School year 2014-2015 is upon us…

As an Aussie, we only really had one start to the year… January 1st was New Years Day, and at the end of that month, we started school, a year, was a year, was a year. For the last ten years working in American International Schools, it’s been a learning curve hearing people discussing last year; in October, and realising they are referring to March. I feel like I get to have a fresh start twice a year now.

So, with a new year on the doorstep, what are my plans, hopes and dreams for this third year as a teacher librarian at Shanghai American School?

I plan to: Blog more regularly, improving my blog to be a trusted, current resource for students, teachers and parents by providing reviews of new and old books, and links to great book-lists.

I hope to: Be more decisive about how I run the library so that people have a consistent model to rely on. I tend to vacillate between wanting structured lessons and providing a flexible schedule; I need to be clear on what I want, so that others know what to expect from me, and what I expect from them.

I dream of: The library being the favourite place in the school for all types of students, of it being a creative, maker space, fluid and energetic, with nooks for silence, and nooks for play, sharing, and solitude. I want students to remember my library long after they leave; I dream of it being a highlight of their childhood.

What are your plans, hopes and dreams for the coming school year?

*photo taken by my husband Simon Power. Nanpu Bridge at sunset, Shanghai, China.