By James Gardner

Clark County Public Library

As a former teacher and now a parent, this time of year makes me think of transitions.

The leaves outside are now tinged with their fall colors while children trade in the rest and recreation of summer for the school year’s reading, writing and routine.

Children all over now have to wake up to alarms, some sleepily asking mom or dad for “five more minutes” and spend up to five days a week learning.

Add to that extracurriculars like Scouts and karate, and both parent and child’s schedules can become full to the point of overwhelming.

These additions to the schedules can be met with either harried stress or singular purpose.

This, for me, is the time of year when it was time to direct my energies to help maintain balance in multiple aspects of my life, including the ones brought on by fall.

Luckily, the Clark County Public Library has many resources to help harried individuals and families find their centers as they navigate the school year.

No longer is school just reading, writing and arithmetic students must keep their collective minds on.

What about social studies? Or the sciences? For those students who are having their own difficulties in specific subjects, the library has resources to make rocket science seem less like … well, rocket science, from Neil Degrass Tyson’s offering “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” (523.01 Tyso) to guides like “Algebra for Dummies” (512 Ster).

Students may have found themselves suddenly busy, but what about teachers? Not only are they in the classroom actively teaching, but they must also plan lessons, grade assignments and juggle professional development activities that will help them be better teachers.

For those teachers needing help, there’s “501 Tips for Teachers” (371.102 Rams) to check out. And for homeschoolers, there’s “The Homeschooling Handbook: How to Make Homeschooling Simple, Affordable, Fun, and Effective” (371.042 Lipp).

As the school year ratchets up, it’s important to remember the essentials of living.

Dinner is something both parents and children can see as a priority, but despite the convenience of drive-thrus, there’s something delightfully different about preparing a home-cooked meal.

Now is the time to check out “The Harvest Table” from the Gooseberry Patch series (641.568 Goos) to get some delicious fall recipes.

For those wanting to put some more time back into their day while still cooking something tasty, a slow cooker, along with “The Art of the Slow Cooker” (641.5884 Schl), means dinner can literally be waiting on you when your family is ready to eat.

The leaves are falling, and soon there will be a chill in the air.

As we transition into fall and your routine falls into place, feel free to let the Clark County Public Library be part of that routine, particularly with our many programs we have this week.

— At 2 p.m. Monday, Chair Yoga.

Yoga classes are taught by Kathy Howard, a certified yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance. There is a $5 charge per class.

— At 2 p.m. Wednesday, Kentucky Picture Show. An act of civil disobedience turns into a standoff with police when homeless people in Cincinnati take over the public library to seek shelter from the bitter cold.

— At 7 p.m. Wednesday, trivia at the Engine House. Reference Librarian Jeff Gurnee asks trivia questions that will set your brain bubbling like pizza cheese.

— At 9:15 a.m. Thursday, Gentle Flow Yoga. More yoga with Kathy Howard. Like Chair Yoga, this class is ideal for beginners.

— At 10 a.m. Friday, Write Local. Write Local is for people who enjoy writing. Bring in three to five pages of a work in progress, read your work, and group discussion follows. All styles and genres welcome. For more information, contact John Maruskin at 744-5661, ext. 110

It’s also Local History Week at the library, featuring four nights of local history programs and catered dinners from Aug. 26-29. Tickets for the dinner and program are $8 each per night and can be purchased at the library. If you only want to attend a program, which is free, call 744-5661 to register and please arrive at about 6:45 p.m.

Here’s what’s in store:

— Monday, Aug. 26: Opioid Epidemics and Addiction Treatment Responses: A Story in Three Acts. Presented by Dr. Claire Clark, Ph.D, MPH

— Tuesday, Aug. 27: Harland “Colonel” Sanders: Hard Work, Luck and Perseverance, 1890-1980. Performed by L. Henry Dowell

— Wednesday, Aug. 28: Reformers to Radicals: The Appalachian Volunteers and the War on Poverty. Presented by Dr. Thomas Kiffmeyer, PhD

— Thursday, Aug. 29: Elkhorn: A Journey in Time. Presented by Professor Richard Taylor

As the air gets cooler, don’t forget your jacket or forget to enjoy all of what fall can bring.

James Gardner is a librarian at Clark County Public Library.