North East ISD Librarians offer our students much more than access to books. Just ask Tuscany Heights Elementary School Librarian Jean Ann Johnson. She’s been the Tuscany Heights librarian for the last ten years.
“It’s the best job in the school. I am with the kids, but I am also with the staff, the parents, the community members. Books offer so much connection with people.”
That community connection was on full display recently at the Emerald Oak Retirement Center. Johnson teamed up with Tuscany’s music teacher Kerri Rivera to create a truly memorable afternoon of connections for students and Emerald Oak residents.
The students put on a choir performance for the residents, but then the magic happened. The students left the stage and flowed into the crowd. They handed out lyric sheets and sat with the residents for a fun-filled sing-along. Then the students read their favorite books from the school’s library to the seniors.
“This is why I got into education. To see the kids reading with people who are 50 to 60 years older than them and talking about books they love. These interactions are something they are going to remember.”
One of the residents in attendance grew up in Poland and didn’t have the access to books that these students did. The students heard her story, asked lots of questions and shared Dr. Suess’s “Hop on Pop.”
View our library services at NEISD or join us as we celebrate our librarians and the many ways they create connections with our students, parents, and community #theNEISDway during National School Library Week, April 23-29.
