A comment on one of our discussion threads got
me thinking: Thank you. I have just now committed a
crime. I have officially "stolen" your program name. My
"Drop in Craft" is now "Art a la Carte." Thank you very
much!!!
Ah, stealing. What a scary word! I had to look
it up just to calm myself down.
Steal: verb (used with object), stole, sto·len, steal·ing.
1. to take (the property of another or others) without permission
or right, especially secretly or by force: A pickpocket stole his watch.
2. to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or
acknowledgment.
(This definition was stolen from
dictionary.com.)
When I started my current
job as Early Literacy Lady, I had no prior programming experience with young
kids. I worked with teens at my last library and did lots of perler bead/duct
tape/Wii Sports programs, which equals choking hazard/sticky hair/booger encrusted
controllers for the younger set. I was worried. Even though I consider myself a
very creative person, I was terrified that I wouldn’t have any new ideas to
give to my little patrons. I didn’t want to be stuck in a hell that was Open
Shut Them on loop, so…
…I started researching,
because LIBRARIAN. There are loads of books, websites, blogs, magazines, wikis,
library resources, etc., dedicated to early literacy and early childhood
development. I thought to myself, “Isn’t this stealing though?
Taking someone else’s idea? Will people think less of me? What will my Director
say? Will (insert blogger’s name) hunt me down and take my ripped-off flannel
board away?!” Cue hyperventilation.
I asked my
then-supervisor what she thought. I can clearly remember her saying, “Oh
Michelle! In libraries we don’t steal we borrow! Every
librarian does it. Teachers are totally different; they keep their good stuff
for their own classrooms. Librarians try something and tell EVERYONE how great
it is!”
Oh. Okay. AWESOME.
(P.S. Sorry teachers. I
don’t know if all of that is true, but Teachers Pay Teachers? Hm…)
Since that fateful day in
September of 2012, I have borrowed so many ideas I don’t even
know what’s mine anymore. I still think of great ideas in the shower, at 2 AM
when I can’t sleep, and while driving. For the most part however, I find a
read-aloud book that I really like and Google the daylights out of “activities
for (this awesome book)” or “fingerplays (theme).”
So borrow and give freely!
I started a blog so people can borrow my ideas as well. I told
the aforementioned commenter that stole my program name to
take it! As long as kids are reaping the benefits of all our ideas, then I say
share, share, share! No need to hide them under a bushel…let them shine!
This post was written by librarian/student Michelle Peltier who blogs at http://www.missmichelleatmpl.blogspot.com. Michelle is the Early Learning Specialist at Mooresville Public Library in Mooresville, IN. She's a mom, artist, wife, librarian, and generally awesome, not necessarily in that order!
Graphic courtesy of Pixabay
