To celebrate the second anniversary of Flannel Friday, bloggers who to post or use Flannel Friday are answering the question:
I haven’t been active with Flannel Friday as a blogger for that long, but I have been a user of Flannel Friday posts and pinterest for a while. For me, what I get from Flannel Friday is:
INSPIRATION, PROFESSIONAL GROWTH, COMMUNITY, and CONFIDENCE
This may seem like a lot from weekly blog postings, but it’s all true. It’s nice to know small things like sharing ideas can have such a large impact. (In fact, the idea that sharing ideas can have a large impact is one of the reasons I became a librarian in the first place.)
Doing children’s programming is wonderful, but after a while it can become stale if you do the same thing time after time. Flannel Friday helps expand my repertoire of storytelling ideas and themes. I get great ideas not only for flannelboards to make, but also different prop stories I may not have tried before, different books to use that work well, and different themes. It was Flannel Friday posts, in fact, that made me want to try my hand out at blogging. I thought if I was getting so much out of posts that others were writing, maybe someone out there would benefit from my ideas.
This, in turn, leads to my growth as a professional. Be it growing as a storyteller to try new things I may not have thought of without the group, or growing as a blogger who writes about her day-to-day work with youth, Flannel Friday is making me better at my job.
And it’s nice to realize that there are others out there who are concerned with the same things you are. The community around us librarians who want to make the library a fun, exciting place for children is great. I’m fortunate that I work at a library location where I am with a staff of great people who are dedicated to serving youth. But sometimes it’s nice to look outside our own organizations to grow, and Flannel Friday helps do that for me. It lets me know that as much as we are encouraged (and I want to) grow and develop and pursue and advance up the library ladder, there is beauty and satisfaction in the day-to-day of working with books and youth. And I’m not the only one who sees that.
Finally, Flannel Friday helps give me confidence. I posted my first Flannel Friday post on January 4, 2013 (I told you I’m new at this!). As anyone who has posted to the group knows, you wait with bated breath that first time to see your post go live, and then see how many people are visiting your blog. Then you get comments saying that your ideas will be useful to others! There’s a fantastic rush that goes along with that. And it’s also nice to hear others say, even if they don’t comment on your blog, that they like it and use what you’ve posted there. Another reason I like being a librarian is because I enjoy helping others, my blog feels like an extension of that in some way.
So thanks, Flannel Friday, and all you bloggers, readers and commenters out there. You’ve inspired me, helped me grow, expanded my community, and helped me gain confidence. I am so so grateful to you! You are awesome!
Today’s Flannel Friday roundup is hosted by Sharon at Rain Makes Applesauce. For more information on Flannel Friday, visit the Flannel Friday blog or Pinterest page.
Jen in the Library 
” there is beauty and satisfaction in the day-to-day of working with books and youth.” Thank you for saying this. I really needed to hear it today.
Amy – glad I could help out! I think all of us who work with youth and books or education need to be reminded of that at times. We don’t have the most glamorous of jobs in the library/education/apply-whatever-field-you-are-in world, but it is good and important, even if it is just doing what we do in the normal course of our work.
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“In fact, the idea that sharing ideas can have a large impact is one of the reasons I became a librarian in the first place.”
So true!
Great post, Jen!! Looking forward to seeing your future posts. 🙂
Thanks Kendra! It’s so nice to be a part of this group!
Very nice. You know, young or old, new or experienced we all gain confidence in this community.
Thanks Jane (and Piper)! It’s nice to know that I can be a part of something which helps boosts many! 🙂
Jen, welcome aboard. I’m in a similar position to you–I have a great crew of youth staff where I work so I’m NOT just out there by myself. But I know I have so much more to share with the staff at my library because I’m constantly being energized from those outside my library as well. Thanks for jumping in! I can’t wait to get caught up on your new blog!
Thanks Mel! And thanks so much for beginning and fostering such a wonderful group. I must admit, I was a frequent lurker on your blog for a long time before I got up the courage to start one myself. Thanks for inspiring me!
The line that Amy pointed out resonated with me as well. As librarians, preschool teachers, and even parents we may not hold lofty positions in society, but the work we do is so meaningful. Thanks for this lovely post, Jen.
It’s so true Amanda. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but where would society be without all of us librarians, preschool teachers, parents and other early childhood educators.
Your description of waiting for a post to go live is so accurate. I also feel that rush of excitement when I learn that others find my ideas useful. It definitely motivates me to keep sharing new ideas, even if they seem sort of small or silly to me. I’m glad you’ve joined Flannel Friday, and I look forward to more of your contributions as we enter our third year!
Thanks Katie! You’re so right about the small or silly ideas thing. No idea is too small or silly! I always felt before starting this blog that somehow my flannelboards or ideas weren’t good enough to share. But that’s so not the case — you never know what someone else may benefit from, and one small idea can spark others.