Teacher Librarian Reading Journal

School Librarian Role Assessment Tool. (2013). School Library Monthly , 30 (2), 59.  How do you really measure student achievement? What tools does a teacher librarian have to document student achievement other than circulation statistics, test scores, and units of study grades? How do you measure growth of a student based on inquiry-based teaching modules, student achievement as an individual, or motivation for learning? I located this rubric illustrated above and found that it has wonderful tools for ways to document assessment of student learning through the roles established as a teacher librarian. (I also included this in my vision report!) What I have had difficulty finding in the literature is actually how you assess enthusiastic and strategic readers, critical thinkers, and whether or not the programming developed contained engaged learning tasks. A response from the literature, "since direct measurement of what students learn through these programs is difficult, col...

While William's article focuses on the development of a brand new library, it is important to stress how " a clearly developed vision that designs a school library media center for the future will, and should, drive all purchasing decisions .” The arguments for funding are more powerful when the librarian compares what an underfunded library program looks like to a robust vision for library programming. It is important to take in consideration all functions and services provided in the library.  Knowing what you need will allow you to “ obtain solid financial commitments from the school district with separate budgets for the collection, technology, furniture and equipment, and supplies… through reliable vendors.” In working with reliable vendors, the overall expenditures in budget are reduced when vendors include package deliveries – delivery, assembly, installation and setup, and removal of waste. Furniture purchases should be take...

Just like in your own back yard, no one likes weeding. But once it is completed, you marvel at how miraculously beautiful your display looks. Removing the "unwanted items makes those left behind stand out." And don't you find yourself using your backyard or front yard that much more after weeding is accomplished? Imagine how that translates to the library. Circulation rises after weeding because there is less to peruse through in order to find that "golden daffodil" hiding amongst the stacks. Chant also goes on to explore how weeding allows for new project spaces (like makerspaces or collaborative work areas) are afforded depending on the amount of weeding completed in the library. The change in the landscape of the library is affected by the collection. Having too many out-dated or unused resources doesn't effectively assist the end user. Here are some highlights from Chant's article on that ugly word- "weeding": Slow & Stead...

Teachers are supposed to be superheros, who live in the school they teach in and know everything! Right? But oops, you said Calculus instead of Copernicus. And you hear those little giggles. The fear of failure and mistakes is a constant in education because of this ingrained concept of teachers being "know-it-alls." The landscape for education is changing and now, especially, it is critical to make mistakes and let your students, staff, etc. know that mistakes are good! Mistakes mean you are learning and building on past knowledge. A classmate of mine, Amy, touched on this key concept of making mistakes. Her post (https://bibliodidaskalosity.wordpress.com/2017/06/17/learning-from-mistakes/) resonated with me completely because as the curriculum standards have changed and the learning outcomes require students to be more proactive in their learning, us as professionals have had to navigate this new landscape. What really caught my attention was her statement about the a...

I happened upon this article and began reading into its relevant information on teacher librarians and the use of technology. While I grew up in the boom of technology and can navigate myself around all the novel intricacies of technology, I would hardly call myself tech savvy. I still remember days without immediate access to information and even having computerized systems such as students have today. One quote caught me particularly, "Many young people have never known a world without instantaneous access to vast quantities of information using a multitude of formats, text types, graphics and multimedia." This truly is profound. Because of this new landscape the article brings up two solid points: understanding our roles and developing these skills (as many of our students surpass our knowledge in technology use). Combes stresses to limit the management of the systems in the library and become a management of information via technology use instead. She also stresses tha...

Burnout in the education field is always a highly discussed topic. It is always important to be mindful; however, being present in your mindfulness is critical. Meditation is a wonderful avenue to reduce stress and it also helps to benefit the students as Roeser, et al. mention in their article about a mindfulness training study. There is a great breakdown for how a continued and consistent system increases self-compassion to reduce anxiety, stress, and burnout. Therein, the downstream when the teacher has developed advantageous coping and resilience methods the classroom management and supportive environment exist. This is a symbiotic relationship for reduction in stress and building teacher-student relationships. This alternately creates a classroom where student motivation and academic success is strengthened. One thing that initially struck me from the article was the idea that "teachers themselves report that workload, lack of collaborative time with colleagues, lack o...