HIT: How librarians help teacher, part II

[Anne T Knickerbocker <aknicker@TENET.EDU>]

Hi group,

This is the second part of my hit on ideas you had for a presentation to
student teachers about the role of the librarian.

Anne Knickerbocker                           Cedar Brook Elementary
Librarian                                    2121 Ojeman
SBISD                                        Houston, Texas 77080
aknicker@tenet.edu                           (713) 365-5020



I would like a copy of your list.  I would emphasize bringing the librarian
in early in unit brainstorming and planning; consider the librarian a
teacher for teaming; and ask for anything: resources, assistance,
collaboration. Do whatever to keep the lines of communication open. I'll
think more about it as I proposed the same presentation to student teachers
at our local college.




Tell them the more lead time they give you the better job you can do for
them and their students....like the morning of the day they need the
information or help isn't a good idea.




THis is a great opportunity Anne.  My input is just for teachers to
realize that their librarain is a resource person and from time to time a
person to coteach with but never a babysitter and the library/ lkibrary
skills are never add on but rather part of the classroom teachers
curriculum planning.




I have found one of the ways we as librarians can be especially helpful to
brand new teachers is by providing materials for their classrooms.  I have
posters, professional books, and reading materials.  I often find
"experience teachers" have collected materials of their own and also
sometimes teachers who move take their materials (and sometimes
un-processed school materials) with them leaving an empty classroom.  It
makes for a very good first contact.  Then from there we can move to the
collaboration for learning!!!



I don't know if you have flexible scheduling where you work, but here in
Georgia it is mandated by state standards, and therefore "drives" our media
program. (Not that all schools have real flexible scheduling, but they are
*supposed* to.)
The key to making it work is for teachers to understand that they are
responsible for *seeing* that their students learn information access
skills, literature appreciation, are able to check out books--whatever is
appropriate for that grade level--and that is the role of the ms to provide
any support, instruction, planning, resources, etc. that the teachers ask
for. It boils down to: Ask me, and I'll do it, but I'll insist that we
teach no skills in isolation, that we work together in planning and
implementation.
It seems to new teachers like a lot of work at first, but the results are
so much more rewarding that it is worth it.
And finally, (because, as much as I hate to admit it, some of us do not
work as hard as we should) teachers need to know that they should be able
to expect us to do our jobs properly, and that if we don't they should
speak up. It is so frustrating to have teachers tell me how their media
specialist won't check out books after lunch, or teach research skills,
etc. But because principals are so overwhelmed any way, and many teachers
don't want to be trouble makers, the incompetent continue to work.
Good Luck with your presentation-I envy you your chance to get teachers
started off in the right direction.  Would love to hear how it goes!




That sounds exciting and something that I feel has been neglected for YEARS!
I would like to tell all new teachers to get to know the librarian, she
can make your life easier and can help your library projects be successful.
I  would also like to encourage them to ALWAYS check either with the
librarian or on  their own in the library before they assign their
students a project whether it be a small or large assignment.



The biggest item I think librarians do is help support the curriculum.
If new teachers knew how we can help them teach their subjects through
reference and integrated teaching perhaps they would see the value we
have.  We teach life long learning when we teach students how to use the
library.  Once they exit from the school system they still can find
answers in a library if they know how to.

I would give the student teachers examples of lesson plans done
cooperatively between a teacher and a librarian.  I've done lessons
where the students have put to use all of the resources I had taught
them about.  They needed to use these resources to complete reports on
states.  It was a great reinforcement of what I taught.

You can really make a difference with these student teachers if you can
sell the librarian's use to them.  Good luck!



RESOURCES, not only for background info, but to help provide variety
in presentation and lesson planning. If only some teachers realized
that just a little note a day or two ahead of time on a topic they're
planning to cover could give them such a plethora of knowledge to
draw from!

I'd stress that the librarian is a teacher.  The librarian also
feels that a part of the job is to support the teacher in the activities of
the classroom.  Outline how you help your staff and make suggestions on how
they can approach the librarian in their school.  Then emphasise that not
all librarians are enlightened so not to be discouraged if their overtures
don't meet with success at first.



I was so glad to see that you are speaking to student teachers. I'm doing
a masters paper on the instructional consultant role of the media
specialist (and why teachers don't know about it). I've been finding that
school libraries are rarely mentioned in education journals and that new
teachers are never told what we librarians can do for them.


I would be sure to mention Information Power and the 3 roles of the media
specialist. (teacher, information specialist, instructional consultant).
Tell them that the library is more than just a warehouse, and that school
librarians are trained to help them with planning and integrating the
curriculum.



I speak as teacher, here.  While I have years of library
experience, including acting as library teacher in a public school, I am
not a library media specialist and I very much understand my limitations.

A true teacher's role is to accompany the learner on a road to self
discovery.  The teacher facilitates the individual's learning; nurtures
individual growth; fosters the opportunity for one to find one's self.
When we act as true teachers, there can be no greater role.
A school library media specialist, with the support and assistance
of his/her (school) community, establishes and maintains a learning and
resource center--the library media center--where individuals and groups
benefit through properly and vitally sharing their limited and vital
resources, in trust.  Modeling sharing in trust, the media specialist helps
learners discover their specific, personal answers from within this shared
pool of resources--and helps them discover the tools and the means to glean
these specific answers for themselves (within the necessary framework of a
sustained, shared facility).  In so doing, the media specialist--and the
community which supports his/her mission--teaches the most basic, most
fundamental, most essential of lifelong lessons: society (and sanity) is
based on the premise that we must trust ourselves to share, for our mutual
benefit and edification.  Thus, society requires society.

A school library media specialist is both a teacher AND a librarian.  I
repeat, there is no greater role.

Welcome to your media center.  You are invited to share.

Have fun.



I too had an opportunity to work with student teachers for several years
and found that the number one item to get across to them is that you are also
a teacher.  It is important for them to realize that you are "one of them"
and that it actually makes life easier when you have two heads working on a
project rather than one.

We stressed services available from the media center and how jointly
planning units could actually produce different and exciting student
activities.


I'm just now getting to my mail.  I would stress preplanning
with the librarian as the most important thing a teacher can do
.