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?
