I am currently teaching Pre-AP English 1, English 3, and
coaching Varsity Cheer at Corsicana High School. I have been teaching for 12 years with the
last six being at my current school. I
am enrolled in the Library Science program and hope to finish my degree this
next calendar year. I began my classes
in 2006 but when I transferred to the high school and a coaching position, I
put it on hold thinking it would be too much on top of learning two new
subjects, coaching, and having two small (at the time) children. I regret that decision now but am looking
forward to finishing and have enjoyed my courses and learned so much thus
far. I really want a position where I
still have contact with the students but want to be that facilitator who helps
students and staff alike without being in a classroom setting. It is time for me to make a change but stay
within the school setting. I have a wonderful
new librarian at my high school who is very supportive of my efforts. I would love to remain in my district and be
a librarian at one of our other campuses and would prefer our sixth grade
campus or our middle school campus.
After having taught in the secondary setting for so long and with a
bachelor’s in secondary ed, the elementary setting would be a drastic
change! Ultimately it would not matter
at all as long as I am in the library. I
always tell people who ask that “I want to be a librarian when I grow up”. Since I am in my mid 40s, they find this a
little humorous.J
After looking at the WorkMatrix in chapter six of the text, I
most desire a first and potentially second level service position. By that, I mean that being a “traditional”
librarian would be a first level service position but depending on the school
and district I wind up in, training teachers on some media elements might
qualify as a second level position. I
want to always continue to learn but have no desire to design instruction. I have a family who is of the utmost importance,
so moving would not be an option for me.
With a preteen and two teenagers, my husband and I would not want to
uproot them. This was their first year
at a new school since we moved last Christmas, and they are doing very
well. I would not want my job to
interfere with that success. Remaining
in Education is where I need to be and will probably stay unless some
unforeseen opportunity were to land in my lap!
In order to obtain a position I desire, I need to keep up
with my classes and take to heart all that is taught. In particular, the technology component of
the Library Science program is of particular interest to me. Most people still see librarians as ladies
with bifocals who only check out books.
With the digital age in which we live being how all our students have
grown up, it is very important to remain abreast of developments and
incorporate as many as possible into the educational setting. Students must practice what they will be
using when they leave school, and many teachers do not have the time to learn
about these developments. That would be
of vital importance to me (passing along that knowledge). It also helps to insure that the library
becomes an important part of the school setting and a teacher’s lessons.
As a media specialist, it will be my job to remain vigilant
in keeping up with technological trends in education. After reading the chapter in Section 6
dealing with professional organizations, several sounded worth considering. The International Society for Technology in
Education (ISTE) and the International Technology Education Association (ITEA)
are definitely worth taking a closer look at before I begin a position as a
librarian. They are both dedicated to
improving the use of technology in education. ISTE publishes two journals titled Learning and Leading with Technology and
Journal of Computing in Teacher Education
that would support my desire to remain on top of educational technology. The Journal
of Computing in Teacher Education also seems to be an excellent source and
offers “practical applications” (p. 268) for using technology for
educators. Joining any of these or
subscribing to their publications would best serve me after graduation. Unfortunately, I am sure that they would fall
by the wayside while I am working full time, going to school, and taking care
of a family. In addition to those mentioned
in the text, there are numerous professional associations for librarians in
particular. The Texas Association of
School Librarians would be a useful source as well as the American Library
Association on the national level. The
American Association of School Librarians offers an annual conference that
would be beneficial in that it centers solely around libraries in a school
setting and no others. That would be an
excellent resource of information as well as networking with those in the same
setting. The association Handheld
Librarian also sounds like an innovative “grassroots” organization who offers a
conference by librarians for librarians.
Their conference this past August dealt with e-books, social networking,
handheld devices, etc. along with workshops within the conference for more in-depth information. The latter conference sounds very informative
and deals with current issues facing librarians today with the rapidly changing
technological landscape. The Handheld Librarian also offers sessions on its
website such as iPad instruction in a library.
I couldn't agree more when you made the statement that your psoition would require you to be vigilant in keeping up with technological trends in education. Our librarian plays a major role in the technology on our campus and in meeting with our district technology planning teams. It is one part of the librarian position that I would enjoy the most! I love to help other teachers on our campus see new and creative ways to integrate technology into their classroom. The reward of seeing the students engaged in their learning is a great sight!
ReplyDeleteI think that the career path that you've chosen is a great one, especially since it seems to be what you love and really want to do. Librarians do play an important part in the schools and in the role of technology. I think that more teachers do need training on how to use technology in the classroom. Sometimes we get overwhelmed when technology is handed to us.
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