Re: GEN: Benchmarks for student achievement

[Bill & Linda Welch <welch@CYBERPORT.COM>]

To Gail and other interested parties,

I believe I am a teacher and "life toucher" first (Thank you Bill =
Sanders for those words).  Everyday I use what I have learned in my =
educational psychology and learning classes.  I am aware of Maslow's =
Hierarchy of Needs (to name just one study that has helped me), how to =
meet some of those needs and what stages children go through as a basis =
for my teaching.  Although reading interests of different ages were =
covered in library school, the other issues were not.

I teach information skills and critical thinking skills as part of =
library skills lessons.  I am teaching students to become independent =
users of libraries while providing the guidance they need.=20

Also, libraries can be one of the most non-threatening places in a =
school.  We can touch a lot of lives because we often see children on a =
one on one basis.=20

My question to New York State administrators is:  Wouldn't you want your =
child to have a librarian who understands more than just the information =
or book needs of your child?

This is NOT to say that there aren't good librarians who have not been =
through the educational learning process.  It just guarantees that more =
should know how to approach your child's needs.

Thanks for listening.

Linda Hays Welch       Rio Vista Middle School          welch@cyberport.com
M.S.L.S., M.A. Ed.      1100 Rio Vista Lane             550 students, grades 6 & 7
Librarian                 Bloomfield, NM  87413      33% Navajo, 33% Hispanic, =
31% Anglo
                          505/632-2212, ext. 109