Deep Thinking

Driving back from training on integrating science with literature, I took a “wrong”/Right turn last week. Wrong because it wouldn’t take me quickly to where I needed to go. Right - because it took me exactly to where I needed to BE. This year a small population of my school is bussed in from across town. I knew about this section of town because I met the parents when they were protesting over 1 year ago that they were being rezoned and their children would no longer be able to walk to school, but would have to ride a long bus-ride to my place of work (MPOW). I was attending the same board meeting to talk about the “great” aspects of school libraries. I had reassured the parents that their students would be well-taken care of at MPOW. Still, I never journeyed over there for a home visit or to research more thoroughly their needs.

As I drove through the neighborhood, I saw the projects where my students live. It was a hot day and it appears no one could stand to be in their un-airconditioned little brick boxes. Lots of men were seated on steps and leaning against the walls. Children played in groups on the hot pavement. Mothers were resting under trees in small groups. I witnessed many members of the community walking home carrying milk, eggs, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol. One woman staggered into the street to cross the 4-lane road and one of her friends pulled her back. I watched these many groups of people and thought about the needs of their children and my role in educating them.

The students read their library books on the busses going home. One boy told me that it wouldn’t be cool to read at home. Seeing the groups of people, I understand this. Who would want to stay in a sweltering house alone when there was music, storytelling, and family outside? I work hard during the day to provide education, inspiration and motivation to learn. I will continue to give them the skills they need to rise above and go beyond, but at the same time need to continue to respect their heritage and sense of story to reach the family and neighborhood beyond the single child in front of me.

So, perhaps their needs go beyond the physical books that I put in their hands, but their needs include the story skills I model daily. Have I gone above and beyond lately to teach students how to interweave the nonfiction section into a fascinating story? Have I provided new vocabulary for them to share with others in the neighborhood? Have I inspired them to dream about becoming more? Have I been able to link learning to success for all?

I do not know if I can answer this yet. I do know that driving through there motivated me to do more to reach out. Something to think about.

Rush! Rush! Rush! TCAP’s (Tennessee’s BIG tests) are coming next week. Time for the last minute panic throughout grades 2-4 while teachers worry that they have “covered” everything. Fretting over the fact that we have over 30% mobility rate and a huge number of children moved into our school in the last week with no exposure to multiplication, homonyms, regrouping, etc. Worrying about whether we were able to overcome the side effects of the severe change in poverty from 39-52% in a year of our student body. Or the special ed change from 6 % to 12%.

But, what was the good part of this week: seeing students taking the time to dawdle in the library while they searched for the perfect books. We embrace dawdling! Searching, thinking, looking for that perfect match, those are the things I want to see happening. Students working together across grades to seek books, make recommendations for books that they have read, and exploring our online public access catalog (KC). Children having fun. Questioning. Comparing prior experiences to their desire to learn. Life’s tests are much more accurate. I am very proud of what our children do in our elementary school and in public.

Today, while I was entering the new grocery store in my neighborhood, a tenth grader ran over to hug me and ask if I remembered her from 4th grade. We reconnected and enjoyed remembering her favorite authors. As I walked away to shop, I heard her tell her supervisor “THAT was my librarian!” I am proud to work with these students and I am committed that none of these children will be left behind. I’m talking real life here. I will be here in the community for these children long beyond the 5 years they spend at my elementary. I just wish they had ALL taken the time to dawdle and delve more.

Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
The Report Card by Andrew Clements
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Ballient

Each of those books involves the reader in “thinking.” Whether it is researching, the scientific method, puzzle solving, or delving into thinking about our reactions to events happening, these books stand out for their impact on the reader. You cannot simply read these titles without pausing to contemplate the themes and their relationship to your own life.

Periodically I question how the world sees me. Yes, vanity searches occur. Last month I had a phone call from Nicole Gaudiano from the Washington Bureau of Gannett news service. She was conducting research for an article on Wikipedia and had found my posts on LM_NET. I attempted to sound intelligent and to be respective of the varying opinions on using a resource that can be inaccurate and vandalized. I do belong on the side of social participation. I insist that professional librarians need to be knowledgeable of and capable of using new resources that may have benefits to their students; moreover, if we aren’t familiar with products and activities that have hidden flaws and dangers, how can we teach our students to be good consumers of information?

While the author originally hoped the article would appear in USA Today, it was picked up by strange locations around the country such as : the Green Bay Press, the Honolulu Advertiser, the IndyStar, Central New Jersey’s Home News Tribune, a discussion on the Committed Sardine blog, and Springfield, MO’s News-Leader.com.

While continuing my vanity search, I did find some older newspaper archive and magazine records that quoted me. (Tennessean article on funding for school libraries, SLJ editorial on our authority, ), but many of the older articles have been archived and must be purchased. The funny thing about all of them is that you can talk for 45-60 minutes to a reporter, emphasize the big talking points over and over again, make absolutely brilliant comments, yet only have the funny statements make the press. Whenever a library editor criticizes blogs for their lack of editorial review, I have to laugh. If you truly want to communicate your complete opinion, you need to blog. I am working on official articles , but the time lag between writing and publication is still too long. In the meantime, I will post to LM_NET and write in my blog.

I did find a way to justify my searching today on this lazy Saturday. I am preparing for a one-day class for teachers on “Information Literacy” skills to teach the standards this summer. While I am researching and preparing, I can plan to legitimately teach search engines variances in a way that each user will be involved — I’ll let them conduct a vanity search.