Crazy, Crazy Book Fair

Whew!!! Between book fair last week and research papers and METC this week, I feel like it's all been a huge whirlwind.

Book fair actually started out two Fridays ago when, right before setting up a book fair, I got a call from our sitter stating that Emma was throwing up and needed to be picked up ASAP. So, book fair was not getting set up on Friday afternoon. It would just have to wait, and I didn’t want Michele setting up an entire book fair by herself. I quickly made a series of phone calls and it was decided that my parents would watch the kids on Saturday so Jim and I could come up to school and set up the book fair. Our Saturday did not consist of the normal things that usually included cleaning the house or sitting around in our pjs or doing laundry (which is always a little crazy with five of us), and my amazing husband and I went up to school on a Saturday and set up my Valentine's Day themed book fair. Yes, I know the theme this year was Story Laboratory, but I just can't work that, and the Dollar Store had a million Valentine's Day decorations, so the book fair was decorated with hearts and pink and red. Unfortunately we were up at school for about four hours putting everything together, so by the time I was finished I just left and didn't take pictures. We came home to Ava puking all over the carpet. Not what I imagine a good Saturday to be.

Then Monday came along, and so did that damn stomach bug. But it was first day of book fair, and no way was I leaving Michele to do the first day of book fair all by herself, so off to school I was with gatorade and crackers and a tummy that felt like it was being ripped apart. It was awful, but moms and librarians canNOT get sick, so I put on my big girl mommy pants and went to school. I made it the whole day without throwing up and was in bed by 8:15 that night.

The rest of the week was super rushed, but that’s good, right? I scheduled all of the classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, which is no small feat for a school of almost 1200 middle schoolers. Thursday and Friday were opened up to the whole school. It was crazy; it was busy; we did really well. But my dumb self deciding to come to school on Monday was a huge mistake because I got a call on Friday morning... Michele had been throwing up all night long. I felt terrible! She kept apologizing to me, but it was all MY fault.

Needless to say I was not sad to see book fair go. I was exhausted and just done. I still had to clean my house for the bridal shower I was throwing on Saturday, and we had a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese on Friday night. By the time Sunday came I was done. Whew, right!

So, things that worked well:

1.      Having all the classes scheduled for the first three days: Yes, it was busy, but it was worth it. Thursday and Friday were just for students on passes or extra classes wanting to come down.

2.      Teacher appreciation day on Monday: After school I had treats for the teachers. They also received 20 percent off their purchase. Yes, I know that may be 20 percent less in book fair profit, but most of the teachers that came down would never have even come down without the incentive. It’s amazing how much teachers love cupcakes and cookies. I was at school for about an hour and a half longer than usual, but I also sold quite a few books.

3.      Science Fair: We have book fair the same week as Science Fair, and I came back up to school on Wednesday night when parents and students come up together to look at the projects. The projects are actually in the library with book fair, so I had quite a bit of traffic that night. Jim and I had a time overlap, so I brought all three of the kids up with me. They had fun, I sold books, it was all good.

4.      Thanking the Teachers: I always take as many books as possible from the discount table and give them to teachers who brought classes down. This is just my way of saying thank you, and they really love adding to their classroom library. I feel like the teachers are some of my best customers, so I want to make sure they realize how much I appreciate everything they do for me.

I am really excited for the BOGO in the spring. One of the Math teachers came to me with an amazing idea, and I'm trying to figure out a good way to implement it. Our population is quite economically diverse and not all of our students can afford to buy books at the book fair. This year we had a few instances of stealing and I think that comes from students who don’t have money to buy books. In the spring with our Scholastic book fair, we are also going to have a used book fair. Students and teachers can bring in gently used books which will be sold for a quarter a piece. I obviously still need to work out some major dets, but I’m so excited about it. I really want everyone to be able to have books, and this would be a great way for students to get their hands on books and have them at home.

Overall, I think book fair week was kind of fun, minus that nasty stomach bug. It is a change of pace, and the week flies by. Next post: It’s my favorite time of year… Research paper time!!! (And I’m not being sarcastic here. I’m a former English teacher. I loooooove research paper time.)