With each new year that begins, I tend to go through the systems that I use to see if any changes need to be made to help things run smoother.  I did this as a classroom teacher, and I do it also as a librarian.  One of the first things I wanted to look at was how I use my 5th grade leaders in the library.  If you’d like to read how I first started using them to help me in the library, you can read about that here.

Since I don’t have an assistant and hardly any volunteers, I rely on my 5th grade leaders quite a bit!  They come once a week during their recess time, as well as before school starts.  In the past, I had one leader per day, and sometimes they would forget to come.  This year, I wanted to find a way to encourage them to come more consistently.

One of the first changes I made was to create a “Library Leader Station” to help them feel like they had a special work area that was just for them.  I purchased a storage cart from Michaels, and had a friend create the “Library Leader Station” vinyl words with her Cricut.  I have it stocked with cleaning supplies for books, cleaning supplies for wiping down tables, and zip lock baggies for extra marker lids and broken crayons.  Right now, they are mainly using it to put broken crayons and lost marker lids in baggies.  Eventually, I will have them help me clean books that need freshening up.

The next thing I did was increase the total number of 5th Grade Leaders to ten…with two leaders assigned for each day of the week.  This way, they would have a buddy to help them remember AND someone to work with.   I purchased the colorful lanyards at Mardel (here’s the link).  This year, I also created an “official” sign-in sheet so that I could have some documentation on how often they were coming to work.  When they came in for their training, I showed them how to use the clock to write in the date and time they arrived and left.  It was really fun to hear them say “It’s just like I’m clocking in for a real job!” 🙂

So far, these changes have made a big difference, and I have had more 5th grade Leaders showing up in the mornings to help me shelves the previous day’s afternoon books than I have ever had.   This means I can spend my afternoons doing the other million jobs I need to do (like ordering new books, processing books that have come in, balancing my budget, BREATHING, etc. LOL!)

If you haven’t started using 5th Grade Leaders in your library or school, I would highly recommend it!  You can find everything you need to get started here at my TpT Store.   I’ve even included an application form for Library Leaders, or two versions of School Wide Leadership Jobs for your school!

I hope this helps!