I appreciate so much in my life that when it comes my turn to proclaim my thanks at the Thanksgiving table I freeze. Do I talk about my family? Friends? The delicious food? What about my life as a librarian? It defines so much of who I am. Go ahead, grab that turkey leg and get comfortable. I have a lot to be thankful for:

My Flexible Schedule—
Every day I appreciate my schedule. It gives me the opportunity to get close to my students, get to know their reading styles and preferences, work hard on projects that last many weeks, collaborate, and so much more.

My Supportive Administration—
From Day One, I have had administrators who rallied to keep my schedule, keep me 100% in the library, and cheered on risky yet successful projects that might have otherwise been knocked down.

My Aide—
This is the first year I have had an aide in the library since before the recession, so I am grateful every day. Even though she is only there for 3 1/2 hours, I can't help but wonder how the library managed all those years without her.

My Grandmother Volunteers—
Although they may not be "full time" anymore, they still come in and help out. Grandma D. loves seeing the kinders and processing books. Nana S. is a fiend with shelving and keeping things in order, and chef and host extraordinaire, Mrs. W., keeps our bulletin boards updated and authors and illustrators giddy when she invites them into her home for a delicious meal.

My Budget—
My budget increased this year thanks to #2. We certainly managed with what we were previously allocated, but I do appreciate the little wiggle room I have now. It's not perfect but it's definitely moving us in the right direction.

My BOCES—
In New York State we have BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services). The districts financially support the BOCES and the school libraries benefit. They provide us with an OverDrive catalog, reduced rates for databases, professional development, and so much more.

My Professional Organizations—
New York Library Association and the Section of School Librarians, ALA, ALSC, TLA (Bonus—I am thankful TLA offers a reasonable out-of-state membership)...I gain so much from my colleagues from across the state and country.

My Teachers—
I cannot say enough about my teachers. Not only do I collaborate with nearly everyone in my building, but when it comes to any and every crazy idea I have, they are in. Write messages on records? Sure. Stand outside to cheer a visiting author? We'll be there. Make mochi in the faculty room? Let me get my apron.

My Social Media—
I've made friends, learned about favorite books, met authors, scored Skypes, and so much more just from Twitter. Follow me @staceybethr or @C_ESLibrary and I'll follow you back!

My Publisher Friends—
It's a win-win situation. Publishers want you to read and post about their books and YOU want to read the books before anyone else. It's also pretty cool to give your students an ARC. My Reading Ambassadors read ARCs and review them on my blog (librarianleaps.blogspot.com) and then compete to see who gets the most views. Nothing like a little friendly competition in the world of reading. Whenever you share a book on social media, don't forget to include the author, publisher and/or your school marketing director (i.e., @PenguinClass, @MacKidsSL, @HarperStacks, @BloomsburyKids)

My Visiting Authors and Illustrators—
I realize that I put on "extreme author visits" and you need'll a full week of recovery after visiting us, but it's worth it for you and the kids. I am thankful that whoever visits me goes with the flow. Black suit for the gala? Packed. Intimate dinner (see #4)? I've brought my appetite. Each visit is special and unforgettable to my students, faculty and administration.

My Leaps—
I've got that thing and it makes people smile. I never would have thought the words "will you leap with me?" could make so many people happy. Get a thing and stick with it. You won't regret it.

My Family—
Thank you for supporting me on my late nights, early mornings, weekends, and school breaks when I am out leaping with librarians, crying over books, blogging, teaching, going to student soccer games, swooning over my latest illustrator crush, and everything else. Gracias. Merci. Todah. Thank you.

Now, please pass the stuffing.