Jean Darnell: Awaken Librarian

Here's my last post of the year...I think! Lol! It's been a rough year, but the good news is that I've inspiration for a wondrous 2018! With that being said, I bet it would surprise most of you to know that I wanted to be a park ranger when I was younger. It's was a "wildling wish" that I abandoned after thinking I was too chunky for a ballerina and had altitude sickness to prevent me from piloting a plane! I wanted to learn about the plants and surviving with the earth. I knew it would inspire my writing and creativity. Plus, I could connect with nature without the cages of the zoo. But then the thought of crossing paths with a cougar reminded me of the need for cages and pushed me away from that aspiration too! Fear is such the motivator! Where am I going with this? Though this city girl talked herself out of one of her dreams, doesn't mean you should. When you're looking for direction, don't let fear guide your compass. Self-doubt eats a...

The end of the year is THANKFULLY near! WE MADE IT!!! To couple along with the relaxed pace (now that testing's finished too), we're slow-jamming in the library with Cedella Marley's Every Little Thing with illustrations by my wonderful friend, Vanessa Brantley Newton !

Good Morning! This is a rare occasion Saturday post! I've created this poster below for representation of our district's motto: "Inspire, equip, imagine." Please send out positive energy for this entry! :)

Expressing gratitude is an amazing positive experience, if done correctly. Some folks go overboard, others are more understated. But nothing could have started out my week on a good note than being thanked by my favorite illustrator/author, Dan Santat ! @awakenlibrarian Thank you — Dan Santat (@dsantat) February 8, 2015 @dsantat You made my week, truly!:) I thanked you here: http://t.co/lGa5Eu2EzA Be well, friend! — awakenlibrarian (@awakenlibrarian) February 9, 2015 His acknowledgement of me let my students know that it is possible to connect with your mentors and role-models, but more importantly, the validation in gratitude. Thank you Mr. Santat...you're GAWESOME! (My combo of the words "good" and "awesome!") "Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts." Henri Frederic Amiel P.S. Now let's get to reading Crankenst...

Here's the lesson for this month...a persuasive letter to Santa Claus! The prizes are as follows 1st place: the full collection of Diary of the Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney 2nd place: the full collection of The Dork Diaries series by Rachel Renee Russell 3rd place: the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi Some proof that even teachers can get in on the UGLY SWEATER fun! And this was my attempt at a Christmas Display. I had lights but had to remove them for a fire-safety measures: Here's my "Holiday Greeting" to you all! This was just a quirky video find...it's spunky humor based on two holiday classics!

I love Ted Talks and especially those by kids. Therefore, when I came across Ted's blog with "Impressive Kid Ted Talks," I immediately had to share with you! One of my favorite talks are listed embedded below. Those of my students that follow my blog, be INSPIRED for you can have your own Ted Talk one day soon! Thomas Suarez: A 12-year-old app developer Perhaps you have used Thomas Suarez’s most famous iPhone app, the whack-a-mole game “Bustin Jeiber”? While most kids his age were playing online games, Suarez was learning how to make them. At TEDxManhattanBeach, he shares how he is sharing his knowledge and teaching other kids to develop apps too. Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids Childish thinking is worthy of real attention, says 12-year-old short story scribe and blogger Adora Svitak at TED2010. Instead of looking just to teach kids, Svitak urges grown-ups to try to learn from them too. Sirena Huang: An 11-year-old’s magical violin Sirena H...