Blog Post #5

Julie Brown

Organize an Outstanding Classroom Library

My favorite quote from this chapter came at the very end.  “My goal is to transform my room from a classroom with a library in it to a library with a classroom in it”.  How amazing would that be if we thought of our rooms as libraries first?  There were several things mentioned here that made me think.  First of all, I am so grateful that we were able to receive all the books recently.  It shows that this classroom library aspect is a top priority in our district.  Secondly, I am grateful for Kelli Wolfe and our other reading coaches who can help organize these classroom libraries.  They are an awesome resource if you aren’t using them yet! Finally, as a side note, I know as a language arts teacher the biggest problem I had with a classroom library was its organization.  I must admit, only a few of my titles were on prominent display.  I did not create a list of books with my students that they would like to see in the library.  The best I could manage at the time was trying to buy a new book (that interested me……) when I heard kids talking about it.  We are all at different stages of development where the classroom library is concerned.  However, after reading this chapter, there is no arguing the importance of the classroom library.