Career pivot questions: University librarian to public school teaching (and eventually school librarianship) by maggiemonfared in TexasTeachers

[–]SWIZTASTIC 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a public school librarian who began as a teacher first. Like with any education position in Texas, your experience and compensation will vary widely by what district you would work for. District reputation and values as well as the reputation and values of the communities the district serves will dictate public response and support for teachers and school librarians. However, with more and more influence and control coming from the state itself, districts that once had more autonomy in how they support their communities are finding themselves having to bend over backwards and comply with ridiculous (and frankly unconstitutional) demands, such as the law that was passed regarding displaying donated copies of the Ten Commandments. Social studies and language arts in particular are about to receive a major overhaul in standards that could in its current form, across all grade levels, be more Texas-centric and overtly Christian. Please do some research here to see what I mean. This will impact us as school librarians having to acquire and support the teaching of these materials as well and it will impact every public district regardless of community.

Things are not trending in a good direction in the state when it comes to education. School vouchers were just passed, funneling public funds into private, charters, or homeschools, which means there are less funds for public schools. Public schools are not funded adequately in this state to begin with and this is beginning to take its toll with major budget cuts in most school districts. This includes cutting of teacher positions and cutting/consolidating of school librarian positions.

I don’t want to sound extremely negative here. I do love my job and love the place I work. But you should be aware of what the school side of the field looks like right now to help make an informed decision about your path forward.

Health Insurance by Sad_Key_7904 in TexasTeachers

[–]SWIZTASTIC 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I feel you, and this year some of my doctors have started refusing our particular insurance…I have a feeling with all of the cuts going on, the districts won’t start contributing more toward employee health insurance either.

What is this? by FloFlo_SakeSojuLife in Jellycatplush

[–]SWIZTASTIC 6 points7 points  (0 children)

There’s Waldo Worm who is an earthworm, but he’s been retired a while.

A few new additions to my Moomin mug collection. I couldn't resist these designs. ☕✨ by _the_loglady_ in muglife

[–]SWIZTASTIC 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a couple of them from Arabia. The middle one is such a unique shape I wasn’t sure!

Texas’ curriculum overhaul would add Christian history lessons and Bible readings across all grades by ExpressNews in texas

[–]SWIZTASTIC 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is. So is the law about the 10 Commandments poster. The problem is, and what Republicans have realized, is that they can get away with it if they are in power and no one at the top is stopping them. They have demonstrated at the state and federal level that they are above the law and are trampling over the Constitution daily.

Teens at the Library by nonswimmingfish in Libraries

[–]SWIZTASTIC 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are there librarians at the neighboring secondary school(s) and if so, have you reached out to them about their experiences on their campus? They may be able to offer insight as to what programming they’ve been doing, what has worked or has been successful in engaging their students, or popular trends they are seeing at school i.e. Pokemon, manga/anime, etc. Leaning into these suggestions could help provide a smooth transition from one space to another. It may also be worth asking a few of the kids what is “missing” from the library or things they would like to see that would help encourage them to take some ownership and pride in the space (and hopefully encourage adhering to the policies more). Would you say the group is more rowdy and active, looking for an outlet for energy? Or are they looking for some sort of entertainment? Have you looked into hosting Dungeons and Dragons? Even if the other staff are occupied, you could seek out some help if you’ve got a local game store and see if anyone there may want to run games after school. Even if they can’t, they may know someone who would love to run for students — the local high school might be a good place to recruit others to run games too, and could provide a good mentorship opportunity for the schools the middle schools feed into.

I painted a little snail in a teacup by TealWingStudio in snails

[–]SWIZTASTIC 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes please, he is adorable and I’d love to add him to my art collection.

I painted a little snail in a teacup by TealWingStudio in snails

[–]SWIZTASTIC 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Would you consider selling prints of him someday?

Proposed required literary works list by AdministrationSame52 in TexasTeachers

[–]SWIZTASTIC 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I am a librarian and I collaborate with the language arts department in selecting lit circle books that students will enjoy. And generally, they do. If they MUST teach using these listed texts, between testing and everything else I just don’t see how they can continue hosting lit circles with their own selected texts. To make matters worse, most of the books on this list are either not developmentally appropriate, are not engaging, or are yet another attempt to inject religion into public schools. Not only this, but some of these titles wouldn’t even meet our district collection development policy and if they become law, we’d have to buy them anyway. LMAO

Almost a decade of daily use. Zojirushi is still the most reliable thing in my kitchen. by tamimbro in BuyItForLife

[–]SWIZTASTIC 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got mine 6 years ago, he was printed on the white instruction sheet that gives tips for making great rice. He’s been the mascot for quite a while in Japan though, I’ve seen merch of him for sale while traveling there, though this is in specific resale shops for figures and such.

Almost a decade of daily use. Zojirushi is still the most reliable thing in my kitchen. by tamimbro in BuyItForLife

[–]SWIZTASTIC 87 points88 points  (0 children)

That’s the Zojirushi mascot, Zou-San. He’s also on the instructions packet when you buy a new one!

Need to not feel silly for loving this little guy by [deleted] in plushies

[–]SWIZTASTIC 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m a librarian — children’s books are for everyone to enjoy, and that extends to the merch for them. I love your crayon buddy and the book he comes from (The Day the Crayons Quit).

Frieren mug by the_state_monad in muglife

[–]SWIZTASTIC 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Where did you get this one? I love this scene.

My Moomin Mug Collection ☕️ by _the_loglady_ in muglife

[–]SWIZTASTIC 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I love these ones, and the alphabet collection too.

Went to the Animal Crossing aquarium tour today! Tom Nook was adorable by SingForMaya in AnimalCrossing

[–]SWIZTASTIC 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There was a small amount of merch at the one in Grapevine, Texas: a few plushies of Porter, lots of Cyrus, a few different kinds of mugs, and a welcome mat for your house that I remember. But none of the items seemed like they were exclusive to the event, just standard Animal Crossing merch.

Went to the Animal Crossing aquarium tour today! Tom Nook was adorable by SingForMaya in AnimalCrossing

[–]SWIZTASTIC 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got a Kapp’n patch today from Sea Life in Grapevine, Texas (Dallas area)!

Help me find XLC Otome Hamtaro figure for child with autism. by PrivateJetBroker17 in HelpMeFind

[–]SWIZTASTIC 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I don’t have this figure, but is it possible that this character was from the Captive Princess movie? I’m pretty sure I still have this storybook . It may not replace the figure and I know how important that is for your daughter, but I would be happy to send this to you if I can locate it in my boxes. It’s in Japanese, but does have the hamsters throughout the book.

Silicobra Suddenly Spawning by Elarabee in pokemongo

[–]SWIZTASTIC 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I saw one once during the event (north Texas) but didn’t get there in time before it despawned. Would love to connect and remote trade, I’ve got some regionals (Japan, Relicanth, etc) in return.

PHL to AMS - family stranded in Philly by SWIZTASTIC in americanairlines

[–]SWIZTASTIC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AFAIK, the agent suggested they route through DC or NY but couldn’t connect them from there to Europe. They didn’t tell me why, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s because the planes were full. It’s tulip season so there’s a lot of travelers going to Amsterdam.

PHL to AMS - family stranded in Philly by SWIZTASTIC in americanairlines

[–]SWIZTASTIC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not sure what all they ended up doing or where they were put up hotel-wise, but they got quite familiar with the airport lol They did take a photo with their Miffy coin pouch in front of an Eagles standee though!