Happy Thoughts

   Today was going to be a scheduled paperwork day. I dropped the paperwork when I talked with a student who admitted their struggle to pass this year. I cleared time with his teacher, then we spent hours today sorting through a mess of unfinished projects, worksheets and class assignments.
    After sorting all of his class work into different folders and creating To-Do checklists on each folder, we picked the largest obstacle, an overdue science project, and started there.
     The student made a connection with something of interest then took off! I'm just as thrilled to finish an overwhelming task, turn it in to the teacher's delight, and check it gleefully off the list. It's a start, but I think it was a precious moment for both of us.
     I hope these moments are considered when libraries and librarians are stacked on the budget cut list for next year. These experiences are just a fragment of the differences a professional librarian can make in a child's education.