Warm Fuzzies

I love my job. Tonight I feel very appreciated. I was presented with the Classified Employee of the Year for Marshall Lane. When I was presented with the award, my principal Dr. Carrie Andrews said some nice words about me and I think I might have said "thank you" but my brain tends to fall out in front of large groups so I didn't say anything else. I'd like to say something here.

I've been in charge of the library at Marshall Lane for the last 10 years and the lab for the last 3 or 4 and it has been an honor to work alongside so many wonderful educators. They do important work and it gives me great satisfaction to support them in their work. It also gives me great joy to help kids connect with books.

When I was first hired to be the library clerk, my two daughters, who are both in college now, were still students at Marshall Lane and it seemed like the perfect job for a mom with kids in school because I'd have afternoons off. And back then, I didn't have to be at work until 10! It was a fun little job and the library had it's own grant so there was lots of money to spend. Ah, the good ol' days. Then my youngest graduated 5th grade and I found myself with a decision to make. Do I leave Marshall Lane since my kids have left or should I stick around? Well, that's when I realized that I really loved the job and I decided that not only would I stick around, I would really throw myself into it. Plus, the library was going to move to a new building and that would be awesome! (For those who don't remember, the old library is now the teachers lounge!) I wanted to learn more about my job so I joined the calibk12 mailing list so I could evesdrop on librarians (which I still do!) and I started going to workshops and then I went back to school and earned an A.S. in Library and Information Technology from Cuesta College.

I've learned so much in the last ten years and I've strived to put that knowledge into practice at Marshall Lane and to continue learning and growing. I'm inspired by the amazing teachers I work with who are so creative and so dedicated to their craft. I'm grateful to my principals who have listened to my ideas and encouraged me to run with them. I'm thankful for our supportive parent community; the volunteers without whom the library and lab could not function and the PTA that ensures that the library gets new books every year and helps keep our technology current. But the best days are when students bring me drawings that say "Reading Rocks" or "I love the library."

Truly this education thing is a team effort and I'm so proud to be a part of the Marshall Lane team. It feels really good to know that the people I have such respect for have noticed what I do and value it. Thank you all!