In order for every student to maximize their fullest potential, I believe that schools should be a safe environment where, ideally, education is a provided in such a way that students realize that literacy is a necessity and the tools they are being taught to use will enable them to create the future they wish to have. According to the AASL mission statement, "the mission of the school library media program is to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information," and it is my role as a Library Media Specialist to "empower students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information." (p. 8) For me, this will largely come to pass as I work closely with the teaching staff at Signal Mountain Middle High School.
One of my passions and reasons for wanting to work in this position is my heart for teachers. As a classroom teacher for 18 years, I understand the encumbering demands that drain the creative energy of the teacher. As a rule, teachers love to learn new things, but with such heavy workloads, the requirements associated with staying current in their personal field of study, maintaining the professional training requirements, and keeping abreast of changing technologies, this "opportunity" to learn can feel overwhelming. Teachers who choose to use me as a resource will learn that I can alleviate some of that pressure.
Firstly, I believe that my library should be an inviting, welcoming environment where students and teachers feel like they belong. Additionally, they should find it physically adaptable to many situations: collaboration, large group instruction, research, independent study, social learning, comfortable meetings, etc... Signage should be obvious, collections logically organized, and materials and resources readily available and easy to find with little to no help. Aesthetically, the environment should be academically stimulating with posters, charts, and other relevant information available for reference but still allowing for a comfortable, non-sterile "feel."
The "collection" should be just that: a collection - or assortment - of up-to-date, high-quality paper books: classics, reference, non-fiction, graphic novels, and should include audio books and language books. However, the collection doesn't end there; it extends to the online resources which range from databases and reliable online sources to e-books and tutorials. The library's website should be THE academic pit-stop for all things at our school. The "collection" should also refer to the other resources available, for teachers as well as students: DVD's, CD's, posters, electronics, realia, learning kits, and educational games. Also made available to teachers, parents, and students should be integral resources to education like use of the copier, laminator, a die-cutter, and a poster maker for educational displays, awards, celebrations, and extra-curricular purposes.
As a part of the educational leadership team in my school, I will advocate for a strong library media program which exceeds the state of Tennessee requirements. I want my program to not only provide the above-mentioned physical resources but also reflect my commitment to close collaborative offerings that I am able to provide the teachers, students, and community of Signal Mountain. How this will "look" may be different from person to person: it might mean one-on-one time with a student in the library when they have personal questions, or it could be a podcast I have created for them which they watch on their own time at home. This "collaboration" may result in a classroom setting where a teacher plays a screencast I have created as a lesson before a class visit to the library. It could be in a short visit with a teacher who stops in for some ideas, or it may involve planning for an upcoming lesson in which a colleague and I plan out a co-teaching lesson. For parents, it may consist of phone calls, viewing online tutorials, and for all parties (parents, students, teachers, and administrators) it may come in the form of a technology-training session offered through my library program after hours.
My roles include that of being a leader, a member of my school community, in tune with their needs and actively involved in the furthering of our school and library missions. I am an instructional partner, helping to guide student learning and a team player in promoting the academic standards of our school. I am an information specialist; I help to connect my school community with emerging technologies and train them on the ethical use of information. I am a teacher, and I support student success through the use of teaching literacy strategies with and independent of other teachers. I am a program administrator, and I ensure that the needs of all members of the learning community are met through the resources available through the library/media center. All of my roles are interdependent on one another, and I use them all to help give the best service to all of our patrons and participants.
In all circumstances, though, my philosophy involves being an active change-agent in the forward motion of our school community, a proactive leader. I hope to incite excitement for literacy and technology because these are today's tools which empower people to take control of their own lives and make choices for their own futures, bringing them to a sense of purpose and fulfillment. It is through my patrons' understanding of this principal that will, hopefully, prompt them to use my expertise to aid them in their educational and professional goals.
One of my passions and reasons for wanting to work in this position is my heart for teachers. As a classroom teacher for 18 years, I understand the encumbering demands that drain the creative energy of the teacher. As a rule, teachers love to learn new things, but with such heavy workloads, the requirements associated with staying current in their personal field of study, maintaining the professional training requirements, and keeping abreast of changing technologies, this "opportunity" to learn can feel overwhelming. Teachers who choose to use me as a resource will learn that I can alleviate some of that pressure.
Firstly, I believe that my library should be an inviting, welcoming environment where students and teachers feel like they belong. Additionally, they should find it physically adaptable to many situations: collaboration, large group instruction, research, independent study, social learning, comfortable meetings, etc... Signage should be obvious, collections logically organized, and materials and resources readily available and easy to find with little to no help. Aesthetically, the environment should be academically stimulating with posters, charts, and other relevant information available for reference but still allowing for a comfortable, non-sterile "feel."
The "collection" should be just that: a collection - or assortment - of up-to-date, high-quality paper books: classics, reference, non-fiction, graphic novels, and should include audio books and language books. However, the collection doesn't end there; it extends to the online resources which range from databases and reliable online sources to e-books and tutorials. The library's website should be THE academic pit-stop for all things at our school. The "collection" should also refer to the other resources available, for teachers as well as students: DVD's, CD's, posters, electronics, realia, learning kits, and educational games. Also made available to teachers, parents, and students should be integral resources to education like use of the copier, laminator, a die-cutter, and a poster maker for educational displays, awards, celebrations, and extra-curricular purposes.
As a part of the educational leadership team in my school, I will advocate for a strong library media program which exceeds the state of Tennessee requirements. I want my program to not only provide the above-mentioned physical resources but also reflect my commitment to close collaborative offerings that I am able to provide the teachers, students, and community of Signal Mountain. How this will "look" may be different from person to person: it might mean one-on-one time with a student in the library when they have personal questions, or it could be a podcast I have created for them which they watch on their own time at home. This "collaboration" may result in a classroom setting where a teacher plays a screencast I have created as a lesson before a class visit to the library. It could be in a short visit with a teacher who stops in for some ideas, or it may involve planning for an upcoming lesson in which a colleague and I plan out a co-teaching lesson. For parents, it may consist of phone calls, viewing online tutorials, and for all parties (parents, students, teachers, and administrators) it may come in the form of a technology-training session offered through my library program after hours.
My roles include that of being a leader, a member of my school community, in tune with their needs and actively involved in the furthering of our school and library missions. I am an instructional partner, helping to guide student learning and a team player in promoting the academic standards of our school. I am an information specialist; I help to connect my school community with emerging technologies and train them on the ethical use of information. I am a teacher, and I support student success through the use of teaching literacy strategies with and independent of other teachers. I am a program administrator, and I ensure that the needs of all members of the learning community are met through the resources available through the library/media center. All of my roles are interdependent on one another, and I use them all to help give the best service to all of our patrons and participants.
In all circumstances, though, my philosophy involves being an active change-agent in the forward motion of our school community, a proactive leader. I hope to incite excitement for literacy and technology because these are today's tools which empower people to take control of their own lives and make choices for their own futures, bringing them to a sense of purpose and fulfillment. It is through my patrons' understanding of this principal that will, hopefully, prompt them to use my expertise to aid them in their educational and professional goals.
American Association of School Librarians. (2009). Empowering learners: guidelines for school library programs. Chicago: American Library Association.
Photos are from the personal collection of Ginger Kirchmyer.
Photos are from the personal collection of Ginger Kirchmyer.