Procedures and Routines.....CRITICAL!

Know What You Want Them To Know!

In previous posts, I have mentioned routines and procedures. Even if your year has already begun, know what routines and procedures are non-negotiables for you. What MUST your students do EVERY TIME  (well, most every time) to make your library run as smoothly as possible? Mine were:

• How they entered. In one school there was an open checkout entrance/exit and a class entrance/exit (I labeled the doors so they could easily see which door they should use). What they did with their books, Where they sat/lined up.

Class Door Sign        Open Checkout Door Sign     

• How they exited. Leaving the area neater than they found it (clean up). Where they lined up to wait for their teacher. 
• How they checked out books. Check in and checkout procedures. All of my libraries had a check in station with a computer and a checkout station. Sometimes they were both on the circulation desk, sometimes not. Open checkout and class times sometimes had different steps depending on the library set up. 

Make sure you take the first few weeks and really focus on routines and procedures. Be the model for them on what you want them to do. What does it look like and sound like when they do something? When my classes lined up, I would say, "Straight as an arrow. Quiet as a butterfly. Hug your books to your chest like a treasure." Stand how you want them to stand, so they know what you expect. Point out students who are modeling the behavior you want to see them doing.

At the beginning of the year, after I knew my class schedule, I would set alarms on my phone to ring 3 minutes before the end of the class time, to allow us time to clean up and line up. This kept me on schedule and it let the teachers know I would have their class ready to go. If they were late it was on them, but if I was behind, it was on me. In this day and time of the :03 class schedules (i.e.: Lunch at 10:03), I felt is was more important to end class a bit early, teach the routines, let them get used to the alarm sound and begin cleaning on their own, than to take my class to the last scheduled minute. A few months in, when I saw the classes cleaning up faster, I would change the time to 2 minutes before the end of the class time. Of course, this means I hear up to 10 alarms in one day (which makes you feel a little like Pavlov's dogs), but it is well worth it when the kids respond to the alarms on their own and know what to do! This is a copy of one of my favorite schedules:

One reason my procedures were successful was because the media center was organized and everything had a place. It wasn't always immaculate, but kids saw the library organized and learned to respect and expect it to be that way.

Example: Books kids checked in had a special cart, labeled (to understand why these are the labels I have, see previous blogs about library organization, shelves and collection) and near the check in computer. 

Check In Cart Labels

**I didn't realize I did not have a picture of the check in cart with my labels! UGH!! Sorry.
This is where they go from Top Left to Right: K level books, Level 1 books, Series books
Bottom Left to Right: Fiction Picture books, Chapter Books, Non-fiction books

My table area always has baskets for each table with the materials needed for the activity they may do for the lessons I teach that week. Sometimes, if no materials were needed, I would remove the baskets to prevent the opportunities for off-task behavior, mess or destruction of materials. I tried to have out only what was needed for the week. 

Consistency and practice of your routines and procedures will make your year run much more smoothly. At first, you might feel like giving up or it is like being in the movie "Groundhog Day" from repeating yourself so much, but it is SO WORTH IT!! Believe it or not, the children come to expect and respect your routines and procedures and when new students enter, they learn them quickly from the other students! 

Take some time, get to know what you want and expect your library to look like and sound like. Put those procedures and routines in place. You will be so glad you did!