The first time I went to Yunasa in 2015, I was extremely nervous. At the time, I was pretty much the textbook introvert, having been homeschooled for almost two years. Additionally, I had gone the year before to a sea camp, where I was bullied by the three boys who I shared a room with. Because of this, I was very anxious as we pulled into the line of cars forming at the camp entrance. As I sat in my backseat with the windows up, I began to notice a few of the other kids getting out of their parent’s cars and playing tag. Initially, I didn’t want to leave the safety of my aunt’s car. However, after some coaxing from my mother and aunt, I decided to venture outside and meet the others. About two seconds later, I was shocked to see every one of those campers come over to introduce themselves to me and welcome me to camp. Not only that, but the kids then asked if I wanted to join them in their game. It took around 40 minutes for all of our parent’s cars to reach check-in and by the time the campers had all congregated in the Dance Hall, any fears I had about the camp had melted away.

During my first year at camp, Yunasa was a place where I learned I could be myself without the fear of being rejected or criticized by my peers. For the first few days, whenever I would try to isolate myself (as I had a tendency to do in those days), there was always a swarm of campers who would come up and convince me to join their games. One camper in particular, Noah, was extremely welcoming when I first arrived, immediately taking me under his wing and introducing me to many of the older campers. As I started to feel more comfortable around the other kids, it didn’t take long for me to become good friends with most everyone there (including the counselors and elders), many of whom I am still in contact with to this day.

At last, I had found a group of people where I felt comfortable being myself, where I could be interested in something like genetics and not draw scrutiny from my peers. While, at the time, I was far too nervous to participate in the camp’s annual talent show, I still vividly remember all the creativity and excitement present throughout the performances. Though many of the campers performing have since left, I have enjoyed maintaining fairly frequent contact with many of them, further strengthening the bonds I formed at camp. By the time camp had come to a close at the end of the week, I truly felt like I had found a second family, one to which I still feel deeply connected to this day.

My second year at Yunasa was filled with excitement and friendship. Within about five minutes of arriving, I managed to get hugs from probably 90% of the returning campers. It took almost no time for me to acquaint myself with all of the new campers, unbelievably happy to be starting the new year. Throughout camp, I made it my personal goal to learn to be more open to differing points of view, something which has since proven extremely helpful in creating friendships both within and outside of camp. I was lucky enough that year to meet an amazing lady named Qiao, who is currently the Yunasa Coordinator. She and I are very good friends, and I always look forward to seeing her at camp. For the most part, I spent my second year excited to be back amongst my friends, around people who could I could relate to.

That year had been very difficult for me as my brother had become very sick. While he and I do tend to argue quite a bit, I would be unable to cope if anything ever happened to him. For the better part of five months, I had bottled up that anxiety, allowing it to consume me as it slowly turned into depression. At first, I was very reluctant to share about the issue, even among my friends at camp, as I didn’t want to be judged or called a sissy, as I had been back home. When I finally did share, however, those fears were quickly washed away, and I was immediately met with multiple warm hugs and words of encouragement. I came away from camp feeling much more optimistic and even now I think back to that week whenever I’m feeling low. While Yunasa did not eliminate my depression, it set me on the way to working through it. Though I was still teary eyed as my aunt’s car pulled away, I came out of my second year with many new friends and a rekindled determination to keep in even better touch with fellow campers than the year before.

Admittedly, I was squirming in my seat with anticipation as my aunt drove my cousin and I through the main entrance of camp this past summer. Eager to see my friends, excited to meet new campers, exhilarated by the mountain air, one could say I was quite ready to be back. Throughout the week, I spent dozens of hours doing activities which involved as many campers as possible, growing ever more aware that the next year would be my last for some time. Determined to not allow a moment to slip through my fingers, I brought along a camera to document my experience. I have pictures of s’mores roasting, the camp dance night, the talent show and so much more. Truly, I don’t think I could have ever been prepared for the amount of fun I had that year.

These spring math grids have been created as an engaging, free printable math activity for your classroom (coordinate grids.)

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You can use these spring math grids to give your students geometry practice with a seasonal theme.

We hope these coordinate grid activities are a fun addition to your classroom!

This spring set includes five different versions. We have included the following themes: picnic, bugs, Earth Day, gardening and spring showers.

Each grid contains one axis with letters and one axis with numbers. Spring pictures are used to match the theme of each page.

Students go over and then up to find the coordinates for each shape.

There are many ways you might choose to use these printable pages to give your students math practice.

These simple pages provide a good morning entry task if you are required to have students complete a paper and pencil task when they enter your room.

You might choose to place these math grids at a center or work on a small group with one of these task pages.

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If you are required to send home homework, these pages will provide good practice but will not require too much time.

We know spring fever sets in as soon as the weather starts to turn, our hope is that these grids are engaging enough for your students to stay focused and provide practice with a needed skill.

As always, this set is intended to be free for teachers. Please feel free to print and share with your classroom and parents.

You may not sell or modify and sell these spring math grids in any form. Please help us keep our resources free for all!

The new national standards for Libraries was released November 10, 2017 for sale. The book cost $199.00, and takes the three previous library standards documents and combines them into one complete with scenarios, helpful infographics, and more.

While the book is expensive, available only from the American Library Association, South Carolina Librarians can purchase it for just $99. In January and February 2018, there are slated Librarian Regional Meetings collectively planned by Regina Thurmond of the South Carolina Department of Education, Dr. Karen Gavigan of the University of South Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science, and Cathy Jo Nelson, President of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians. Plans for this librarian focused professional development include a general session keynote and breakout sessions that feature these brand new AASL National Standards for School Librarians. Those interested in making this purchase at the discounted price should visit scasl.net/standards to act now. Those who make the purchase by December 15, 2017 will have their copy for the Librarians Professional Development Regional Meetings.

Tags: #SCASL1718, AASL

This was asked today on our SCASL Listserv by a 2nd grade teacher, and I responded.

Can anybody send me suggestions on where you received your MLIS? I’d rather take classes online. I hope this is ok to ask!

I decided to share my thoughts here as well.

My name is Cathy Jo Nelson, and I am the current President of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, and am a product of the phenomenal MLIS Program from the University of South Carolina’s School of Library Information Science (1997). USC-SLIS prepared me so well for my career choice to move into a school library. Every class I took was extremely relevant and made me quite the “future-ready” librarian I am even today.

I am proud to say that USC-SLIS is totally committed to all SC Librarians, and works hand in hand with SCASL and our very own state department of education liaison, Regina Thurmond, to make SC Librarians the very best in the nation. Truly together, USC-SLIS, SCASL and the SC SDE have created a partnership for professional development targeting librarians that is one of the strongest in the nation, and other states and SLIS programs vie to pattern after. I attribute this dominantly to our proactive MLIS Program from USC-SLIS.

You won’t find a more caring staff of adjunct and full professors. You will find yourself completely ready to pass certification exams after only a few courses. You will find yourself on the cutting bloody edge of technology in education, best practices in teaching and learning, and totally embracing the concept of collaborative partnerships within the school and community, all to benefit the young minds educators are charged to teach.

Another great take-away from getting your MLIS Degree from USC-SLIS is the lifelong connection you will have. My professors and classmates even today remain friends and mentors to me in my professional practice. I can pick up the phone or text, tweet, or email and within minutes usually have a response, answers, or readily available ideas for a project or problem, and often even an expert to consult.

I graduated from the USC-SLIS program in 1997, fully certified and ready to take on any school library program, equipped with skills and expertise to be a trail blazer in my first library job in, of all places, your district, Aiken County (New Ellenton Middle.) The position I took in the fall of 1997 was for a part time librarian, part time middle school English teacher. While disappointed it wasn’t a full time position in the library, I gladly took on the challenge of running a dynamic library program while splitting my time between middle school English classes. I had no assistant, so essentially closed and locked those doors for half a day. I did not complain, though, but rather made the best of my situation, seeking to collaborate, offer technology professional development, and working to get kids, teachers, and community involved in library programming when the library was open. I used everything I’d been taught from USC-SLIS to make this part time librarianship the best I could bring to that school. By the end of the first nine weeks, my principal was enamored, and not only hired a full time library assistant so the now active and thriving library never had to be closed during the school day, but also hired a part time teacher to take on my English classes taught half of my day. I was finally a full time librarian, able to collaborate, work to improve the collection, teach teachers about best practices in technology and instruction, and become the librarian I am today.

I will close with this. The return on my investment in choosing the University of South Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science Program is immeasurable in many ways. As a younger professional married to a football coach, I followed my husband’s coaching career all over this state from district to district (Orangeburg, Aiken, Chester, York/Rock Hill 3, Horry, and now Spartanburg 6.) I never struggled to prove I was capable of taking any existing library program and making it better, no matter where these moves took me, and often despite typical public school library issues (fixed schedules, limited budgets, etc.) I have thrived in all the positions I have had. I attribute that to not only my training from USC-SLIS, but also the continued support from this very same institution.

Everyone wants their kid to do well.

I get it.

This is probably an instinct that goes all the way back to cavemen.  I can just imagine how proud the cave parents must have been when little cavekid, jr. came back from a hunt where he had captured the biggest rabbit.

So proud.

Parents live for their children’s successes.

Now, instead of rabbits, it’s games.  The more the better.

Travel this.  Club that.  All Stars.  Select teams.

The farther away a team is the better it must be.  Bonus points if your child plays out-of-state.

Double-bonus points if they play with older kids.

I think this is great, but we have forgotten half of the process.

Parents should also live for their child’s failures.

This may sound terrible, but it’s true.

Our children have to learn not to touch a hot stove.  Sometimes they learn this lesson best immediately after they touch a hot stove.

There are lessons to be learned in striking out, making an error, fumbling, hitting a ball out-of-bounds, and losing.

Failing has gotten a bad rap.

Our society wants to take it completely out of the equation.  We seem to have a need to protect our kids from the awful feeling of finishing second.

We might do this because we no longer have to protect our children from wild animals or any of the other unspeakable dangers cave people experienced.

We seem to believe if our kids always succeed, they will always succeed.

The truth is, if we want our children to be successful, they have to know how to fail and how to respond to failure.

Everyone is going to get knocked down sooner or later.  My fear is too many of today’s kids won’t know how to get up.

I continually see parents who are willing to do anything to make sure their child doesn’t fail.

They will spend any amount of money.  Put them on any team.  Drive them any distance.

Yell at any adult who doesn’t put their child on a pedestal and give them a trophy.

Make untold sacrifices just so their son or daughter can experience success.

And the truth is the best way for them to experience this elusive feeling of success is not more, it’s less.

Let them fail.  They will live.

Now, they won’t thank us for this.  In fact, as parents we may have to be the bad guy.

At least for awhile.

But one day, they will be happy their parents let them fail.

Just not today.