[LM_NET] HIT: Teacher Request From - All Grades

[M L <rylor4@GMAIL.COM>]

Thank you to everyone who responded shared their ideas and suggestions!

 

Original post.

I had a meeting with my supervisor and we were talking about how I can
improve communication with my teachers? I told her that is a very good
question that media specialist have tried to answer before. I suggested I
make a request form for them to fill out to let me know what they need from
me (materials, instruction, etc). I searched the archives and didn't find
anything. Does anyone have a form they are willing to share or ideas of what
I should include on the form? I am thinking along the lines of materials for
a unit, instruction on using the library (OPAC, etc), collaborating, and so
forth. 

 

Responses.

Overall many are just as frustrated as I am about getting classroom teachers
to understand that we librarians are here to help them. I did get a few
sample forms as attachments. I am hoping those who have forms would be
willing to post them on the LM_NET wiki for everyone to see.
http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/ 

 

Below are their responses. My favorite was from Elizabeth Ullrich who made a
brochure for her staff. The brochure is titled "What can the library teacher
do for you?" It includes "Lessons I can teach in collaboration with your
units" "what I can do for you" and "what you can do for me". I think it is a
great way to show the staff what it is we do for the entire school. 

 

***

I've tried this so many times- the problem isn't making a form; it's getting
teachers to use it! -sorry, just a frustrating topic...

Genevieve Gallagher

 

***

This isn't exactly what you were asking for, but I was very successful in
communicating with teachers at one of my schools by putting out a weekly
"This week in the library..." email. Most weeks it was very short and
included items about new materials they may be interested in seeing,
schedule changes, upcoming events. And some weeks I didn't do it if I was
too busy or there really wasn't anything to say. The teachers at that school
had never used the library very much and they actually began to come in.
Just an idea that worked for me, so I thought I would share.

 Rachel Hinds



***

I have a request form for materials and I also give every teacher a brochure
at the beginning of the year of what I can do for them. I'll attach. The
brochure is in Print Shop, though, so I don't know if you'll be able to open
it.

Elizabeth Ullrich

 

***

After much back-and-forth with my principal, I finally got this form
approved this fall.  I've only had about six people fill one out, but I'm
able to provide more specific (and better) services to those who do!  It's a
compilation of a few other forms I found online and in books.  

I told the teachers, when I "formally introduced" the form, that I didn't
expect anyone to be able to fill out the entire form, but filling out as
much as they knew would help a lot-then I'd work with them to do the rest
together.  Unfortunately, collaborating with teachers has been nearly
impossible here, no matter how much I reach out to them.  Ann Carstens

***

I found that forms do not work! The teachers just don't want to take the
time to think them through and fill them out. Our best collaboration occurs
in the hallways, the cafeteria, before faculty meetings and over the coffee
pot in the library. The teachers will talk to you and let you do the writing
and note taking . . . it's just one less thing they have to do. To increase
communication, I'm using more e-mail (great web sites recommended here) and
a newsletter that we've created featuring a different database, media
information (how to care for your multimedia projector), book reviews and a
short column on the importance of librarians! It's lot of work but we've
gotten some great feedback. One teacher came in the other day with a printed
copy of the newsletter and wanted all the books featured that month! Yeah!
Success! Martha Vaughn

 

***

I tried this once upon a time; it worked for some and not at all for others!
But you are welcome to mine if you like. I attached the library pass I made
a few years ago on Publisher. Colette D. Eason

 

***

It would be helpful if the school's principal told the teachers they need to
improve communications with you. Mary VanPatten

 

***

I do not used paper forms anymore.  Requests from my teachers come to me via
email. Yes, I have 34 classroom teachers plus specialists.  The forms did
not work for me because teachers would just write it on a piece of paper and
send it by a student.  Then that piece of would get lost.  So now teachers
email me.  I print the requests and put them in a binder for my records.
Betty Tinnin 

***

I haven't done this lately, but your email reminds me it would be good to do
this again.

I used to send a monthly email asking teachers how I could help them. Place
a needed book or subject on my next book order? Teach a topic during library
class? Introduce a concept or reinforce something they are doing in the
classroom? What else?

Many teachers ignored it, but others send me requests and seemed surprised
that I would volunteer to help them. Teachers still don't get that we are
here to support them as well as teach our own lessons. Barbara Fritz



***

I have put my form online. You can view it by going to:

http://www.rschooltoday.com/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?schoolname=school168
<http://www.rschooltoday.com/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?schoolname=school168&sta
tusFlag=goGenie&geniesite=78&myButton=g5plugin&db=g78_b1423>
&statusFlag=goGenie&geniesite=78&myButton=g5plugin&db=g78_b1423

 Sharon Manley



***

Maybe these will help.  Got them from a book by Joyce Vanlenza called Power
Tools.  Highly recommend it. Lisa McCulloch

 

***

I think we are past the form era. If it works for you, fine, but I think
something more current would be better.  Do you e-mail regularly. If you
email weekly with some bit of info that would interest teachers, then ask if
there is anything you can get involved with (you could put that in some sort
of form), it would make it easier to respond to you.  This is not the sort
of thing you can send out once...it has to be a regular communication they
can count on. Just an idea. Jo Reinmiller

 

***

Attached is a form I use for materials request from the faculty.  I used to
hand out a couple to everyone at the beginning of the year, but now we have
it on the server for teachers to printout when they need it.  It doesn't
address requests for collaboration or such, but thought it might help you
anyway. Mary Jo Krufka



*********************

Michelle Levy

School Library Media Specialist

Eton Academy

Birmingham, MI

rylor4@gmail.com <mailto:rylor4@comcast.net>  (home)

mlevy@etonacademy.org (work)

 


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