Re: From the classroom into the library

[Lawrence Newton <lwnewton@YAHOO.COM>]

I am a school librarian with no classroom experience;
my background was in public libraries, but when my
five children were young, one of us needed a schedule
similar to theirs.  I had an ALA-accredited MLS, but
in Texas I still had to go back and earn a teacher's
certificate, then take the Library Science coursework
appropriate for schools.

What I missed by not having classroom experience were
classroom management skills and a broad knowledge of
the curriculum; after 17 years in various school
settings, I have improved in those areas, and am still
working on them.  However, my work experience in other
library settings enriched my career in other ways,
particularly many hours at the reference desk, serving
adult and juvenile patrons.

Does my background make me a "better" librarian than
someone who came from the classroom?  I don't think
so, but it doesn't make me worse, either.  We all
bring different talents, traits, and experiences to
our profession, and it's up to each of us to use them
to do the best job we can for our students, and to try
to strengthen our weaknesses.

=====
Lawrence Newton, Librarian
Carnegie Elem. School,
Houston (TX) ISD
lwnewton@yahoo.com

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