RSSMy voice…
Jul 07
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By Abby Moynahan
My first year as a Library Media Specialist has come to a close. As the feeling of summer washes over me I can’t help but meditate on the events of this past year as a new teacher librarian.
Before I go any further, let me explain my situation. I am a split library teacher which means I work in two schools within the same district. I service about 700 students between the two schools; One school serving about 500 students and the other school serving 200 students. Personally I am attracted to this district because of the diverse community. There are more than 27 different languages spoken in the community such as Spanish, Farsi and Pashto.
I suppose the most recent challenge has been dealing with budget cuts. Thankfully the elementary librarians in my district did not get cut this year. However, the process has been anything but comfortable. The anxiety over being cut started in September when I signed on with the district. Knowing that you might not have a job the next year can be debilitating at times, especially for worriers like myself. Although the idea did not ever leave my mind, it did not prevent me from doing my job as best as I know how. In fact, it challenged me to always be thinking about how I can do everything bigger and better within both of my library programs. How can I show that school libraries are essential in every child’s education? This is the question that helped me analyze my role as a library teacher.
I thought a lot about my role as a library media specialist throughout the year. Especially as I was loading and unloading my car every other day with all of my teaching tools to go between two schools. How can I show that a library teacher is needed full time in every school? Providing part-time service to students is better than no service but how can I possibly provide them with the tools they need when I see them for 45 minutes every other week? I’m not sure if these questions will ever be answered for me. I try to focus on what I can do to ensure students get full service from me when I am in each building. This can lead to chaos at times but I refuse to deny teachers and students any kind of service when they are already not being given the attention they truly need.
As I continue to evaluate my library program I realize that I must actively promote the library program at all times. I promoted the program in small ways across the curriculum but next year I plan to be more obvious in my advertising. My voice must be heard…
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