Check It Out

The library media specialists met last week during early release(and actually this is the second meeting we have had).  Why is this blog worthy, you ask?  Because last year we were not allowed to meet during school time, we were told to stay in our building and collaborate. 

News flash: Sometimes our buildings had other things planned and staying to collaborate was not part of the plan.  Luckily, many of us have wonderful building administrators who understood and supported our need to meet.

This year is different.  The library media program has been moved back under the umbrella of curriculum (we were two years under instructional technology).  This means a change in district office managers and a recognition that meeting BOTH with staff and our colleagues is necessary.

So getting back to last week’s meeting.  Two big topics included protecting the right to read and collaborating with teachers.

My district has a long history with book challenges.  I had a book challenge during my first year (26 years ago) as a library media specialist.  Last spring, Feed by MT Anderson was challenged at the middle school and moved to high school. It also resulted in a review of the reconsideration policy. As a group we spent time at this meeting discussing about what to do when a parent/s is concerned about what their child is reading. 

The other part of the meeting centered around collaboration with staff.  This is always a tricky subject.  First of all, teachers are so overwhelmed and over loaded with “must dos” for the classroom.  Asking them to collaborate with you or offering to collaborate with them often results with a glassy-eyed looked, “Oh, no, you want me to do what?”

So some of our conversation centered around ways to sneak in collaboration.  I look for teachers open to the idea.  It has worked well with fifth grade as I love American Colonial Life and the American Revolutionary War. So I can easily teach research skills around these topics and work with fifth grade.  This year I am hoping that the third grade team will be open to working together on comparing two cultures: the tribes of the northwest.

I had an “AHA” moment last week during the meeting when a colleague share frustration of doing research for teachers.  The concern was planning out and researching for curriculum only to have it change the following year.  It was referred to as “a waste of time”.  WHOA!  Is that not what collaboration is all about?  Meeting teachers where they need the support?  Knowing your students and changing to meet their needs? Sure this year they may need help with “XYZ” and next year it could be ”ABC”.  I am still stunned by the comment a week later. 

So my “aha” moment?  That in order to collaborate with staff, you have to be flexible and change of lessons is inevitable. I do not think I have ever had a period of time where my lessons looked exactly the same.  When I first began in the library, teaching the card catalog and the Dewey Decimal system made sense. Now can you imagine spending weeks on these things?  It goes back to what is my personal mission for the library:

I want students to
~love reading
~be able to find what they are looking for
~love learning

I want teachers to
~ know that I support them
~ I will meet them wherever the curriculum takes them
~I will collaborate in any small way that I can

And you know, I think this is where the process of the national board certification process kicks in.  A teacher who goes through the process gets that your curriculum may change from year to year. Gets that what you research and plan with a teacher might not be a yearly event.  I am thankful for that experience last year because I find myself being more open to change and flexibility.

What are your thoughts about collaboration and the library media program?

Happy Reading.

MsMac