Oops! I forgot to post this one from October 23!

October 23, 2014

Greetings!

Every Other Thursday, you’ll get this short, fun, relevant newsletter.  It will contain a quote or smile about the library and those who love it, an idea you can use to promote your library or reading in general, a Common Core implementation idea and a shameless plug for the programs I offer.  Enjoy! 

If you are new to EOT or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

Quotes about reading

Here’s a tip! – Lunchroom Library

Common Core – Collaboration – What it looks like!

Shameless Plug – Free Half Day of Assembly Programs to be given away!

Library Quote/Smile

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”

Victor Hugo

“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.”

Marcel Proust

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”

Stephen King

Encouraging leisure reading – from 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes

#7. Set up a Lunchroom Library. I LOVE this idea. Get, make, or find a set of bookshelves that display the fronts of books (not just the spines) and put a hundred or so paperback books in the cafeteria for kids to look at before school, or after they finish lunch. You can provide bookmarks that students can put their names on so they can find their places the next day. Include quick reads, short chapter books and high interest titles on the shelves. And don’t get too attached. Some books may walk away, others may fall apart. It’s okay. That’s why you use inexpensive paperbacks and books you got at that yard sale, Goodwill, the Friends of the Library sale, and from donations.

Common Core Tip

While many are focused on the changes in the STANDARDS, the real keys to the success of Common Core (and hence the success of our students) lies in the PRINCIPLES that guide the standards. This is an excellent short article about the importance of collaboration and what good collaboration looks like – between adults AND in the classroom.

http://www.devstu.org/blogs/common-core-tip-35-creating-the-conditions-for-academic-discussion-and-collaboration-for-both-adults

Shameless Plug

Be sure and stop by the Bound to Stay Bound Books table at the GaET Conference November 5-7 and register to win a half day of AMAZING assembly programs that will inspire your students to READ! This is a terrific conference, and I hope to see you there!

Here’s what your colleagues have to say about the programs I offer:

“Tommy is a delight to work with, from start to finish.  I appreciated the information he sent ahead of time -- everything from posters to tax forms included in one packet.  I appreciated his flexibility -- he was able to change the time on one of our shows at the last minute, and he was also willing to work in another show the same day for a community group.  Most of all, I appreciated the way he interacted with the kids before and after the program.  He has a magic touch, in more ways than one.

“Oh, and the shows were terrific, too -- full of books, jokes, magic, science, puppets, and audience participation.  The kids and the parents had a ball!”

Jan Daniel, Children's Librarian, Okefenokee Regional Library, Waycross, GA

“You were so easy to work with.  You did exactly what you said you would do.  You were prepared and on time!  Awesome!”

Betsy Simmons, Media Specialist, Oglethorpe Point Elementary, St. Simon’s Island, GA

(I never realized what a big deal it is to be “prepared and on time” or “easy to work with” until so many clients started telling me their stories about other performers, and making similar comments on their feedback forms. I thought those things were the baseline. I had no idea that just doing these simple things would set me apart from the competition!)

Let me know how I can help! See you in two weeks!

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

www.TommyJohnsPresents.com 
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
------------------------------------
Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.

You are receiving “Every Other Thursday” because you have attended one of my workshops, invited me to your school, or registered for a free half day of assemblies at a conference. If you’d like to unsubscribe, simply click reply and let me know.  Have a WONDER-Filled Day!

December 4, 2014

Greetings!

Every Other Thursday, you’ll get this short, fun, relevant newsletter.  It will contain a quote or smile about the library and those who love it, an idea you can use to promote your library or reading in general, a Common Core implementation idea and a shameless plug for the programs I offer.  Enjoy! 

If you are new to EOT or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

Quotes about reading

Here’s a tip!

Common Core –

Shameless Plug –

Library Quote/Smile

“In my view, nineteen pounds of old books are at least nineteen times as delicious as one pound of fresh caviar.”

Anne Fadiman, American Author

“One of the great values of reading is that is gives the reader empathy for others. It allows the reader to connect with others outside his or her personal experience in a way that few other activities can. By reading you get to know what it feels like to be the new kid, to have to wear glasses, or to win a trophy. I think there is a reason that there are very few playground bullies who are also well read!”

Tommy Johns, Editor of Every Other Thursday

Encouraging reading – from 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes

18. A recent survey indicates that the top five things that principals want are:

1. Increased test scores

2. Improved test scores

3. Better test scores than last year

4. Greater test scores

5. Increased test scores

Since EVERY study done in the past 50 years shows that reading helps advance scores in EVERY other area of study, encourage the principal (and the school board) to sign on to the idea that a well-stocked and well-staffed media center should be a priority. Promoting reading can give your principal what she wants!

Common Core Tip

Chances are that following the recent election and after having the first parent conferences of the year, your students’ parents may have a negative and inaccurate view of Common Core. Regardless of your personal feelings about it, it is what we have to work with right now. This is an EXCELLENT article you can distribute to your teachers to help them help parents understand some of the challenges of transitioning to this VERY different approach to education.

5 Tips for Explaining Common Core to Parents, by Kristen Swanson

Shameless Plug

Read Across America Week is coming up soon and I still have a few slots open for school visits March 2-6. I would love to come to your school to help you celebrate reading and encourage your readers to explore the library for all kinds of books! One of my newest shows is Dig a Little Deeper, a 45 minute program for all elementary students that teaches students about GENRES and all the treasure buried in the library! Visit the website or call me and find out more! As a reader of Every Other Thursday, you can get a 10% discount! Just email me or call and say, “I want my discount!”

Here’s what your colleagues have to say about the programs I offer:

"We just had Tommy Johns perform for the entire school and he was great. 'Awesome' was the comment of one of our 1st grade teachers! Tommy is very professional and entertaining. Another teacher commented that she really appreciated the fact that the assembly was so academically oriented."

Karen Liebert, International Studies Elementary Charter School, Albany, GA

“Book him. You won't be sorry.”

Louise Brown, Lena Cagle Library, Bridgeport, AL

Let me know how I can help! See you in two weeks!

Encouraging kids to read, I am

Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
------------------------------------
Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
------------------------------------
Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

www.TommyJohnsPresents.com   

You are receiving “Every Other Thursday” because you have attended one of my workshops, invited me to your school, or registered for a free half day of assemblies at a conference. If you’d like to unsubscribe, simply click reply and let me know.  Have a WONDER-Filled Day!