and I have this blessing of this teeny, tiny business that I call So Blessed to Be a Teacher. Knowing that I am a (very, very small) part of the solution is worth a lot to me, especially in these crazy times, so 100% of my TpT profits for June went to charitable organizations (Water for South Sudan and Catholic Relief Services). And, as I mentioned early on in 2020, I’m planning to continue making donating to charity a regular part of what I do here at So Blessed to Be a Teacher. I truly believe that every little bit helps, and I think we have a shot at making this world work better again IF we share with other people.

2. Mindset can drive change. I love that quote attributed to Henry Ford that goes, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” We will get nowhere on any of these issues if we have a negative mindset or a belief that things can’t change. I’m sure every single one of us has had a chance to spin our wheels in plenty of negativity mud puddles in 2020 already. I think we can all agree that we’ll get moving a lot faster if we get out of the mud.

3. Prayer always drives change. Prayer works on so many levels that it always drives some type of change, big or small. Prayer humbles us. It reminds us of our place in the scheme of things, helping us feel both tiny in a big world and significant enough to matter to God. Prayer helps us to realize all that we have to be grateful for and where it all comes from. Prayer softens our hearts, changes our mindsets, and slowly chips away at our fears. It weaves us together as part of something bigger than ourselves. Prayer works to align our will to God’s. Prayer connects people all over the world and allows for conversation and collaboration with our Creator.

I don’t know how to solve 2020, but I wanted to share what has helped me so far. Feeling like I am a (teeny tiny) part of the solution keeps me going. In a nutshell, what I have to offer is: in 2020, there are many things that we can’t do and can’t control, but we CAN trust in the Lord, we CAN encourage each other to keep thinking positively, we CAN pray for each other, we CAN choose to be part of a positive change, we CAN view this broken world through a lens of love, and we CAN keep moving forward, one day at a time.

Wacky Times! (and a freebie or two or three!)

Hi friends! I hope you are all doing all right during this crazy time. My school was among many that shut down suddenly and unexpectedly on the 13th of March, for a minimum of three weeks, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, so, like many of you, I’m getting used to a new way of living.

Now, two days before the 13th, aka a million years ago, on Wednesday, March 11th, I was all super excited because my Teachers Pay Teachers store had reached 500 followers. I was planning a little celebration involving a new freebie, a sale, and maybe even a dance party, wahoo! That Wednesday, ideas bopped around happily in the little TpT section of my brain. But by Friday, the TpT part went into a temporary hibernation as I attempted to process the strange, new information that COVID-19 was so serious that my school closed. Oh, and not just mine, but basically all of them, and the entire world. Heh?

So I took a few days to adjust to this new lifestyle, and eventually decided I still want there to be a little celebration in the So Blessed to Be a Teacher world, because celebrations are happy and we all need happy right now. So, I modified my go-forward plan for how to celebrate my 500 followers. Here’s what I came up with.

1. I made the freebie that was bopping around my imagination on March 11. (It turned out cute, if I do say so myself! You can download it here). But it’s a poster to decorate your library, and, well, you probably aren’t there right now. So I decided that when you download it, you guys might feel the level of joy you’d get if you were receiving a free bucket of rock salt in July.

SO

2. I made two MORE little freebies that can be used on Google Classroom. It was my first attempt at designing resources with distance learning in mind. I would love if you could try them out and tell me what you think! (They are available for FREE here and here).

THEN

3. I set up a GIVEAWAY for my 500 Teachers Pay Teachers followers! (Because giveaways are fun no matter what!) One lucky follower of my store will win a $10 gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers. If you follow me on TpT, check your Teachers Pay Teachers inbox for the link to enter the giveaway. (Don’t follow me yet but want to start? Click here to start following me on TpT, and then send me an email or use the contact link above to tell me your follower number, and I’ll send you the link to enter! The winner will be chosen at 12 AM Eastern Time on March 27, 2020.) (**UPDATED 03/27/20: Congratulations to Julieann, the giveaway winner! Be sure to follow my Teachers Pay Teachers store so you will hear about sales, new products, and my next GIVEAWAY!)

AND

4. I set everything in my TpT store to go on sale from March 22, 2020 to March 25, 2020. Even though school is closed for now, sales are always fun, and some teachers actually have a little time browse around on TpT, so I figured, why not? In the spirit of my last blog post, I am going to donate 50% of profits during my sale to Save the Children, this time to help out with all the needs that are arising due to COVID-19, so it’s actually a great time to stock up on resources that you can use when we are past this wacky period of time! (**UPDATED 03/27/20: Thanks so much to those who made purchases during my sale! Your purchases made it possible for me to make a donation to Save the Children! Yeah!)

AND FINALLY

5. The dance party is on, but, COVID-19 distance learning style. Right now, wherever you are, bust a move!

May God bless you guys during this strange-but-true time we are living in. Stay well and keep taking it day by day!