Monday, June 12, 2017

A Year Ago I Thought I Was Done



It has been a year since Kaefer graduated, and it's only three more days until her last final and she will have finished her Freshman year at UC Davis. I still remember her graduation from high school so vividly. The excitement, the heat, the bittersweetness.

And I remember that I thought I was done with everything high school. Finally we would be able to take vacations in the spring or fall when schools all over the country would be in session. We could enjoy lower prices and lesser crowds. Ah, pure bliss.

Of course what followed didn't match that picture.


In the spring of 2016, while Kaefer was still a high school student, I volunteered at her school's library once a week. I enjoyed the work, the environment and the super cool textbook room that I re-organized at that time.

When in August - while we were in Hawai'i! - the school district started to look for a part time library technician for this high school library I didn't hesitate and applied for this position - and I got it. I started working in October, two days a week, which is just perfect since this gives me enough time preparing for my Saturday German classes and work for my Etsy shop. Only the last two weeks and the first two weeks of a school year do I work full time because there is so much to do.


We're pretty busy here. There are only two of us who work in the library and it can get rather loud when the students come in to hang out during break and lunch. Classes come here to study, the computer lab is also in the library and in high demand throughout the day. Most of the students are nice and quite funny teenagers.


While I do like the main library, my "true love" is the textbook room which is the part of the library with the books most often used. Here are all the big textbooks for science, math, history and foreign languages as well as all the reading material - novels, short stories, plays and poems - for the Language Arts. The textbook room is my realm, the part of the library I'm responsible for.


These heavy shelves are movable - just a short click on the handle and they move with a low mumbling sound up to the aisle where I need to get into to get the books a class or student needs. It's like magic and so far it hasn't ceased to fascinate me.

This is what it looks like when you stare through the shelves:


Well, and of course with this kind of work we're back to taking vacations during school breaks. I guess we have to wait to retirement for a chance to go on trips at other times. A big sigh in one regard, but I am also so happy to have found a job that I actually like.





6 comments:

My name is Erika. said...

Sounds like a cool job. I know what you mean about school vacations and being tied to the schedule, as I teach high school. Retirement. Seems like a long ways off, but you know, this job sounds like something you are actually enjoying and having fun, so having to deal with the school schedule makes up for that loss of vacation freedom. :)Erika

Elephant's Child said...

I am thrilled that you have found a job which speaks to the core of you.

Anonymous said...

How wonderful to have work that you enjoy! There wasn't much I liked about my "career" as an administrative assistant except the people I worked with (they were always great) and the fact that it kept a roof over my head. But that just made retirement all the sweeter. :-)

Red Rose Alley said...

Oh, I didn't know you worked as a librarian. I was thinking of trying that myself. It looks so organized. I didn't think the library could get loud. Back in the day, it was hush hush all the way. I'm glad you like working there. : )

~Sheri

KB said...

I was thrilled to read that you have work that you love!!! That's the way it should be.

Magic Love Crow said...

Wow, you are busy girl! This looks really cool!!! Big Hugs!