Deep Thinking

In 1991 I assisted my first student teacher in Highland Park, Illinois. When I later went on maternity leave that same year, she was able to be my substitute. I loved the experience, but was so very nervous at the time because I wanted to be sure that I was doing enough to assist her. At the end of that school year I ended up moving out of state and began a long process of gaining experience in a variety of settings: rural, urban, military, and suburban school libraries and classrooms. With the attractive, affluent schools available in counties surrounding mine, there is not a large number of student teachers looking for supervising teachers here. This year in January 2006 I am once again reconnected and am supervising a student teacher. I find the experience rejuvenating and stretching. It is reaffirming and exhilarating. Reminds me why I love this job so much that I work a second job to feed the 4 hungry teens in my house.

Imagine the shock this student teacher had when I had to leave the school to attend ALA Midwinter with her having only 1 day experience with me in the library and more casual visits earlier! The first two days were calm, but then Monday hit! With classes coming every 15 minutes to make up for the “weekend dearth of reading materials,” she experienced the overwhelming sense of an extreme checkout day. Returning Tuesday I was able to regroup and divulge the theory and the thought behind the practice. Why do we do the things we do? What is the attitude and expectation underlying practice? How can we manage chaos and maintain a positive environment? I love the experience of seeing this active library through new eyes. Being able to demonstrate the need to prioritize and juggle is so vital to our profession.

During our time together, I have sent a ton of materials home and emailed a few websites. Friday night as I left with only one folder and she staggered out with 2 bags and 5 notebooks, teachers in the hallway told her they could hear the “whip cracking.” Since everyone knows I am far harder on myself than on everyone around me, no one would have been surprised to know I slipped back in over the weekend for more “stuff” to complete at home.

One of the best things I did was encouraging her to sign up for LM_NET. Becoming a subscriber to LM_NET is probably the single most important act I did professionally to take the leap beyond the walls of my library. (Agreeing to serve as an officer in my state and then in Affiliate Assembly would soon follow. )

With her permission, tomorrow I will post some photos I took during one 30 minute time period to show the vast amount of interactions and activity that occur while a literature lesson is going on in the corner. I put them together into a Word document with some captions so she would have a beginning entry for her portfolio to educate her university supervisor on what exactly does happen in a school library.

In the meantime, here are some links to LM_NET’s archives with HITS on student teachers:
HIT by Debra Waugh in 2002 on Activities for Student Teachers
Gloria LeMaster’s Hit from 2000
Lisa Von Drasek’s reply to having a student teacher

I have resized to small web photos the shots I took during the Caucus portion of Affiliate Assembly last week and put these on a Flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/27844999@N00/sets/72057594055743375/ The current leaders of Affiliate Assembly right now include: Diane Chen (chair), Carl Harvey (chair-elect), Rosina Alaimo (past chair), and Karen Lowe (secretary). Thank you for allowing us to wrangle this group.

I really appreciate the help of Jen Habley, Kathy Agarwal and Julie Walker. Thanks!

Thanks to Susie Highley for pointing out this article via the LM_NET listserv:
Libraries as Places to Linger and Mingle from CSM. Alex Wright explores the concept of library as place in this opinion piece, rather than just a silent depository. I think we could continue to offer examples of how libraries are far more than places to go to retrieve physical documents. Some of the things that happen in a school library include:
* instruction in large and small groups
* individual help exploring personal interests, academic pursuits, and career needs
* creation of new content with an emphasis on synthesis and evaluation (HOTS)
* sharing of favorite books via book groups, rats (read and talk sessions), chatting with friends
* recommending titles, authors and series by patrons - students across grades comment and help others find information, teachers share
* discussion of current news events when teachers group around the newspaper in the morning
* assembly of materials for instruction (which never happens silently and alone, but involves the patrons talking to others while there)
* previewing of content for instruction via video formats, computer, etc. where others come by and make comments
* small group tutoring by volunteers - I coordinate reading and math volunteers
* location of equipment and instruction on how to use it
* previews of materials - vendors beware that students participate and touch items here!
* faculty instruction at point of need on cross-curriculum issues, technology training, managing email and other communication devices
* student teacher support
* emotional support for issues faced by students and teachers via a gentle ear
* study for lessons to catch up or as a reward for good classroom behavior
* magazine perusal and discussion
* meetings for faculty groups on big and small issues - whole group and small specific groups
and much much more
* quiet, individual reading

I am sure others could add much to this list, but I run an elementary library. As you can imagine it is hardly ever silent. I do hold WHISPER WEDNESDAYS twice a year just to emphasize the difference between what libraries are perceived as and what they really are. The teachers struggle the most because they often are the noisiest patrons.

As Alex stated in his article “But the real Alexandria was much more than a giant papyrus warehouse; it was more like a Greco-Roman think tank, built with great colonnades and wide open spaces designed to draw scholars together, giving them a place to work together, engage in dialogue and debate, and practice Aristotle’s famous peripatetic method: meaning literally, to walk around.” I see many school libraries in this manner. Perhaps this is why my library is valued by the school community, administrators, and staff. We are far more than a quiet retrieval place, but are an active learning environment CONNECTED to the world with resources.

In much the same way I view the blogosphere as an attempt to BE in a library from a remote location. Everyone could passively use the internet or they could choose to be participatory and get involved in the world, creating and sharing opinions, responding, criticizing, and attempting to raise our collective knowledge.

Preparing for holidays often becomes a part of the school library curriculum. With the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday many teachers of all races come to the library for materials, print & nonprint, websites, strategies, etc. Yet each year I have one teacher of first graders who resists. When asked she does not want her students exposed to discrimination and the segregation events of history. She lists as her reasons:
* my students aren’t prejudiced and I don’t want to make them
* it’s too early for them to understand this difficult concept
* schools spend too much time focusing on the bad things in history.

I disagree with her but need to spend some time thinking on how I can address this. Ideas?

Today while introducing penguin research to Kindergartners, we finally got to the step of identifying sources of information. I asked 5 different classes today variations of these questions:
Where do you go to find answers at home?
What do you use at the public library to help you find answers?

In every class the first answer volunteered was, “On the computer and on the internet.”

When I asked the question differently “When you come to the school library, where do you look first for answers?” all but one class said “In books” The other class said, “I ask the librarian.”

Not long ago teachers still fought me over my asking for time to teach their students how to use the computer in K-2. Now, I focus on teaching them how to use their time on the computer WISELY.

If you haven’t read Christopher Harris’ blog today on SL2.0: Setting the School Stage, click here quickly and go read. The Infomancer has done an excellent job of detailing the issues we are currently facing and invites comments.

While podcasts are the rage, I have a basic problem with the format. I have a serious hearing problem and can’t always understand what is being said. Since I discovered the thrills of closed captioning on my new TV, I won’t go back to uncaptioned movies for entertainment. The difficulty in listening while viewing videos or podcasts results in my refusing to download long podcasts. Am I the only one in the blogosphere with this difficulty?

I was reading Doug Johnson’s blog entry today called Lobbying for Spare Change or Real Change and had to leave a comment on his site. It brought to mind the fact that those who are not directly involved with an AASL/ALA committee and aren’t attending the membership meeting at Annual, may be unaware of just what does happen during the year. So I am going to share some information here that Affiliates of the Affiliate Assembly and Legislation Committee members know.

Recently I sent out the email below. I encourage you to read it, respond to it, and contact one of the members of the committee with your concerns and offers to help.
*************email***************
Dear Affiliate Assembly representatives,
In my role as AASL legislation committee chair I need your help on behalf of school librarians. Please complete the information request form at the bottom of this email and return it to me. Feel free to cut out the middle section in your reply.

The legislation committee seeks to involve more school library media specialists in legislative activities and national and state legislative days. During ALA Midwinter’s Affiliate Assembly meeting, we will share information on ways that you can easily become involved. There are some things you can do now to be informed and involved. The most effective organizations that lobby and talk to legislators are the ones where every member is passionate about their profession and is personally involved, rather than relying upon national committees and paid offices (like the ALA Washington Office) to lobby for them. We are here to help you involve your state organizations and members.

ALA has established FLLAN, the Federal Library Legislative and Advocacy Network (FLLAN) to better share federal legislative and advocacy information with State Chapters. From the ALA website this is “a new initiative to establish a national grassroots advocacy network.” We want to make absolutely certain that each state FLLAN contact knows who to contact regarding the voice of school library issues within that state. The ALA goal is “for every state chapter to designate a representative to contact as federal legislative issues arise. These advocates would, in turn, relay information and calls-to-action to contact persons in each congressional district and for each senator. A network of advocates will ensure that we will be able to respond quickly and effectively to legislative issues as they arise. By having this established network in place, we can maximize our efforts on a national level.” http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/fllan/fllan.htm The list of each official FLLAN member is located at http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/fllan/netdir.htm If you have not done so yet, please consider contacting your state FLLAN representative and volunteering.

ALA sponsors National Library Legislative Day (NLLD)on May 2nd with a day-long training and briefing session on May 1st that is tremendously valuable. Information can be found at http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washevents/nlld/nationallibrary.htm The ALA Washington Office maintains a list of each state delegate coordinator and we are working with them for states to recruit representatives for school libraries. We recognize that for school librarians, the school calendar conflicts with the leg. day event– one solution to this has been for school librarians to participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day from their home state. Some states sponsor school librarians or parents to attend NLLD to advocate on our behalf.

As a past president of my state organization, I empathize with how busy you are and recognize that many states have legislative committees to help share the involvement. Since the AASL Legislation committee works to maintain an accurate record of all state legislative contacts to facilitate a strong advocacy network, I need your help now before Midwinter. Please reply with the completed information below. If you also would like to be receive updates on how AASL is working with legislators on your behalf, please indicate so below. Feel free to forward this email to your legislative chair.

I appreciate your taking the time to communicate with me. I will be maintaining my checklist based upon the contact information in the Affiliate Assembly handbook that was distributed late November, so if I don’t hear from you and your state organization soon, I will keep trying. As many of you know, I am very persistent as well as passionate about school libraries.

Thank you for your time and attention to completing this. I am including the names and email contacts of the AASL Legislation Committee members. Please feel free to contact any and all of us regarding legislative issues and concerns. You can also sign up for ALAWON, the ALA Washington Office Newsline to receive emails regarding library issues at http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washnews/news.htm Thank you.
Diane R. Chen

AASL Legislation Committee members:

Bashaw, Debra dbashaw@huntington.esc7.net Texas
Burns, Ty R. tburns@ccisd.net Texas
Chen, Diane dianerchen@comcast.net Tennessee
Couts, Pat buckspal@sbcglobal.net Oklahoma
Daniel, Judy shm001@mail.connect.more.net Missouri
Harlan, Mary Ann persei@cox.net (AASL board liaison) California
Hayden, Jim j23hayden@aol.com Oregon
Howard, Jody Jody.howard@cudenver.edu Colorado
Negro, Toni tnegro@comcast.net Maryland
Reiman, Mary mreiman@lps.org Nebraska
Roth, Bob rroth@boston.k12.ma.us Massachusetts
Schuckett, Sandy aq061@lafn.org California
Agarwal, Kathy kagarwal@ala.org (AASL staff liaison) Illinois

*******************************************************
State Affiliate Organization:
Name of state’s Legislation Committee chairperson or other contact:
Email:
Address:
Phone:
Does the state organization send a school library media representative to National Library Legislative Day?
Who will be attending in May 2006? (this may be updated at ALA Midwinter or later)
Would you like to receive AASL Legislation Committee updates as well as the person above?

**************end email*******************
Now, you don’t have to be a member of the committee to be involved. You can also contact the ALA Washington Office, members of the ALA Legislation Committee including Ruth Toor - former school librarian and editor of The School Librarian’s Workshop who you can email.

Also, if you are in attendance at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio, be sure to attend the briefings from the Washington Office so you are informed.

The Washington Office presents a Washington Office Update every Saturday morning. This year, the schedule is:

8:00-9:00 AM on Jan 21 in the Convention Center, Room 204 Stephanie
Vance will be conducting a workshop on “How to Speak to the Media”
9:00-9:10 AM will be the Chairs of OITP Advisory Committee and Committee on Legislation briefly updating audience on our issues (appropriations, telecom, E Rate, etc)
9:10-9:25 AM will be “Behind the scenes Activities on the PATRIOT Act”
9:25-9:50 AM will be Jonathan Band explaining the different legal
actions around Google and its digitization projects
9:50-10:00 AM will be audience Q & A

10:30 AM will have a breakout session on Disaster Preparedness in
Convention Center, Room 213A

Also at 10:30 AM will be a breakout session on digitization with a panel
of experts followed by audience discussion

Anyone who has not had media training should definitely come to the 8-9
AM session; and you should have someone at the Disaster Preparedness
workshop to get the handouts and help folks use all the information we
will have on Washington’s Disaster web page

****************Advocacy******************
If you’d like to see how ALA/AASL develops it’s plans regarding advocacy, whether it be with legislators or with other stakeholders and the public, join us at any committee or ask questions. Spend a few moments with committee members like Bob Roth, and Sandy Schuckett in an informal setting and you’ll see our passion for excellent school libraries runs deep. Read Sandy Schuckett’s excellent book

Political Advocacy for School Librarians: YOU HAVE THE POWER!

available from Linworth Publishing to give you a quick start to learning more. Most importantly to getting involved is changing your thinking from the idea that someone else will do the lobbying and speaking for you, to the belief that you have a message that needs to be shared.

In the blogger universe, everyone is making their resolutions so here are mine:
Treat each person with dignity and grace whether they are the first or the last of the day.
Respect differences of opinion and our right to express them.
Expand my universe by trying something new, taking risks, and reading outside my favorite genres.
Reach out to new school librarians to mentor, aide, and listen.
Take time for myself without guilt.

So far, I’m keeping them! My new student teacher starts in mid January, my customers at the retail store and the teachers I work with (who keep calling me for favors during the holidays) are receiving grace and respect, and I have a pile of new books that I am trying out. I also keep taking risks by blogging with personal opinions and opening myself to conflict. I took 15 minutes today to simply sit and think random thoughts. Wonderfully invigorating.