I really love my job as an elementary librarian. I never know what my little kids are going to say next. They make me laugh so often. This year I am at two schools. Monday-Thursday I am at Washington Elementary K-5 and on Friday I am at Rose Park a K-6 school. Rose Park has another part time librarian - Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
One Friday a youngster (1st grader) came in to check out a book. He skidded to a halt when he saw me sitting behind the desk instead of "his" librarian. He gave me the once over and his face betrayed every thought going on behind his eyes. As I watched his face I knew he had come to a decision and so I waited.
"Can you EVEN check out books?" my young man queried.
"I think I can handle that."
"Good. I want a book."
"What kind of book?"
"Science. I like science."
I took him over to the shelves and found him some books about animals. None of them met with his approval.
"No, I want the ones on the cart. My friends find them on the cart." (Books are on the cart waiting to be shelved. On this day there are not many on the cart.)
I try to interest him in some other likely books and again they do not meet his approval. I finally let him browse through the books on the cart. He finds an old Star Wars book and proudly brings it to me.
Again I watch his expressions dance across his face as I ask his name and punch it into the computer, then scan the book. As I hand the book to him I hear a soft exhalation of breath. Until that moment he wasn't convinced that I really knew how to - check out books.
Showing my age, but wasn't it Art Linkletter who had a show something like "Kids say the Darndest Things"? You gotta love them.
ReplyDeleteYes, and before that he always had a segment on his daily program even when it was on the radio.
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