Re: GEN: From the classroom into the library

[Diane H <daichan@ISLANDNET.COM>]

I absolutely want to agree with Joe, but I want to add middle and secondary
school teachers to the list.  Granted some secondary teachers are only
dealing with one subject, but many others have multiple preps.  When I was a
classroom teacher  in one hellish year I had a grade 9-split-grade 11
Japanese class, a grade 10 Japanese class, a Japanese 11-split- Japanese12
class, an English 11- split - Honours English 11 class, an English 10 class,
a Humanities 10 class, a Communication 11 class, and a Learning Assistance
class.  Other than the Learning Assistance, every class had at least 29
kids, and the Japanese 12 students were preparing for Provincial Exams
(brutally hard ones too.)  As a teacher librarian, I have a lot of duties
and responsibilities, and I work just as hard as I did in the classroom.
But no one can tell me that being a teacher librarian is as stressful as
being a classroom teacher.  Particularly when I think of that one year!

Diane Gallagher-Hayashi
Teacher-Librarian
Stelly's School
Saanich School District (63)
1627 Stelly's Xroad
Saanichton, British Columbia
Canada, V8M 1S8
Diane_Hayashi@sd63.bc.ca
daichan@islandnet.com

"I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a
gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am...I, am a librarian!"
The Mummy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Stedman" <jps9452@ENTERACT.COM>
To: <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2001 1:19 PM
Subject: Re: GEN: From the classroom into the library


> 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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