Re: GEN: From the classroom into the library

[Joe Stedman <jps9452@ENTERACT.COM>]

At 06:57 AM 7/12/01 -0700, you wrote:
>> If you've never been in a
>> classroom, you don't know
>> what it is like.  If you have, you do.
>
>I humbly beg to differ.

>I admire and appreciate anyone who can stay in a
>small room with the same 26 to 30 kids every day,
>day after day. Just because I personally love to
>teach but also love a wide variety and cannot
>imagine staying with the same group of kids all
>year, do NOT mean I don't understand and
>empathize with what teachers have to deal with or
>that I am an inferior teacher.
>
>
>=====
>T. Kaye Cassidy, MLIS   tkc@storylady.com - http://storylady.com


I beg to to differ with you, T. As someone who will begin his fourth year
as an LMC Director after 20+ years teaching grades K-7, my experience is
that being an LMC Director is waaaaaay less stressful than being an
elementary classroom teacher. Classroom teachers are in the trenches. More
than any other staff member, they are the ones who:

*Have new curriculum issues to deal with NOW
*Deal with the emotional, social and academic needs of a range that goes
from severely challenged (physically and mentally) to gifted
*Supervise up to three supported education aides for students with special
needs
*Do all of the above for reading, writing, spelling, oral language, math,
social studies and science
*Assess for a variety of reasons (and assessment never ends) students in
all of those subjects, and identify special needs and concerns
*Conference with parents (sometimes very abusive parents), formally and
informally
*Face new rules and regs from the state every year or two
*Must master new technology issues NOW
*Deal with student/family issues (including divorce, poverty, death and
unbelievable abuse), often without support from administrators
*Be ready to deal with all of the above ALL OF THE TIME
*Work out a schedule that fits a special schedule over which they have
little control (in upper elementary this means music, art, PE, gifted,
enrichment, band, orchestra, DARE, and lunch, not to mention bus evacuation
drills, special assemblies, fire drills, tornado drills, and any emergency)

As an LMC Director, I face many of the same issues, but I am generally not
the first person to identify and start the ball rolling when problems
arise. In addition, I now have:

*A much larger voice in school day-to-day operations/climate/special events
*More influence with students, staff and parents
*More influence in district-wide issues
*A budget of thousands of dollars rather than $150.00
*More freedom to do my job the way I think it should be done
*More control over how I spend my time, including many more chances to
make/take a phone call or go to the bathroom
*An office!

Again, elementary classroom teachers are in the trenches. Far and away,
they have the toughest jobs in education. I agree with Joan:

>> If you've never been in a
>> classroom, you don't know
>> what it is like.  If you have, you do.

I also feel that my experience at all elementary grade levels gave me a
better knowledge of appropriate literature, our curriculum, and the books
and materials needed to deliver that curriculum, than I could ever have
developed as an LMC Director. Yes, I said literature. When you spend 35
hours a week with the kids, you know what they like and what fits their
needs better than if you have them for an hour or so. I wouldn't hire an
LMC Director that hadn't taught several grades for several years. Of
course, all of this is just my opinion, worth no more or less than anyone
else's.

Respectfully,
Joe
---

Joe Stedman
Library Media Center Director
Gombert Elementary School
2707 Ridge Road
Aurora, IL  60504
jps9452@enteract.com
http://www.ipsd.org/gombert

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