Hiroyo,
Sometimes the librarian must have a counselor's mind just to understand the
students he / she may be dealing with each day. With the population of
special students that you must work with, it is important to include the
classroom teacher in any activity that you undertake with them. This is
because with the supervision of the classroom teacher, you don't have to
take full responsibility of students who can become disruptive in your
library.
It is also important that you study some of the techniques used by the
classroom teacher (which might mean that you spend some time in the
classroom to examine how the class reacts to different activities). Being
outside of the classroom may cause some students to become more hyperactive
than normal or to become extremely excited and anxious. This should be
taken into consideration but with the teacher around you should be able to
control some of the activity or concerns.
I would suggest that before you allow the students to visit the library that
you step into the classroom to discuss what activities you will be doing
with the class when they come. In fact, if your students are so hyperactive
or upset that it seems that they cannot "contain themselves" while they are
in the library, then perhaps you should make "library visits" to their
classrooms. You will then become a familiar face that they will want to
please before they come to "your library."
Although we would like to think that we can control some of the children's
behaviors through conversation, many children cannot control how they act
without the intervention of medication. (ADHD) Techniques and suggestions
made by the classroom teacher could be very valuable to you at this time.
Learn ways to instruct that mimic the teacher, if they appear to work for
her in the classroom.
In addition, it is important to respect students with LD, ADHD, (EMH, ED,
etc.) and talk with them about things they find in the library. Many times I
have seen professionals ignore or become rude to special education students
because of their behavior (their appearance or their speech). The most
important thing for us (as professionals) is to treat these students,
despite their appearance, behavior, or other unusual quirks, as human
beings. (I always try to think, "if this were my child, how would I want
someone to treat him / her in this situation?") Although sometimes you may
end up in conversations that may not seem appropriate, you can often change
the "chain of thought" to something else or advise the student that it is
inappropriate to discuss certain things in public (or with other individuals
who are not family.)
As far as Information Power Standards, they are great for the normal library
situation; however, you are working with special students and this requires
some adaptations (which is always required with special students). The
concepts taught and the ideas of being both the teacher and the librarian
remain the same. Instead of being the type of teacher who works with the
average junior high class, you will become the junior high teacher /
librarian working with the special junior high class. With your interest in
them and excitement about the subject of books, authors, or activities in
the library, you will certainly be successful. Rethink your teaching
activities, if necessary, and ask your classroom teacher how she might
handle the subject. You may find that you don't need to teach some things
because they just aren't necessary in the realm of that child's daily life
(or future life).
Always remember that flexibility in situations with special education
students is the key. Making adaptations of average activities so that they
work for special students is the second most important thing to do. The
most important thing is your interest, concern, and willingness to work with
these students. It is very challenging and often frustrating, but in the
long-term it is also one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever
have in your professional life.
As a former librarian for special students (blind, visually impaired, LD,
EMH, ED, MR, etc.), I don't think that any experiences that I have had will
ever match those that I've had with them. They have taught me patience,
understanding, forgiveness, and thankfulness. I hope that you can also
touch lives like those that I taught...because in the end, it is the
"teacher / librarian" who really learns the lessons.
Good luck!
~Shonda Brisco
Trinity Valley MS / US Librarian
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
sbrisco021@charter.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hiroyo Matsudo" <hiroyo@JADE.DTI.NE.JP>
To: <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 4:05 PM
Subject: Target: Does librarian need a counselor's mind?
> Hello everyone,
>
> This is the second time for me to post my query.
> I'm interested in the librarian's role and appropriate services for
> the diversity students, especially LD, ADHD, and behavior problem
students.
>
> I'm working at the junior public high school in Japan as a school
> librarian.
> On the inclusion thinking, the number of the diversity students
> who are LD, ADHD, behavior problems and slow learners, is increasing
> annually at the regular classes.
> (At the Japanese elementary and junior high school, 6.3% students are LD,
> ADHD according to the ministry of education and science in Japan.)
>
> Therefore, many diversity students visit the school library also.
> Last year, I had an experience that some students who might have a
behavior
> problems, drop off the displayed books or got on the top shelves etc.
> But, other Japanese public school librarians have also the
> similar experiences.
>
> Until then, I found that there some guide books and the articles on
special
> needs services at the school library and got the responses through this
LM.
>
> However, I don't find such a guide book or articles in Japan.
> Therefore, I started to study at the graduate school to solve my
> queries since this April.
>
> If I know the librarian's appropriate role and provide the concrete
services
> for them, all students who are included in diversity students will have a
> satisfaction and get the library skills which includes information
literacy
> skill.
> According to the Information Power, it suggests that librarian have the
role
> of information specialist, information consultant and teacher's role.
> But, how about the counselor's mind or view?
> Actually, students who visit the library often, says they want to calm and
> relax and enjoy or talk their problems.
>
> In the library, every experienced librarian through articles suggested
that
> respect the students and listen to their words.
> I suppose this policy is the Rogers' person centered theory.
> Although I'm not a teacher and a counselor, I feel that it is important to
> have a view of teacher and counselor.
> To provide and response many students, I have to think the communication
way
> by different situation at the library.
> Unfortunately that, I haven't got the information from others on my
feeling.
>
> Does librarian need a counselor's mind? If it is a common sense, is there
> any data or information on that?
>
> Thank you for reading my target.
>
> Hiroyo Matsudo
> School librarian
> Ichikawa city, Chiba Japan
> Higashi Kokubun junior High School
> hiroyo@jade.dti.ne.jp
>
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