I'm glad this was a Thing, because sometimes I feel like it's easy to just stay isolated. I really liked the way the list of blogs is organized in Delicious using tags - it was easy to find other school librarians. I especially enjoyed looking at the blogs of other school librarians in other countries. The climate in the education world right now in the US feels very negative, so I think it's really important that we stick together. I am wondering if teachers and school librarians in other parts of the world are feeling similarly? Check out this New York Times article to give you an idea of what's happening here.
I've left a few comments, but I think it will be easier when people have more substantive things to say. Right now it's a lot of introductions, which are interesting, of course, but a little intimidating to just leave a comment on. :) I did read on another blog (I forgot which one - sorry!) that someone set a goal to leave a comment a day. I like that goal and think I'll attempt to do the same.
Can't wait for Thing 3!
Hi Annie
ReplyDeleteHello from a school librarian from the UK. I recognise your comment about the negative attitude in education right now. How long have you worked in schools? I moved, nearly 4 years ago, from the university sector to my first school which felt like a huge culture shock. I didn't realise how much I would have to learn about teachers in order to work collaboratively with them. I constantly feel their lack of time and enthusiasm for engaging with the new.
Hi Judith,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! I've been a school librarian for 5 years - my entire career, so I wasn't surprised at the challenges of collaborating with teachers. I'm lucky in that the school that I am currently in is a very welcoming and collegial environment. Most of the teachers are enthusiastic to work with me on their projects. (Not all, of course... but that is what next year is for, right? :) )
Anyway - my point was more that the general public has been very negative about schools and teachers lately. It's all about test scores and what teachers are doing wrong. It's disheartening to be working at a time when teachers are thought of as lazy and incompetent; when people assume we became teachers "just to have the summer off." This doesn't represent everyone, I know, but it feels like those that think this have a very loud voice right now.