- KIRBY THOMAS IS A LIBRARIAN
AT MCAULIFFE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA,
AND THIS PAST YEAR,
KIRBY WAS NAMED TEACHER OF THE YEAR AT HER SCHOOL,
AND HERE'S WHY.
- "I SEE A CRANE
WAY UP HIGH IN THE SKY."
kids: "C."
- YOU DID IT!
HI. MY NAME IS ASHLEY KIRBY THOMAS,
AND I AM 28 YEARS OLD
AND I AM THE LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST
AT MCAULIFFE ELEMENTARY.
kids: "D."
- WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, TEACHERS WERE MY HEROES,
AND I HAD A REALLY HARD LIFE.
TEACHERS WERE THE PEOPLE WHO FED INTO ME EVERY DAY
AND TEACHERS WERE THE PEOPLE WHO SNUCK SNACKS FOR ME EVERY DAY
AND SHOWED ME HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO LEARN.
I LOVE TEACHING FOR THE STUDENTS WHO ARE JUST LIKE I WAS.
THE TRAILER PARK THAT I GREW UP IN
IS ACTUALLY ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS,
AND SO THE BABIES WHO LIVE IN MY OLD HOOD ARE MY BABIES NOW.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO READ ABOUT?
- NINJA BOOKS.
- OH, LOOK WHAT I FOUND FOR YOU THIS WEEKEND!
OUR LIBRARY IS-- FOR A LOT OF OUR KIDS,
IT'S THE ONLY LIBRARY THEY WILL EVER SEE AS A CHILD,
AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US
TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS LIBRARY IS SO HAPPENIN'
AND SO LOUD AND SO FUN
THAT IT MAKES THEM WANT TO BE IN LIBRARIES ALL THE TIME.
YOU JUST HEAR SO MANY THINGS AND YOU DEAL WITH SO MANY THINGS,
AND THEY'RE TEN, AND YOU...
AND YOU JUST HAVE TO LOVE ON 'EM
AND YOU JUST HAVE TO BE THERE FOR THEM AS BEST YOU CAN.
WE ARE FIRM BELIEVERS THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.
AND THAT THE BEST WAY TO UPLIFT OUR KIDS
AND THE BEST WAY TO BREAK THAT CYCLE OF POVERTY
IS THROUGH LEARNING.
[cheers and applause]
- OKAY, WELL, JEANNIE IS OUTSIDE KIRBY'S SCHOOL RIGHT NOW,
AND WE HAVE A HUGE SURPRISE FOR EVERYONE.
JEANNIE, WHERE IS KIRBY?
- HI, ELLEN.
OKAY, SO RIGHT NOW KIRBY IS INSIDE THE GYM
WITH OVER 300 STUDENTS.
THEY HAD A LITTLE PIZZA PARTY EARLIER,
BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SURPRISE THEM.
- THEY THINK SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING ON.
THEY'RE EXPECTING SOMETHING, BUT NOT THIS.
- YES.
- SO I'M GONNA CALL 'EM RIGHT NOW
AND I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE SHE HAS MY BOOK IN HER LIBRARY.
[laughter]
OR ELSE I'M HANGING UP.
- HELLO?
- YEAH--KIRBY? - YES, MA'AM.
- KIRBY, IT'S ELLEN. - HI.
- AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE MY BOOK,
"SERIOUSLY...I'M KIDDING," IN THERE.
[laughter]
[no audio]
KIRBY?
DON'T--DON'T TRY-- - HI. CAN YOU SAY THAT AGAIN?
- DON'T TRY TO STALL. DO YOU HAVE MY BOOK,
"SERIOUSLY...I'M KIDDING," OR NOT?
- I HAVE IT. I HAVE IT.
I'M NOT KIDDING. SERIOUSLY.
- OKAY, JEANNIE'S GONNA RUN IN A COPY
SO YOU HAVE ONE IN THERE, ALL RIGHT?
- OH, HI, GUYS!
[cheers and applause]
- OH, MY--
- HI, KIRBY.
- [screaming]
- HI, KIDS.
HEY, KIDS. HEY, EVERYBODY.
[all screaming]
- THEY'RE SO EXCITED!
- THAT'S NOT LIKE A LIBRARY I'VE EVER BEEN IN.
[laughter]
SO, KIRBY, I GOT-- - OH, MY GOSH.
- I GOT YOUR EMAILS. - I FEEL LIKE GLADYS RIGHT NOW.
- YOU FEEL LIKE GLADYS?
HILARIOUS.
I GOT YOUR EMAILS,
AND I GOT A BUNCH OF EMAILS FROM OTHER TEACHERS ALSO,
AND I KNOW THAT YOU'VE DONE SUCH AMAZING WORK AT SCHOOL,
AND I WAS JUST SAYING CONGRATULATIONS
BEING NAMED TEACHER OF THE YEAR.
HOW DOES THAT FEEL?
- UM, REALLY AMAZING RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY.
OH, HI-- OKAY, HI.
THAT'S JEANNIE, YOU GUYS. - YEAH.
- OKAY.
OH, MY GOSH.
- DOES IT FEEL PRETTY AMAZING TO BE TEACHER OF THE YEAR?
- IT FEELS SO GREAT, YES. I'M SO EXCITED.
MY MIND WAS BLOWN FROM DAY ONE THAT,
OF THE RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING STAFF THAT WE HAVE AROUND HERE,
I COULDN'T--IT--
IT WAS STRANGE TO ME FROM DAY ONE
THAT MY NAME WOULD BE ON THAT LIST,
AND RIGHT NOW,
I'M...
STRUGGLING.
I AM DRIVING THE BUS TO STRUGGLE STREET RIGHT NOW.
- OH, YOU'RE FANTASTIC.
I LOVE YOUR ENERGY. I LOVE YOU.
AND I KNOW YOU'VE WRITTEN IN TO THE SHOW
SO MANY DIFFERENT TIMES.
WE JUST-- WE KNOW A LOT ABOUT YOU.
TELL US ABOUT-- - SORRY ABOUT THAT.
WE JUST-- - IT'S OKAY.
- TELL YOU--TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT?
- TELL ME ABOUT HOW MANY KIDS GO TO MCAULIFFE?
- WE'VE GOT A LITTLE OVER 700 KIDS RIGHT NOW,
AND A BUNCH OF US ARE HERE TODAY.
- WELL--
- AND THEY'RE ALL PRECIOUS AND WONDERFUL AND--
- YES, THEY ARE PRECIOUS.
I'M SENDING A WHOLE BUNCH OF LOVE, KIDS.
I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOMETHING.
THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED ENTITLEBOOKS.COM,
AND IT'S A NEW WEBSITE AND AN APP
WHERE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD DISCOUNTED BOOKS
ON DEVICES LIKE IPADS AND KINDLE FIRES,
AND THERE'S OVER 125,000 E-BOOKS THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM,
AND YOU CAN CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AT ANY TIME
AND STILL KEEP THE BOOKS, AND THEY HEARD ABOUT YOU
AND THEY'RE GIVING MCAULIFFE ELEMENTARY
A CHECK FOR 25,000 TO HELP YOU OUT.
[cheers and applause]
- [screaming]
- AND--
AND ONE MORE THING--
THEY'RE GONNA GIVE EVERY STUDENT THERE
A $25 TARGET GIFT CARD
SO THEY CAN BUY SUPPLIES OR ANYTHING ELSE THEY NEED,
SO EACH OF THOSE KIDS IS GONNA GET THAT.
- THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
[cheers and applause]
- WAIT, KIRBY, WE HAVE ONE MORE THING.
JUST SIT THAT CHECK DOWN-- - ELLEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
- YOU'RE WELCOME, KIRBY. - WE ADORE YOU.
- I ADORE YOU.
KIRBY, JUST SIT EVERYTHING DOWN THAT YOU'RE HOLDING RIGHT NOW.
JUST PUT THE CHECK DOWN AND PUT THE BOOK DOWN.
AND, JE-- - YOUR BOOK?
- YEAH, JUST PUT THE BOOK DOWN JUST FOR A SECOND.
JEANNIE, PUT ON THE BLINDFOLD, AND WHEN WE COME BACK...
- OH, NO! I GET AN ELLEN BLINDFOLD!
CAN I KEEP IT?
[laughter]
OH, OKAY!
- THAT'S IT, SURPRISE!
[laughter]
ALL RIGHT.
KEEP THAT ON. WE'LL BE BACK AFTER THE BREAK.
ALL RIGHT.
WE ARE BACK WITH KIRBY
AND EVERYONE AT MCAULIFFE ELEMENTARY.
[laughter]
SO, KIRBY, I WANT YOU TO TELL ME A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT YOUR BOOK PROGRAM DURING THE SUMMER.
- OH, OKAY, WE HAVE THE MCAULIFFE MOBILE MEDIA,
AND IT IS MY FAVORITE THING ON THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD,
AND WE GO EVERY WEEK AND WE VISIT ALL OF OUR BABIES
IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND IN THEIR APARTMENT COMPLEXES
AND IN THEIR TRAILER PARKS,
AND WE LET THEM BORROW THESE AMAZING BOOKS
THAT THEY'RE SO EXCITED ABOUT,
AND THEN WE EAT POPSICLES TOGETHER AND WE SWEAT TOGETHER
AND WE LIFT HEAVY BOOKS TOGETHER,
AND THEN WE SIT AND WE READ, AND IT'S SO, SO FUN.
- OKAY, THAT'S GREAT.
HOW MANY BOOKS CAN YOU FIT, AND WHAT KIND OF CAR IS IT?
- OH, WELL, OUR FIRST YEAR WE HAD THIS REALLY--
OH, HANG ON--OKAY--
WE HAD THIS REALLY OLD SCHOOL ISUZU TROOPER,
THAT SMELLED A LOT LIKE GASOLINE MOST OF THE TIME,
AND WE COULD FIT ABOUT THREE CASES OF BOOKS
IN IT AT A TIME...
- UH-HUH.
- AND OUR AMAZING UNION PUBLIC SCHOOLS
LET US BORROW A VAN THIS PAST SUMMER,
SO WE COULD THEN FIT ABOUT 10, 15, MAYBE,
BOXES OF BOOKS IN THE VAN.
- THAT'S NICE.
OKAY, DO ME A FAVOR. WOULD YOU TAKE OFF YOUR BLINDFOLD?
- ME? I CAN TAKE IT OFF NOW?
- YES. - OKAY.
- ALL RIGHT, TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT THAT.
WE JUST BOUGHT YOU-- WE BOUGHT YOU A BOOK MOBILE.
- [screaming]
[cheers and applause]
- I LOVE YOU, ELLEN!
- OH, MY GOD!
- ALL RIGHT.
SO THAT IS FILLED WITH IPAD MINIS AND BOOKS AND SEATING.
LOOK AT THE INSIDE OF THAT.
YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED
TO KEEP THE KIDS READING OVER THE SUMMER.
LOOK AT THE INSIDE, HOW COOL IT IS.
[laughter]
- I HAVE TO GO UNLOCK IT, ELLEN.
- OH, WE'RE NOT ALLOWED IN THERE.
YOU GUYS, YOU GUYS, YOU GUYS!
[all screaming]
- I'VE GOT THE KEY. READY?
- I THINK--
- OH, MY GOD. - OPEN UP THAT DOOR, KIRBY.
- I CAN OPEN IT NOW?
[laughter]
IT'S OKAY. WE'LL BREAK A WINDOW.
[laughter]
- WE GOT IT!
[all screaming]
[cheers and applause]
- LOOK AT THAT.
- HI, ELLEN! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I CAN'T--I CAN'T--I CAN'T--
I'M SO EXCITED. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
- YOU'RE WELCOME, KIRBY. I'M SO GLAD--
I WANT YOU TO COME TO THE SHOW. I WANT TO MEET YOU IN PERSON.
I WANT YOU TO COME TO THE SHOW,
SO WE'RE GONNA SEND YOU OUT HERE AT SOME POINT, OKAY?
[all screaming]
[cheers and applause]
- [screaming]
- ALL RIGHT.
WE'LL BE BACK WITH KYM DOUGLAS.
- ...RIGHT NOW.