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The Orphan in My Family Tree: Belonging
Forty Years on the Great Plains The 1920s brought the ordinary rhythms of small-town family life for. Fritz and Theresa’s family — trips to visit relatives, notices of paid labor, the day-to-day texture that fills life between headline moments. And then, in quick succession, came loss. On November 6, 1925, Theresa passed away in Hartington…
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The Orphan in My Family Tree: Grace and Hard Luck
Fritz and Theresa Content Warning: Before you dive into this piece of my family’s history, I want to gently share that this story touches on themes of addiction. If this topic is difficult or triggering for you, please feel free to sit this one out or come back to it another day. Take care of yourself. The…
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The Orphan in My Family Tree: A New Home on the Prairie
The Orphan in My Family Tree is the true tale of my ongoing search for information about the origins of my great great grandpa Fritz, who was orphaned in New York City in the late 1870s and sent as a young boy to live with a foster family in Bow Valley, Nebraska. Fritz Arrives in Bow Valley…
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The Two Faces of the Work
I’ve been digitally carrying this screenshot mashup for a while now. I keep coming back to this picture pairing because it so clearly shows what I know about my profession: librarianship holds joy and gravity in the same hand. In the first image, our small group is gathered around a conference table, and every face…
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Speaking Up: Considering Professional Identity in Online Engagement
If you work in education, you’ve no doubt seen the National Education Association’s Free Speech Cheat Sheet for Public School Educators. This list outlines professional conduct that will keep you on the right side of the law, as well as in line with almost any district policy. You can find a deeper dive into educators’…
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Reading is Life
The last week of the school year hits different every year. While the circulation stats, anecdotal evidence, and conversations with colleagues reveal many of our students are reading more than last year, we still have so very many students who are struggling and below grade level. I do not despair for them, because the teachers…
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The Orphan in My Family Tree, Part 10
Meet the Parents (Maybe) This is Part 10 of The Orphan in My Family Tree. What is usually the true tale of my ongoing search for information about the origins of my great great grandpa Fritz (who was orphaned in New York City in the late 1870s, and whose last name appears throughout his life as both “Brandt”…
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The Orphan in My Family Tree, Part 9
This is Part 9 of The Orphan in My Family Tree. It is the true tale of my ongoing search for information about the origins of my great great grandpa Fritz, who was orphaned in New York City in the late 1870s and sent as a young boy to live with a foster family in Bow Valley, Nebraska.…
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A Taxonomy of the Middle School Library Patron
Middle schoolers are a specific kind of human. They are simultaneously the most earnest and the most performatively indifferent people on the planet. They will die of embarrassment if you compliment their book choice in front of their friends, and then come back the next day alone to tell you they loved it and need…
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You Belong Here (And So Does Everything Else, Apparently)
The narrative details a hectic week in a middle school library, highlighting the multifaceted responsibilities of a librarian. It begins with the librarian setting up a “You Belong Here” theme while juggling tasks like managing inter-library loans and addressing a parent complaint about a book. Each day presents unique challenges: hosting events, coordinating logistics, and…
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