ORIGINAL TAR (Thanks to those who responded!)
One of our roles on the instructional partnership continuum is
COOPERATION. In that role, we supply--quickly and sometimes on the
spot--many resources, materials, and services at the request of our
teachers. (Sometimes, WE even initiate cooperation). That role
doesn't involve instruction so much as laying a groundwork of trust
that we build on as we move forward to coordination and collaboration
where we do instruct students. Nevertheless, it's an essential part
of the job. And the start of school is rife with requests, isn't it?
Do you have some examples (from now or the past) of a teacher request
for materials and/or services?
Why do you consider these cooperations essential to your job?
And have you been able to supply the materials/services while
simultaneously suggesting a way that you could be involved in the teaching?
**********
My teachers don't wait til school starts. We start after Labor Day,
but last week I received an email request for what I have by a
specific author and what I had on order by that author.
********
I can't wait for this handbook! I am in an elementary PreK-5 and I ask all
the time to help teach research projects or specific skills or social
studies topics but not too often do I get an interested teacher. I usually
get asked for resources ten minutes before the teacher needs it and usually
while I have a class in the library. I have asked teachers what research
projects they will be doing and have sometimes gotten lucky when they take
the time to tell me and I can plan my library lessons to accommodate them. I
think they feel they are responsible for teaching the skill so they don't
want to put more work on me. Sometimes it is a time and schedule issue, I am
planning for all of the teachers and it is a fixed schedule for all grades.
I used to be in a middle school, 6-8th and I did collaborate there at lot
more and had a total flex schedule. Sometimes it is the students who ask me
for resources and tell me what they are working on and I then quickly change
a lesson to address their needs. I used to have a short planning with every
grade level and it was great but now the schedule won't allow it. I did stop
eating lunch in the library while working so I can at least be with the some
of the teachers at lunch to hear what they are doing, planning etc. I feel
this is essential to my job because I was required to be a teacher first in
my district and teaching the research or reading skills in isolation is not
effective. Why not use the curriculum to teach the library and research
skills while they are in need of using them for a grade. I do not give
grades so the attention to the lessons I give are not as intense as they are
for those graded assignments.
I think I want to get a collaboration form developed so I can give them out
to teachers so they can use them when needed with the following included:
"I am planning ___ lesson on___ days I would like the media specialist to
provide_____ resources and address____ skills or topics. I can meet to
collaborate on ______ at ____ time. Please turn in to media specialist at
least one week before the date so resources will be available and lessons
can be prepared."
That way they may realize they can get someone to help them to address the
skills and that I do need some advance notice.
**********
I worked with my 4th grade social studies teacher on a unit on the
states. He assigned the students the states and the type of
information he wanted them to find. I worked with him and the
students on doing the research, taught them how to create working
folders to save their materials on the computers (I have 24 student
computer work stations in the library media center). We concluded
the unit by creating Photo Story 3 projects with pictures and narrations.
**********
Do you have some examples (from now or the past) of a teacher request
for materials and/or services?
I get requests from my early ed teachers for books on shapes, colors,
letters, and numbers, so I've begun to add a designator to my field
searches to help me find those books on triangles, the color red, the
letter "G" and the number 6.
And at the beginning of the year, many of my teachers request books
on the chosen classroom "mascot," such as bear or busy bees. I also
have stocked up on books and stories and resources on lions, the
school's mascot.
I also pay attention to the kinds of field trips that are taken and
when, because someone will want a book on caves the day before they
visit Natural Bridge Caverns. This year I will be even more
proactive, and will hopefully be able to provide research time before
the event with the individual classes (I have a fixed schedule).
Why do you consider these cooperations essential to your job?
I was in the classroom as a teacher for several years, and I remember
once sending a 6th grade student to the library (flexible schedule)
for an extra book for research on a science topic. He came back
red-faced with a sizzling LOOONG note scolding me for sending him
during HER book processing time!!! This was at the time that I was
teaching 3 science classes in the middle school, then running over to
the elementary school and running the library there (no other paid
help, just a few mom volunteers). I vowed I would NEVER lose sight of
the stress that a teacher can come under, and that I would support
him/her whenever possible. This is just part of being a human being,
though---not just a librarian.
I have also supported teachers' requests via children as much as
possible, you cannot possibly know or understand all the reasons that
the teacher has sent THIS child at THIS time. When I help someone
during a time that is somewhat inconvenient, they usually know this,
and usually would not ask unless it was necessary/urgent. It puts the
"S" on my t-shirt for SUPER Librarian! And a friend in need is a friend indeed.
And have you been able to supply the materials/services while
simultaneously suggesting a way that you could be involved in the teaching?
Once when a teacher came at the last minute for books on weather, I
exclaimed excitedly that I had just received a brand new book on
hurricanes, and she was excited, too. I showed her the other
resources that I had, and let her know that if she ever found other
books/resources that would work for the grade-level unit, she could
let me know and we could see about adding those to the collection.
She was encouraged in several ways---I was able to put brand new
resources into her hands; she could count on me to help her by
helping me locate materials she wanted.
**********
I just had an email request from a new-to-my building-next-week 8th
grade language arts teacher for a list of popular authors/books at my school.
I was able to send her a list of the top 100 authors I'd developed
for a class I taught this summer and a second list of their favorite
books from last year's 7th grade students we'd collected last spring.
I hope to continue to talk with her "in-person" next week as she
begins to develop lit circles and related reading activities for her students.
Toni Buzzeo, MA, MLIS <mailto:tonibuzzeo@tonibuzzeo.com>
Maine Library Media Specialist of the Year Emerita
Maine Association of School Libraries Board Member
Buxton, ME 04093
http://www.tonibuzzeo.com
Collaborating to Meet Literacy Standards: Teacher/Librarian
Partnerships for K-2 (Linworth 2006) BRAND NEW!
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