[LM_NET] ... slap happy ...

[Earl Jules Moniz <earlj.moniz@YMAIL.COM>]

Hello librarians, and our favorite Latin lurker, et al.,
it appears even in the 21st Century, many educators still haven't
completely learned all their lessons...  (sigh)
* * *
Librarianship is always quite the difficult position to work...
Teachers often begrudge the librarians their autonomy and budget...
and mostly consider them staff more than faculty.
Principals and staff consider them teachers, but often don't include
them in teacher-related activities - inadvertently reinforcing the teachers
notions that the librarians are staff as well as increase the teachers
opinions that librarians have a level of autonomy that teachers can't reach.
So, each member of both groups consider a librarian a member of the other group...  
(sigh)
* * *

Then again, if our students don't learn - who's to blame?
We evaluate why and start anew...
Perhaps, as some suggest below, it isn't their fault they don't know.
Much like students coming into one of our libraries for the first time,
it's up to us to show our teachers the ropes and the way things work
in a real library...
* * *
Until that time...  Earl J

Earl J. Moniz
Librarian/Photo Editor/Network Admin/Information Specialist
All-Around nice guy and, on occasion, wise guy as well. . .what's it to ya...?
 USA Special Operations Command History Office, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
earljDOTmonizATmailDOTcom* * *
Date:    Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:23:23 -0500

From:    Cheryl <csturgeo@NEO.RR.COM>
Subject: Re: Christmas slap in the face!
Our district gave the ultimate Christmas slap in the face.  They laid off 
our high school librarian.
Cheryl A. Sturgeon
Elem. Media Specialist
Highland Local Schools (OH)
csturgeo@neo.rr.com
* * * * *
Date:    Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:41:27 -0500
From:    Kate Brown <kbrown@BREVISCONSULT.COM>
Subject: Slap in the face . . .
In my last position, I was the Library Director at a private secondary
school.  Though not ranked in the "top tier" of private schools academically
by national ranking organizations, many of the administrators and faculty
members acted as if the school was at least in the "top tier," if not
higher.  
Over the course of my run at the school, not one but two faculty members
approached me, face-to-face, on separate occasions, with almost the same
question (which always made me wonder how many others there were with the
same question who did not have the gumption to ask).  
The first said, "Now I am assuming that you had to finish high school to
qualify for this position, correct?"  The second asked if I had to go to
college, a 4-year college, to be a librarian.  
I cannot count how many times while I was at the school that I was obliged
to tack "I am a member of the faculty" onto introductions to parents and/or
to other professionals visiting the campus. 
If one more teacher began a planning session with, "Have you ever written a
lesson plan before?  Do you know what a lesson plan is?" I had decided I
would stand up, gather my things, and after pleasantly leaving the room,
send each person on the planning team an A++ lesson plan entitled "Lesson
Plans: Their Use and Misuse."
Kate Brown, M.Ed., M.S.
kbrown@brevisconsult.com
Mattapoisett, MA
* * * * *
Date:    Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:08:19 -0800
From:    Kathy Graves <kgraves@4FAST.NET>
Subject: Re: Slap in the face . . .
How about starting the new year with a presentation at your school's  
next faculty meeting by sharing with them your education and  
credentials, even it you've done it before.
My experience is that many teachers think that anyone not assigned to  
a classroom with a full complement of students has a job that is  
easier than theirs, less stressful, and that every other job in the  
school is less important than theirs.  I know, I know, many of those  
same teachers would not and could not survive in a support position,  
but I think if we can educate and partner with them, then we remove  
the "them vs us" mentality.   I used to be totally shocked that  
teachers sometimes behaved badly.  It just didn't occur to me that  
people in a profession as noble and sometimes selfless as teaching  
could behave badly and insensitively, but then I remembered that they  
are human beings with all of the foibles and idiosyncrasies of the  
species.  I was the naive one.
It's sad that we have to advocate and justify our positions to our  
teacher colleagues, but, like many, many administrators they did not  
go through their own educational journeys with a school library-media  
person at their site.  They just don't know what it is that we can do  
for them, and we find ourselves in the position of educating them over  
and over again.  Even if they do take advantage of the library and  
staff, many times they just don't see what it is that we do,  
especially if the library time is considered prep time for them, or if  
they send groups or even entire classes to the library unaccompanied  
by them.  Many teachers who do come to the library with their classes  
spend that time correcting papers, or making phone calls or dashing  
about trying to finish up something they need or forgot to do.  They  
are a harried lot!
Post ALL of your credentials, diplomas, awards, certificates in a  
prominent spot in your library, maybe next to the circulation desk.  
Do the same for any aides or clerks you might be fortunate enough to  
have working with you.
Our jobs are not only to educate, but to be a PR expert in our field,  
and it never, never ends.
Kathy Graves
Retired IMC Director/Librarian
Siskiyou County Office of Education
Yreka, CA 96097



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