3.30.2006
Ok... so there is this awesome young man
that started coming in at the beginning of the school year with his nephews (he's 15 and the "nephews" think it is hilarious they can call him their uncle) to get on the computers. Leo came in one day and asked if I could help him with a project. Well sure I can! After that I noticed he rarely came in and when he did it wasn't to play on the computers anymore it was only when he needed help on a project. Needless to say, I don't see him all that much anymore. His first project was really cool... he had to make up his own Greek God or Goddess. The assignment gave them complete creativity but you know how some kids (and grown ups) are... they have the worst time getting the creative juices flowing. So, I basically just asked him a bunch of questions about the project. He did it all himself and his illustration was unbelievable. Anyway, he finally told me today that he made a 95 on that first project!!!!!!!!!!! Score!!!! Just one of those things that kind of touched my heart I guess. I feel like I'm who he goes to for homework help now. And because of that I might be helping him improve his grades! I'm not his tutor and I don't DO the work for him I just point him in the right direction to get it done and done right.... And he doesn't abuse it. I see him like maybe once a month now. He came in Tuesday for some more help and we got about half-way through and he had to go, said he would come back. Showed up today, we found him some info and he left. Said he could write the paper at home. Just makes me feel all mushy inside to think that some of my kids don't just come in for the computer... they come in for me! "I have no idea how to do this project... what am I gonna do? *gasp* I can go to the library! Miss Librarian will be able to help me figure this out!!!" Ok, so that probably isn't the dialogue running through their head but it works for me. = )
Dragons Are Not Real
I just had a lady with her 4th grader ask me for some dragon books. I said, "You mean dragon stories?" and the mom says, "No, real information about dragons." I was trying to be really polite and tell her that since dragons aren't really real, that we would have some books probably close to the fairy tales. We found a couple and she seemed satisfied, but I'm pretty darn sure she still thinks they are real.... ;)
The Lottery
A kid comes in yesterday (he's 13) and says he needs to find the temperature for Austin from January until now. Upon further questioning, he says he really only needs the weather for Wednesdays and Saturdays. We find the weather data pretty easily and then he says he needs the humidity for those days too, which was a little harder to find, but we found it. He mentions that he's looking up this info for his dad. I happen to look at the paper he's working from and notice it says something about Lotto numbers from January to now as well as the weather info. I asked him (totally neutrally, I hope) if his dad was trying to figure out if there was a correlation between the weather and lotto numbers. He said, yes, that his dad was working on a formula to help him win the lottery based on the weather!
Ladies Man
I have this little kid that has started coming to the library, he's Hispanic and hardly speaks any english. It is SO cute though - he walks around with an adult sized fanny pack on! He looks like such the ladies man...
Overheard
Kid 1: I'm addicted to myspace.
Kid 2: You got your own space?
that started coming in at the beginning of the school year with his nephews (he's 15 and the "nephews" think it is hilarious they can call him their uncle) to get on the computers. Leo came in one day and asked if I could help him with a project. Well sure I can! After that I noticed he rarely came in and when he did it wasn't to play on the computers anymore it was only when he needed help on a project. Needless to say, I don't see him all that much anymore. His first project was really cool... he had to make up his own Greek God or Goddess. The assignment gave them complete creativity but you know how some kids (and grown ups) are... they have the worst time getting the creative juices flowing. So, I basically just asked him a bunch of questions about the project. He did it all himself and his illustration was unbelievable. Anyway, he finally told me today that he made a 95 on that first project!!!!!!!!!!! Score!!!! Just one of those things that kind of touched my heart I guess. I feel like I'm who he goes to for homework help now. And because of that I might be helping him improve his grades! I'm not his tutor and I don't DO the work for him I just point him in the right direction to get it done and done right.... And he doesn't abuse it. I see him like maybe once a month now. He came in Tuesday for some more help and we got about half-way through and he had to go, said he would come back. Showed up today, we found him some info and he left. Said he could write the paper at home. Just makes me feel all mushy inside to think that some of my kids don't just come in for the computer... they come in for me! "I have no idea how to do this project... what am I gonna do? *gasp* I can go to the library! Miss Librarian will be able to help me figure this out!!!" Ok, so that probably isn't the dialogue running through their head but it works for me. = )
Dragons Are Not Real
I just had a lady with her 4th grader ask me for some dragon books. I said, "You mean dragon stories?" and the mom says, "No, real information about dragons." I was trying to be really polite and tell her that since dragons aren't really real, that we would have some books probably close to the fairy tales. We found a couple and she seemed satisfied, but I'm pretty darn sure she still thinks they are real.... ;)
The Lottery
A kid comes in yesterday (he's 13) and says he needs to find the temperature for Austin from January until now. Upon further questioning, he says he really only needs the weather for Wednesdays and Saturdays. We find the weather data pretty easily and then he says he needs the humidity for those days too, which was a little harder to find, but we found it. He mentions that he's looking up this info for his dad. I happen to look at the paper he's working from and notice it says something about Lotto numbers from January to now as well as the weather info. I asked him (totally neutrally, I hope) if his dad was trying to figure out if there was a correlation between the weather and lotto numbers. He said, yes, that his dad was working on a formula to help him win the lottery based on the weather!
Ladies Man
I have this little kid that has started coming to the library, he's Hispanic and hardly speaks any english. It is SO cute though - he walks around with an adult sized fanny pack on! He looks like such the ladies man...
Overheard
Kid 1: I'm addicted to myspace.
Kid 2: You got your own space?
3.08.2006
He's actually a quite, nice kid...
I can hardly believe it, but I have had to ask another patron to leave today.
Charles (teen, wears large "diamond" earring) for reasons that I cannot understand, decided to take off his pants in the computer area.
I asked him what he was doing, and he argued with me for 5 minutes that his pants were simply too big and fell off "by accident" and he refused to make any sort of effort to hold his pants up.
I told him he had to leave for the day. Unbelievable.
Ghostrider a.k.a. paperclip boy
I just had a kid ask me if I thought he could get the world record for having the longest chain made out of paperclips. We looked it up on Guinness and couldn't find a record, so he said he wants to be the one to have it. Itold him he'd need a lot of paperclips to make it a record. Immediately following that statement I heard, "Miss, can I borrow your paperclips?" That would be a negative Ghostrider... (sorry, top gun is on the brain!):) It just made me laugh that he thought I'd give him my paperclips just tomake a chain!
(A friend of paper clip boy just came and asked me if I had any paper clips. I said, "Are they for Eddie?" and he just starting grinning. Again, negative Ghostrider.)
S.W.A.K.
There are 2 11 year old kids who are planning their first kiss. The kids here are just buzzing about it. They all want to go watch and they're talking about how the boy is probably going to chicken out. It is so cute!
<2>
They just kissed. The girls ran back in here to tell me. Then the boys ran over there to check it out.
Spark
Kid comes in at 4:40, asks for a computer. Can he wait until 5? No. He's leaving then.
What does he need? Spark Notes for "Julius Caesar." I hand him an extra copy of the Cliff Notes for Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" I happen to have hanging around (left over from my own kids' high school days). He says, no I don't want that, because I have to have the original language.
I told him it's just the same (I open the table of contents and show him). But no, it's got to be Spark Notes. He finds an open non-homework computer for 15 minutes and proceeds to print out Spark Notes at $.20 per page.
Honestly, I did try!
Birth Day
I have two home schooled girls that come to the library just about every day. One of them is really in to matmice.com where you can make your own website and she's always looking for things to put on her site. She was logging on to the computer and said, "Look, I found a site where you can get your own calendar. You just put in your birthday and it marks off the days until it's your birthday."
I looked at the site she was logging on to: fertilityfriend.com!!! I tried so hard not to laugh but couldn't help it, I started cracking up. I told her that I didn't think that was what she was looking for, that it was a site for people trying to get pregnant. She freaked out a little and said she didn't know that and then started laughing too. I had to go to the staff room to get all my giggles out....well, ok, I'm STILL laughing, it was hilarious!
Same as it ever was
Art: Miss, do you get paid for this?
Me: Yes, this is my job.
Art: Oh, I thought it was community service or something...
Me: No, this is my job. I get paid to be here.
Random Conversation
Alex and Betsy are twins, probably 6th grade.
Betsy: Mom's coming to pick us up at 8
Alex: Where are you going?
Betsy: No where. Why do you think I'm going somewhere?
Alex: You got that look like you gonna try to go somewhere.
Betsy: No, I'm goin out here with Essence.
Random Kid: Dang, you sound like her babysitter.
Alex: I am. She always trippin' tryin to go somewhere. She don't need to go nowhere.
Me: Alex, you are such a good brother.
Alex: *blank stare*
Let Us Share
14-year old girl working on myspace.com:
"Miss, how do you spell share?"
Me: s-h-a-r-e ...couple of minutes pass...
"Miss, how do you spell lettuce"
Me: l-e-t-t-u-c-e
I wanted to so badly to ask her the connection, but I restrained myself!!
I can hardly believe it, but I have had to ask another patron to leave today.
Charles (teen, wears large "diamond" earring) for reasons that I cannot understand, decided to take off his pants in the computer area.
I asked him what he was doing, and he argued with me for 5 minutes that his pants were simply too big and fell off "by accident" and he refused to make any sort of effort to hold his pants up.
I told him he had to leave for the day. Unbelievable.
Ghostrider a.k.a. paperclip boy
I just had a kid ask me if I thought he could get the world record for having the longest chain made out of paperclips. We looked it up on Guinness and couldn't find a record, so he said he wants to be the one to have it. Itold him he'd need a lot of paperclips to make it a record. Immediately following that statement I heard, "Miss, can I borrow your paperclips?" That would be a negative Ghostrider... (sorry, top gun is on the brain!):) It just made me laugh that he thought I'd give him my paperclips just tomake a chain!
(A friend of paper clip boy just came and asked me if I had any paper clips. I said, "Are they for Eddie?" and he just starting grinning. Again, negative Ghostrider.)
S.W.A.K.
There are 2 11 year old kids who are planning their first kiss. The kids here are just buzzing about it. They all want to go watch and they're talking about how the boy is probably going to chicken out. It is so cute!
<2>
They just kissed. The girls ran back in here to tell me. Then the boys ran over there to check it out.
Spark
Kid comes in at 4:40, asks for a computer. Can he wait until 5? No. He's leaving then.
What does he need? Spark Notes for "Julius Caesar." I hand him an extra copy of the Cliff Notes for Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" I happen to have hanging around (left over from my own kids' high school days). He says, no I don't want that, because I have to have the original language.
I told him it's just the same (I open the table of contents and show him). But no, it's got to be Spark Notes. He finds an open non-homework computer for 15 minutes and proceeds to print out Spark Notes at $.20 per page.
Honestly, I did try!
Birth Day
I have two home schooled girls that come to the library just about every day. One of them is really in to matmice.com where you can make your own website and she's always looking for things to put on her site. She was logging on to the computer and said, "Look, I found a site where you can get your own calendar. You just put in your birthday and it marks off the days until it's your birthday."
I looked at the site she was logging on to: fertilityfriend.com!!! I tried so hard not to laugh but couldn't help it, I started cracking up. I told her that I didn't think that was what she was looking for, that it was a site for people trying to get pregnant. She freaked out a little and said she didn't know that and then started laughing too. I had to go to the staff room to get all my giggles out....well, ok, I'm STILL laughing, it was hilarious!
Same as it ever was
Art: Miss, do you get paid for this?
Me: Yes, this is my job.
Art: Oh, I thought it was community service or something...
Me: No, this is my job. I get paid to be here.
Random Conversation
Alex and Betsy are twins, probably 6th grade.
Betsy: Mom's coming to pick us up at 8
Alex: Where are you going?
Betsy: No where. Why do you think I'm going somewhere?
Alex: You got that look like you gonna try to go somewhere.
Betsy: No, I'm goin out here with Essence.
Random Kid: Dang, you sound like her babysitter.
Alex: I am. She always trippin' tryin to go somewhere. She don't need to go nowhere.
Me: Alex, you are such a good brother.
Alex: *blank stare*
Let Us Share
14-year old girl working on myspace.com:
"Miss, how do you spell share?"
Me: s-h-a-r-e ...couple of minutes pass...
"Miss, how do you spell lettuce"
Me: l-e-t-t-u-c-e
I wanted to so badly to ask her the connection, but I restrained myself!!
