The upcoming addition to St. Timothy’s School is resulting in a temporary shutdown of the school’s library. Fortunately, the Maple Lake Library is equal to the task, stepping up to offer their services for students, preschool through fifth grade.
Miss Richey, St. Tim’s fourth grade teacher, has been taking her class there every Friday afternoon to keep interest in reading high. She has been very happy with the experience at the public library, and so have her students- for several reasons. First, it’s a public space, which comes with the responsibility of proper behavior. The students have been taught that they must respect the space and others using the library. Richey immediately saw some of her more talkative students quiet down when entering the building, and says that there hasn’t really been too much commotion during their visits.
Both students and teacher treat the experience as a field trip and as a privilege to have the use of the space. The kids learn everything from how to find a book, how to check out a book and what an abundance of resources the library has to offer. “For a teacher, it’s one of the best things to see their independence,” Richey said, commenting on how the children have reacted since going to the Maple Lake Library. She’d begun an assignment at the beginning of the year asking her students to read 25 books with different genres within the school year, and has been pleased with the result- thanks, in part, to the Maple Lake library. Even if a student cannot find the book they want, the Maple Lake Library will try to purchase it and get it in as soon as possible for that student.
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