New Job Blues and Apples

I work in a large county where we have a GREAT central media office. One of the services they provide us is LOTS of continuing education opportunities (for FREE) and also as a new media specialist in the county I have monthly meetings with other new media specialists and our mentors, who are established media specialists in the county.

Today we had one of those meetings and I came out of it feeling so overwhelmed! The problem is, there are some FABULOUS media specialists in our county and when they come to present to us, they pull out all their stops. The woman today, who is actually the media specialist at my son's school has done great things, I have seen her media center and it is a happening place. But I think to myself, HOW am I ever going to measure up. I guess I must have had these thoughts 5 years ago when I started my first job, but then again it was a school half the size of my current school and I really had no "peers" telling me what great things they are doing. I did take some things from this woman's presentation that I can use in my media center but I guess that I am still a little under water and not sure how to get floating comfortably again. I am still doing orientations and while important, especially for the kids to meet me, I can't wait until I can really get into what I love to do, which is to teach kids research lessons, do fun story times and plan some fun PARTIES in the media center (Polar Express anyone?)

For something a little more useful, here are some APPLE websites that I shared with my teachers this week:

Check out some websites and activities on Johnny Appleseed. He was born in a town in Massachusetts not far from where I grew up (and home of the most DELICIOUS Macintosh apples!!)

Check out the story of Johnny here;
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/revolut/apple_1

Check out some fun Appleseed activities here:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/school/usa/people/Appleseedindex.shtml

Check out information on the Georgia apple festival and also listings of the types of apples grown in North Georgia and where to pick them yourselves.
http://www.georgiaapplefestival.org/