Re: Teacher vs librarian

[Barbara Braxton <barbara@DYNAMITE.COM.AU>]

Oh dear - here I am again, sticking my  nose in!  But again, just wanting
to tell you about what happens in Australia, not because it is ideal, but
because it might offer some new ideas for those of you who are not happy
with the way your administration treats you.

In the Australian government (public) school system, anyone working in a
formal educative role of kids (so not parent helpers or admin staff ) MUST
hold a teaching qualification that includes a specified amount of
supervised practical teaching.  So teacher-librarians either do a four-year
t/l course which has a heavy emphasis on the teaching part (few
universities offer this as a first-degree option) or we do, as many of us
more 'mature' women are, and add their Masters on top of their B.Ed.
(Masters degrees are not all that common amongst teachers in the
classroom - more for those in admin positions like  principals.)

Teaching positions in  Australia are year-round - we get paid whether we
are on 'stand-down' (the title given to the breaks between our four 10-week
terms) or in front of the classroom.  Currently that is about $A50 000 pa
which in today's exchange rate = about $US 25 000.  Teacher-librarians (as
we are called) are paid exactly the same and have identical conditions to
our classroom colleagues, except that there is a built-in component of 10
hours per week admin time.  So whilst a full-time teacher would have
face-to-face contact with students for 22.5 hours per week (in the primary
system) a t/l has 12.5.

Whilst there is more flexibility in the secondary (high school) system to
have flexible access, the majority of primary schools run fixed schedules
as t/ls are part of the release team.  We see each class once a week for a
formal teaching period that ideally integrates information literacy or
literature skills into the theme the teacher is doing in class.  These
sessions may be up to 45 mins each and may include circulation. According
to the Union handbook, circulation is considered part of our teaching load.

I would think that having librarians on a different pay scale and / or
conditions from our classroom partners would create a division between us
that we do not need.  That said, I don't think the majority of us are there
for the money alone - reading the posts on lists from around the world,
there is a common thread of loving the job, joy in helping kids and
teachers discover new things and a huge appreciation for the diversities a
day brings.  (Already at just 6.45am Thursday, this day has differed from
what I did on Tuesday - the day I wrote about yesterday!)

Heading off to read a book to help some littlies devise a Book Rap on it
which they will share nation-wide....

Cheers
Barbara

Barbara Braxton
Teacher Librarian
Palmerston District Primary School
PALMERSTON ACT 2913
AUSTRALIA

T. 02 6205 6162
F. 02 6205 7242
E. barbara@dynamite.com.au
W. http://www.palmdps.act.edu.au
"Together, we learn from each other."

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