Long Range Planning as a Teacher Librarian

 So You Are Going To Be a Teacher Librarian- Part 3

Today I want to talk about long range planning. As a self-confessed pedagogical nerd and uber planner, I love to long range plan. I like making a chart or a table. I like to add colour. I like to see where themes and topics intersect. I love a big idea and a learning goal.

But planning in the library was always a different kind of challenge. On one hand, you want to plan ahead and push the library programming forward. On the other hand, you want and need to be responsive and collaborative to educator and student learning needs. It's also not just about the curriculum. There's the physical space, the collection, makerspace, virtual LLC AND the curriculum to consider. 

One of the first things I did when I started in the library was to consult and talk with fellow teacher librarians. Jenn Brown was a huge help. She shared her 3 year long range plan with me and it really helped me to created mine (which to be honest, at that moment was a very slightly tweaked version of hers!!). My admin and I also printed off all of the continuums from Leading Learning and discussed where we thought the library currently was and which steps we could take to move forward. We kept in printed in a binder and referred back to it often during meetings to track our progress and next steps. 

I also worked with the technology teacher in my school to create an inquiry map for a few years to see how we might align and integrate our programs. Our hope was that she could teach the various tech skills, how to use apps, etc and then classes could come to me in the library to integrate their use into existing curriculum inquiries. 

When I completed my Librarianship Specialist AQ we were tasked with outlining how the 6 C's fit into the library and how it impacted our planning. I used this chart to create a Year 3 and Beyond plan for how I saw the library moving forward once we completed Year 3 of the original plan.

One small hiccup. 

Year 3 was 2019- 2020. The year we shutdown in March due to COVID. 

And then nothing in the library was according to anyone's plan. 

Library planning was a whole new beast. For the full 2020-2021 school year 80% of my school was virtual and the students that were in the building weren't allowed in the library. In 2021-2022, we started with COVID restrictions and protocols that slowly eased off but students and educators were re-learning how to be together in learning spaces, using the materials, sharing, and more. The last 2 years were much more reactive than proactive when planning anything in the library, or so it felt. 

I've pulled together all the documents I've mentioned above on this graphic. Feel free to use it to support your own planning in the school library, to share with others in your network or just take a peek. 

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments or send me a DM on Twitter.

Happy Planning!!

So You Are Going to Be A Teacher Librarian... now what? Part 1

 This is the time of year when my inbox starts to fill up with requests for new TLs and admin asking if I can chat with them about their library, can they come and tour the Larkspur LLC, what suggestions do I have for them moving forward. It's always very flattering and there's nothing I love more than talking about school libraries and how the space can best serve the students and educators in a building. 

But I started to think what were my first steps 5 years ago when I moved into the space? How did I approach this new role? What advice would I give someone starting their librarian journey for the first time? 

I've been working on a document outlining the details connected to budgeting, purchasing, collection organization and more. I had originally planned to just pass this on to the educator moving into the Larkspur LLC as I move on to a new classroom adventure but I've been asked to share it in numerous ways and so that will come. I think also that parts and pieces of this blog will end up in that document as well. I am hoping it will be a resource or a guide for new (and existing) TLs and not merely a series of boxes to check. 

Why? 

Every school library is different. Every school librarian brings different strengths and vision into the space. School libraries should be living spaces that grow and adapt with the people that are using it. Creating a vibrant Library Learning Commons is not a set of boxes to be checked and while touring and talking to others is perhaps bot important and necessary, time to sit and reflect on your own space is of the utmost importance. 

So where do you start?

Environment As Third Teacher

The use and organization of the physical space of the library should be the teacher librarian's first concern. Until students and educators can comfortably and independently use the space there is no reason to begin to think about integration of maker culture, inquiry based learning, book clubs and other literacy programs. The space must serve the users. 

To consider:

How will the sections of the library collection be organized so that students of all ages can find the materials they want? What signage and visuals will help them? Are the shelves arranged so that all students can reach and access the books they want? 

In our library we have 6 main sections for the books- non-fiction, chapter books, graphic novels, picture books, dual language, and beginning readers. Each of these sections is in a "nook" or area of it's own so that students can easily identify the books based on where they are located. 

Most of the sections have mainly visual (picture) signage to help student browse the shelves independently. We do not use the computer catalogue system in our library to find books. As the school is a K-5 school I wanted students to be able to self-regulate and independently access all materials in the space. 

A few decisions I made to support learners in finding their own library materials:

• Beginning readers- theses are the books that the youngest readers most often want to read and that get lost on the big picture book shelves. Using bins and forward facing books students can browse through the super hero, Pete the Cat, Franklin, Barbie, Disney, Trucks and Cars, Elephant and Piggie, Animals, Alphabet books, board books, Early Non-Fiction, Peppa Pig, etc books to find what they are looking for. Each bin is labelled with an image of the types of books that can be found inside as many of the readers of these books are actually pre-readers.

• Picture Books- these are organized by author last name as in all libraries. I did pull out popular authors and create a separate section beside the letter section for ease of finding. For example, Elise Gravel has a smaller section beside the main G section. The same for Ruth Ohi, Robert Munsch, Oliver Jeffers, Mo Willems, Ashley Spires, etc.

• Chapter books and Graphic Novels- the bulk of these two collections are organized by series and not by author. The series are either housed in front facing bins or in sections on the shelf for larger collections (i.e. Dogman). I do not make room for the entire collection on the shelf because once the school year starts and books are circulating you will never need that much shelf space until the library closes at the end of the year. (See picture of the Dogman books and allotted shelf space).  Students often want to read through a series and may know the name of the series but not always the author. By organizing these books in series students can quickly find what they want and re-shelving books together is quick. Both the chapter books and graphic novel sections also have a separate section for books organized by author last name. I most often use these books for displays as students rarely need to be encouraged to read books from popular series but may not have considered or been introduced to a stand alone title. 

New labels in in process for these bins...

• Non-Fiction- our non-fiction section is mainly organized by the whole number Dewey as in a K-5 school very few of our learners have begun to work with decimals and even fewer have experience with 3 digit numbers!! We have approximately 300 Kindergarten students and 150 Grade 1-2 students that will want to access the non-fiction section so their shelving and signage must work for their needs and allow them to access the books independently. First, I re-organized the non-fiction books to go straight across a shelf rather than zig zag up and down as it often does in public libraries. This allows the shelves to act as a number line and provides a clear sight line when students are looking for books. Each section has a large sign that displays- the whole number Dewey, an arrow pointing in the direction of the books, the label in words and the label in numerous pictures. This allows for all students, including pre-readers and multi-language learners to access the non-fiction section. A student may not yet be ready to read "dinosaur" but they definitely know what a Tyrannosaurus Rex looks like! Bigger sections, like the 599 Animals were split up into small sections like- Bears, Wild Cats, Ocean Mammals etc each with their own label and colour coding for ease of re-shelving. 

• Dual Language- our dual language books are organized alphabetically by language and when possible have the dual language on the label. They were moved to be the first section you encounter when you enter the library so that multi-language learners are welcomed as soon as they enter the space. 

Resources that Supported Decision Making

• Leading Learning- page 34
• I printed out the various continuum from Leading Learning and tracked our progress with my admin during the first 3 years in the school library space. 
• Capacity Building Series: The Third Teacher
• Empowered Inquiry Spaces by Trevor Mackenzie
• I would HIGHLY recommended all TLs (and edus) read Inquiry Mindset by Trevor Mackenzie to guide your pedagogy and decision making connected to the school library.

The library learning commons and all connected programming must start with books and texts and this includes how they are organized for stakeholders. Once your physical plan is set and in transition then you can begin to think about next steps:

• flexible seating and provocation areas
• encouraging a maker culture that permeates beyond the library walls
• co-planning, co-teaching and co-learning from an inquiry stance
• library programming that instills a love of reading and promotes literacy habits
• virtual library spaces and programming

How might your space serve the learners who will use it most often? How will the organization and signage support learners to independently find their own materials? How might you create spaces or nooks for inquiry, tinkering and innovation? Does your space allow for displays- front facing books move more often!! Promote new titles, diverse collections and thematic curations of books for your learners. 

This is how the school library I have had the privilege to curate and work in on behalf of the school community is currently organized. 

Is it the best way or the only way? A definite nope. 

As a new teacher-librarian moves into the space with a new vision and serves a different cohort of learners (because the school community is a living, breathing entity that is always changing) it is my hope that they will adapt, structure and re-organize as needed. And I will be cheering them on all the way. 

Excerpts from a Cover Letter

 Change.

A lot of people are hesitant about change. Some people embrace change. As the saying goes, the only constant is change. 

Awhile back I wrote a blog post about placements sheets- the method in which educators rank their choices of assignments for the upcoming school year so that admin can build the school's organization. Then I blogged about being grumpy. And being a naturally reflective person (is that a fancy way of saying I'm an over thinker..) it all stuck with me. 

It's been 5 years since I transitioned from the role of a classroom teacher to teacher-librarian. I have learned a lot about inquiry mindset, maker culture, pedagogical documentation, dismantling anti-Black racism, cultivating genius, teaching from an anti-oppression, anti-colonialism and anti-bias lens, Indigenous knowledge and land based learning... and so much more. One of the privileges that comes from being in a non-classroom role is that you often have more time (and thought capacity) to embrace professional learning, to seek out PD books and workshops, to engage with multiple educators and co-plan and co-teach.

What you often don't have in a non-classroom role is a consistent source of time to work with students through the many stages of inquiry and learning. And over the last few years, due to numerous reasons, I have had even less time with students. I miss them. 

And so to avoid burying the lead too much... 

I am headed back into the classroom in September in a Grade 3/4 class. 

So many people have asked why. So here are a few excerpts from my cover letter:

My most recent experience as a teacher-librarian has afforded me the opportunity to learn and grow as an educator in the areas of equity and social justice education. I believe that it is of vital importance to embed pedagogical practices rooted in literacy and multi modal texts to consistently be teaching and co-learning with students from an anti-oppression, anti-racism and anti-colonialism lens in all areas of the curriculum. After spending the past five years in the role of teacher-librarian I am eager to return to a classroom role so that my own pedagogical practice is rooted in the experience of daily co-planning, co-learning and co-assessing alongside students.

I have never seen myself staying in the library until I retire. I have at least another 15 years (and, no I don't know my retirement date. That's a conversation for another day, eh Aviva!) and that's a long time to be in a non-classroom role, in my opinion. Since I moved into the library there have been revisions to the Social Studies, Science, Math and soon the Language Arts curriculum. To really know the curriculum you need to be working with it daily. I believe that teacher-librarians have a wide view of the curriculum because they are constantly curating, collecting, co-planning and co-teaching with educators from all grade levels but I miss the deep embedded experience of curriculum that comes from exploring a topic from start to finish through an inquiry lens with students.

I believe in the intentional practice of working with students to build their capacity for critical cultural consciousness. I have attended a number of workshops with Dr. Andrew Campbell from OISE and have heard him say that “the opposite of tokenism is consistency”.

Embedding a variety of differentiated instructional practices and processes is central to helping students learn about themselves as learners. I am hoping to explore digital compositions (i.e. podcasting, video/vlogs, visual literacy) with students in a classroom space so they grow as creators and consumers of media and informational texts. I believe that it is important that students’ learning within the school is  grounded in not only their experiences beyond the walls of the classroom, but the current events that are shaping our world.

The past few years have brought HUGE change and awareness to educators around issues of diversity, building critical cultural consciousness, embedding anti-racist and anti-colonial pedagogy and I am proud of the work that I have done in the library to help educators. I am proud of our "Live from the Library" read alouds that have been curated and built using Gholdy Muhammad's HRL framework from Cultivating Genius. I am proud of constantly seeking out how we might approach a topic with an inquiry mindset and help students to see the wonder and joy of their own interests. I am proud of layering provocations and sparks connected to multi-modal texts and loose parts to help students share their voice and ideas.

And now I want to take that learning and work with students directly. Often in the library you get to spark an inquiry with students, you get to support the research or exploration stage, or you get to take part in the creation of products related to the learning. I want to be a part of all of it all the time.

As I have slowly shared this information with friends and colleagues close to me many people have said something along the lines of "Oh, wow! That's amazing for the kids but what a loss for school libraries." And while it's lovely to be thought of in this way I really, truly wonder if it is a loss?

I mean, I still have all my knowledge and experience about school-libraries and what I believe them to be. I am still a passionate advocate for school libraries and the role they play in supporting students, educators and the community. I have the 5 years I spent sharing that vision with the school I worked in and now a new passionate school library advocate will take over the role of teacher-librarian. Will it be the same? Of course not but that doesn't mean it's a loss.

I spoke with the educator who will likely be taking over the role and we discussed that the school librarian role and the school library itself is unique to each school community. What they bring to the role is their own set of skills and strengths. They bring their own professional network of collaborators that may have never connected with me. They bring their experience and knowledge of being a classroom teacher through the pivots to online/remote learning, of supporting students as they transitioned back into the building and learning within a classroom space.

If we believe in each student's capacity for genius then shouldn't we also believe in each educator's capacity for genius as well?

One person does not a school library make. A school library is a living, breathing, ever changing entity of the school community. It reflects the beliefs and values of a school. It reflects the diversity and culture of a school. It reflects all the hopes of what we believe our school system can be to support the learning of all stakeholders.

Will I return to the school library someday? I hope so.

Will I continue to be a passionate and vocal supporter of school libraries and role of teacher-librarians? Damn right, I will.

But until then, I will be finding my joy in my own little classroom as I continue to grow and learn as an educator.

It's that time of year... placement sheets!

 It's that time of year in my board when we have to start filling out our placement sheets for the next school year. Depending on the admin we sometimes have to list our top 3 or 4 choices, stop/start/continue for the school community, goals for the next 5 years and we can discuss it at a fireside chat of we wish.

It's an interesting time. 

People are curious as to what other people requested. Who wants to change grade levels? Who is looking at a support role? Who is thinking of switching schools or boards?

I have asked for full time library (of course) but in looking at the writing on the wall I can see how much our school population has dropped and that there's a pretty big chance my library allocation will be reduced. So then what? What is the optimal combination to effectively re-start our free flow book exchange and maker space programs should we be back to a somewhat "normal" school year next year?

I know in many, many schools and in many, many boards that teacher-librarians, library technicians and other school library professionals are split across roles, schools and in many cases, across distances between schools. I know the huge path of school library privilege I have always walked in as a full time teacher-librarian. 

I am also aware that the last 2 years in the school library have in some ways soured me to the role. Don't get me wrong!! I love the school library. I love being a teacher-librarian. BUT, there's been a lot of piece stripped away from the role as I knew it due to COVID protocols and the need for various support roles within the school community. 

For me it comes down to the students. I miss them.

I miss our day to day interactions when they would come to exchange books. I miss the kids who would visit multiple times during the week excited to find the next book they would devour. I miss the kids who would come to the library to just sit and play not knowing that while they were there they were gaining experience and skills towards their own self-regulation that would support them when they returned to class. I miss the thrill of starting a new inquiry with a class and filling a white board with a Notice/Wonder chart. I miss watching students building and share their ideas using loose parts and explore communicating their thoughts using a variety of modalities. I even miss the tangle of glue guns and glue sticks that came with large scale maker projects.

I miss being in the mess with the students.

The mess of learning. 

I've been looking back at my three year plan from when I started in the LLC 5 years ago as I do feel as though September 2022 will be a re-start. None of the students in our school will have participated in free flow book exchange in over 2 years. Our oldest students (Grade 5) will have been in Grade 2 the last time they accessed the library independently. It's going to be a complete refresh which on one hand in exciting and on the other is terrifying. 

I do feel as though I need a jolt of some kind to pull me back into what I love the most about teaching (and school libraries, if I'm being honest).

So on my placement sheets for next year, if I am not full time in the library, I have asked for Kindergarten planning time. Why not start at the beginning? Why not immerse myself in the full-on messiness, inquiry-based, wonder of learning? Why not take the opportunity to co-learn and co-teach with kindergarten educators? Why not?

Of course, full time in the library learning commons is the gold standard of library placements but a small part of me is really hoping that I'll get to experience some kindergarten joy as well. 

I guess we'll see what happens...

The one with all the questions.

 Reciprocity.

Courageous for whom...?

Prove. Improve.

Knowing. Not Knowing. 

It's been an interesting few weeks leading up to choosing my #onewordx12 for May. 

(And as I write this... without a title... I'm still not sure I have picked it. 

I guess we'll see what happens at the end of the post. )

My usual process involves starting towards the end of the previous month where I reflect on the word I picked, where I am at that point and what might my goals be for the coming month. I am often influenced by an event or a spark that gets my mind going. Leading into May, however, it seemed like sparks were all around. 

I have been listening to Robin Wall Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass on my twice daily walks with the dog. The word and idea of reciprocity is a very central theme in the book, especially how it relates to nature, the land and Indigenous knowledge of the land. This led me to listen to Chey and Pav's episode of The Staffroom Podcast where they discussed reciprocity. I knew they had also read Braiding Sweetgrass and were delving deeper into how reciprocity might be embedded into their classroom practice. 

I like this word and this concept a lot. I think my philosophy of the role of the school library and the practice and pedagogy of being a school librarian is neatly encapsulated in the word reciprocity. The school library is not mine. I curate it on behalf of the community. (Thanks to Jenn Brown for that learning early in my journey as a teacher-librarian). My role is to build a collection that represents the community it serves and provides an opportunity to stretch in their learning. The users of a school library and the text collection is a reciprocal relationship. The books and materials exist to support the learners and the learners decide on the books and materials that need to be in the space.  

So it really looked like reciprocity might be the word for May. 

Until...

A new word and a new idea sparked in my head. I was able to tune in and listen to Chris Cluff and Rolland Chidiac's podcast on YouTube last Saturday morning while I was crocheting and drinking my coffee. A rare Saturday morning treat. Sitting still. Creating. AND listening to something of my choosing. Chris and Rolland's convos are always a treat and an assignment. An assignment because they send my thoughts spinning. Chris often refers to things as "thought fuel" and that is a great term for their podcast. 

They were discussing issues around leadership in schools, diversity in leadership, opportunities for leadership, power imbalances, conflict that arises and more. Chris at one point said "collaboration is the room and conflict is the table" which is a metaphor I'd really like to sit down and discuss with him one day. But it was when the idea of courageous conversations came up (and reminded me that I still need to read Glenn Singleton's book) and the question of "courageous for whom..." that I really took notice.

As a white, cisgender woman in the education system are these conversations around diversity and anti-racism courageous for me? Am I risking anything when I am a part of the conversation? How might my presence make another educator less comfortable and less willing to be part of a courageous conversation?

Am I bringing reciprocity to courageous conversations? Am I part of a reciprocal cycle of learning?

What is my role as a teacher librarian to model courageous conversations? Is it my role to model courageous conversations? It is undeniable that the teacher librarian role is often a leadership role within a school community. As a white cisgender woman how should I approach the possibility of courageous conversations with my colleagues while being cognizant of the fact that I am not risking anything compared to their experience and their journey within the education system? 

How might reciprocity and courageous conversations be connected? 

To add to the thought fuel mix (because there wasn't enough swirling) I listened to an episode of Brene Brown's Dare to Lead podcast that featured Adam Grant called "The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know" . The phrase "I'm not here to prove myself, I'm here to improve myself" was repeated throughout the episode. And what a mantra that is. I truly believe in and having been trying to to centre the voices of the authors, podcasters and educators of the global majority that I have been privileged to hear speak, to read the works of and to follow on social media. But is that enough?

Is sharing and amplifying the voices of those I am learning from part of a reciprocal relationship? Is it enough action? Is it action at all? Am I sharing my learning on social media as a means to help others or as a way of saying"Hey, look at me! I'm doing the work. See how good I am"? Is being aware of what you don't know, seeking to read and learn about it and then share with others part of reciprocal learning? Is it courageous?  

So. 

All these questions. 

So many questions.

More questions than answers. To be sure. And maybe that's the point?

So what shall the word for May be... ?

Let's go with query and see where it takes us. 

Space for. Space from.

 We've almost hit the one year mark. 

One year ago things went sideways. One year ago we shut down schools for three weeks but never went back. One year ago we were all walking around maskless and hugging people. 

One year. 

While I did choose a word last year in March I didn't blog about until April 1st. In fact, I didn't blog at all in March. I know I wrote in bullet journal something I almost never do. I am not a traditional journal/diary writer but I felt compelled last year to document those first few weeks and the unknowns. I haven't gone back to read it. I don't need to. It's seared into my brain. 

My word for March 2020 was appreciate. I picked it "before". 

Before everything went sideways and upside down. 

I'm not sure how much appreciating I did in March of last year. That is a blur.  

So here we are. 

One year.

I am choosing the word space for March of 2021. 

I think this year has taught me (and many of us) to slow down and really notice the things that are important and the things that we value. The people we value. The ideals and beliefs that we value. The traditions that we value. The small daily things that we value.

The word space is somewhat in keeping with my theme so far this year. 

Nourish in January.

Permission in February.

For March (and beyond) I want to continue to notice. What am I making space for and what am I taking space from. Whether that is in my personal life or my professional life. This year, more than any other I think we have seen which educators are drawn to the ideals of serving children as the core of education. Who is making space for learning about racism in our society and in our schools? Who is making space to honour the lived experiences of our children and their community? Who is making space for their own learning and growth? Who is making space for new stories and lost histories in their classroom. 

Who is not?

As a teacher-librarian I have always felt that part of my role is having one foot in the role of an instructional coach. Pushing and challenging people to grow their pedagogy and understanding of best practices. As a now almost fully virtual librarian my role has shifted to almost entirely encompass curating and creating resources to help educators. I also read many books aloud to students but the bulk of my work is curating resources and inquiry sparks for educators.  

I see the educators striving to learn about becoming an anti-racist educator. I see those who are not. I see those teachers asking for books and resources that mirror their students and allow for greater representation in their work. I see those who are not. 

I know times are hard. I know teachers are burning out. I know they have a lot on their plate.

But children come first. Always. Forever.

And if you aren't making space for their identity in your classroom then you are taking space away from their learning. 

The Journey Continues

 I have written this blog post a dozen times in my head already.

I'd say that's why I'm not writing my December OneWordx12 post until Dec 12th but upon looking back at the the last few months it would appear that most of my one word posts have been published this late into the month. I wonder if that's because it's 2020 and everything seems to be just a little bit harder (and somethings so very much harder) or the nature of trying to choose one word to represent an entire month 12 times through the year?

As this is my first time doing OneWordx12, I don't really have an answer.

I know that picking this word has been an uphill battle. Not in a bad way but due to the fact that I couldn't seem to settle on one word and the circumstances and emotions around the word kept changing.

The first word I wanted to pick was teacher.

The word teacher is such a big word. And it means so many things to so many people. In a recent conversation Chris Cluff posed a question about the idea of "if you take the idea of being a teacher out of your identity, who are you?" and it really stuck with me.

During the lock down last spring I wrote this blog about being (or not) a teacher-librarian  and I had been feeling similar feelings about my current role except now looking at the "teacher" part of the equation.

Many people have asked how this year is going and how I feel and for a lot of the time I answered that I no longer felt like a teacher. 

An instructional coach? Yes. A curator? Yes. A book deliverer? Yes. A storytime reader? Yes. But a teacher? No.

My access to working with students between September and now has been very limited. And I fully recognize that most educators are barely keeping their heads above water these days so inviting another educator into their space (virtual or otherwise) to co-plan and co-teach is an added layer that they can't handle. So I read a lot of books to a lot of classes. I asked some questions and discussed some ideas.

But was it teaching? I don't know. It didn't feel like it.

But then it was almost as if a light switch was turned on and all of a sudden people were looking for me to join them to teach. Perhaps they were feeling like they had a handle on this year a little more. Perhaps it was that they wanted to explore coding and had very little experience of their own. Whatever the reason, the word teacher didn't seem to quite fit in the same way for December. I had been hoping that by choosing it I would focus on the ways in which I was still teaching, even if it was small or with adults, but the sentiment didn't seem as necessary anymore.

The second word I wanted to pick was decenter.

As it always seems with December (and for the most part November) we are slapped in the face with Christmas as soon as Halloween is over. I am a big believer that all things Christmas should wait until at least November 12th in order to give space to Remembrance Day. This year it seems many people who celebrate Christmas needed the cheer and sparkle a little earlier than usual this year and started putting up their trees and decorations sooner than normal. We put ours up on American Thanksgiving which is a about a week early for us. And I get that desire.... at home. 

I understand why people might be feeling the need for more cheer and sparkle this year but as always, I struggle with the amount of Christmas that is brought into the schools.

Every activity in December doesn't need to have an element of Christmas in it. There's no need for reindeer math or Santa letters (That's a whole other blog post...). And there shouldn't be a tree or an elf on the shelf in any classroom. In my opinion.

While I hear people's reasoning that it's not the religious aspects of Christmas and that many of the children like it, I wonder what message we are sending when our classrooms continue to mimic the dominant culture of the wider society. Do these same educators who put up Christmas tree and center so many of their activities in December around Christmas do the same for every other holiday? Do they also do menorah math and dreidel writing prompts? Do they find a way to ensure that Diwali and Eid are the centre of all the activities in their classroom during the months in which they fall?

I think if we are devoted to being anti-racist educators who decolonize our teaching, our bookshelves, our assessments then we also need to be prepared to take a hard look at Christmas as ask how we can decenter it in our schools. 

So why didn't I pick decenter as my December word? 

Well, I think it goes back to my first choice in words- teacher.

I'm not with students all the time. I'm not creating a community classroom space for these discussions. I don't feel as those I have the leverage in which to enact direct change. I can discuss the ideas with my colleagues (I have). I can add ideas and link articles in my library weekly update (I have). I can join in with Twitter threads and post my thoughts (I have). 

But if I'm not a teacher in a classroom space can I actually create meaningful change? 

I don't know. 

I don't know how much or even if many of my colleagues are reading my library weekly updates. I don't know if they are looking at the articles I am linking and taking the time to reflect on their practice. I don't know if they are seeing it as another add-on and skimming past. I don't know. 

And so upon reflection it felt like journey would be a better word for the last month of 2020. Because what a journey this year has been. And what a journey we are still in. 

The pandemic is nowhere near over. The journey of dealing with that and the far-reaching affects on the education system will be something we are dealing with for many years to come. The cultural reckoning that has taken place this year as people grapple with ideas about white supremacy and being antiracist need to continue to be pushed to the forefront of our consciousness and confronted every day in all spaces. 

By choosing the word journey I can continue to reflect on both my roles as a teacher and as a librarian and how I use those roles to push forward the need to decenter the dominant culture in our school spaces.

 

What might the LLC look like if/when we go back to school?

This has been the question on the mind of every school library professional since the start 

of the shut-down. At least, I know it has been on mine. 

The LLC is a space where students and educators come together to tinker, 

explore, play and of course READ. 

What happens when we need to stay apart for the safety of all? 

How might we re-imagine the methodology and pedagogy behind the LLC in order to bring the learning to the students, educators and their families? 

Jenn Brown and I facilitated an open discussion at the end of the school year with school library porfessionals across Ontario (and from BC!) discussing what the future might hold for our LLCs and the stakeholders we serve. 

You can listen to our debrief here as a podcast episode of Read Into This. We also looked over the notes taken during the discussion and the thoughts submitted from the participants in Google Form to come up with six "big" questions K-12 library questions in a pandemic world. 

These questions can be seen listed in Open Shelf. 

Of course my mind as been whirling and swirling all summer long. An educator's mind is never far from school and what might be...

A few thoughts I have had about how I might adapt my library program to move beyond the wall of the library space and into the classrooms of students....

BOOKS.

Most importantly, in my mind, is getting books into the hands of students. Each class can have a designated bin of books that is delivered on Monday and picked up the following Friday. The books can be kept in "quarantine" if needed after I pick them up before being distributed to other classes.

Pros: 

-students will have access to books in their class that they can read through out the week

-classes can put together request lists or topics of interest to help guide me in choosing books for their bin

Cons:

-students don't have access to the entire library collection and the self-regulation that comes with choosing their own reading materials in the space

-it will be time and labour intensive to choose and deliver bins of books to 30+ classrooms each week

INQUIRY. 

Last summer when we moved to Caledon East I was very excited to see inquiry style bags that had been curated for busy families. The idea being that families could choose a bag of 10 or so books to bring home without needing to spend time browsing and choosing. Also included in the bags were artifacts, games, and other items that connected with the books or might spark an inquiry at home.

Pros: 

-students love to explore and play with the tinkering stations spread through the library when they visit as part of our free flow routine, by creating this type of inquiry provocation in a bag or a bin student can continue to enjoy and explore within their classroom

-students may get an opportunity to explore a material they haven't previously explored or revisit an old fave

-the bins can be tailored to specific curriculum based inquiries that educators are exploring with their class (this can also help educators with their planning, grade level teams can co-plan with the teacher-librarian to create a set of bins related to the curriculum that can be shared among the classes (with proper disinfecting completed as needed))

Cons: 

-a lack of of free choice in materials to explore, students usually have free range of the library space

-do we have enough materials to spread out among the entire school population?

-completing the necessary disinfecting and tracking of materials to ensure equitable access

-once again time is a factor... 

MAKER. 

Cultivating a maker mindset and a maker culture within our school community has been a huge focus during my time as the teacher-librarian and I'd love for the momentum and passion for making that has been developed to continue to grow... even if we can't create together in the LLC space. I documented our journey and wrote a paper about it for Treasure Mountain Canada 2020. (You can access the paper and accompanying photo essay here.) (I also recorded my paper and was interviewed by Alanna King for the Read Into This podcast. The episodes can be found here and here.)

Once again.... bins, bags, boxes. 

Different maker provocations could be bundled up and delivered to classes. 

Perhaps each grade level could explore a different material? Perhaps it's just a box of materials and the invitation to create anything you can think of? Perhaps it's a guided maker project where the students can explore and learn a new skill? Perhaps it's a focus on the process of making and the creation must be deconstructed (like with loose parts) once the making has been completed and documented. 

Pros:

- students get to make stuff

(That's it... in my mind that's the best rationale there is. Students. Get. To. Make. Stuff. 

Cons:

-materials (budget? containers? disinfecting? amounts?)

-always time...

At this point, no one know what the fall might bring in terms of school or in terms of of school library learning commons but I'm hopeful that the magic of the library will still be there. Perhaps in a different form, perhaps in a better form? 

Time will tell.

Do you have an idea for how you might spread the magic of your school library program if/when we return to school? I'd love to hear about it. 

If you aren't still in a school library...

... are you still a teacher-librarian?

It's a question that's been swirling around my head now for a few weeks. One that at times I've wanted to explore deeply and at others the mere thought sends shock waves of pain. But the ache and the wonder is always there. 

It's there like a toothache. 

As the world, as Canada, as Ontario has made the emergency pivot to distance learning,
to remote learning, to e-learning... 

to all the names that would require and demand a whole other blog post...

As we pivot, I wonder- 

Am I still a librarian? Am I still a teacher?

I know that I am still a curator as I work on the virtual library learning commons and as I gather resources in a Google Classroom to support teachers with their new reality.

But I'm not teaching students.

Not that I know of.

I'm not even interacting with students, beyond my own two daughters, to be honest.

A few students have reached out via email but it's not anywhere near like it was in the physical library. There's no asking what books I think are good. There's no questions about which section in the library the books on weather are found in. There's no requests to take a picture of the students' tinkering and creations at the maker stations.

Am I still a teacher-librarian?

I know I am a resource. I know that I have helped educators with tech questions, with Google questions, with finding resources, with read alouds, and read alongs and the list goes on and on.

So I don't feel unnecessary or unneeded. I know I am helping. And I'm grateful to have a role.

But if I'm being honest, I didn't become an educator to work with adults.

I miss the students. I miss the daily interactions and the buzz of the library.

I miss the mess. I miss reshelving books. I miss the chaos.

The saying "you don't know a good thing until it's gone" never really applied to me
and my role in the library learning commons as a teacher-librarian.

I know I hit the education jackpot. I knew how good I had it.

So now I wonder- 

Am I still a teacher? 

Am I still a teacher-librarian?

What is the definition of those roles and where do I fit in the current educational landscape?

I don't want anyone to think I am feeling sorry for myself, because although I am sad and grieving as many of us are- I have my job, I am getting paid, and my family is safe.

I am doing work everyday that matters and is helping people.

I am continuing to learn new skills - how to create choice boards,
how to curate valuable resources for others, how to create Screencastify videos as tutorials for educators, how to do many, many, many, many new things within the Google suite.

I know that this has clarified for me my love for teaching, my love for working with students as they learn and explore new things, my love for all things school library and my desire to never work in a role that doesn't involve being in and around children on a daily basis.

As we moved forward with our pivot, our emergency plans and our eyes open to many realities of the education system that is inequitable and broken in so many ways, I wonder what new roles will emerge. What new job descriptions will be written? What roles will be seen as essential and necessary? 

Where will the role of teacher-librarian go from here? 

How has it been changed through this experience?

What will the landscape of education look like moving forward?

And the journey expands...

(Left aligned for Doug.)

Every moment is a fresh beginning. 

~T.S. Eliot

Almost three years ago now I began this journey as a teacher-librarian. It is in the late winter/early spring that schools begin to work on their staff allocations for the coming school year and it was in March of 2017 that my current administrator approached me about moving into the role of teacher-librarian at my school with the goal of transforming the space into a library learning commons. 

As I have received news that I was successful in my bid to become the Vice President/ President Elect of the OSLA Council for 2020-2021 years, I think this is a great time to reflect on my journey thus far...

(I do want to thank Trevor MacKenzie, Dawn Telfer and Doug Peterson for reading and editing my bio before the OSLA election. I appreciate it and I appreciate you so much.)

Becoming a teacher-librarian has rekindled my love of reading. I have read more books in the last few years than the years previous. This may also have something to do with the age of my girls and that they no longer need to me to direct them in all their play endeavours and can be trusted to manage themselves for longer lengths of time... but let's say that it was also due to my new role! 

I have read more Canadian literature in the past few years after discovering the Festival of Literary Diversity  and attempting to read the entire long list of the Canada Reads program in 2018 with a group of friends. I remember reading a lot of Canadian literature as part of my undergrad studying English literature and finding so much of it dreary and old. Always in the past. Always about colonizers. Always part truths. Now that I have started a journey to re-educate myself about the true history of Canada's colonization and dark past, I can see the disservice done to me and my fellow students in those long ago lecture halls. Inspired by the journeys and reading list of others I have sought out books and authors that will help me to understand the truth and begin to work for reconciliation. 

I have also expanded my reading tastes beyond books that show a mirror on to my own life and my own culture. I have learned to seek out books written by authors from all over the world. From a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds, family structures, and more. I have learned the importance of reading books that reflect #OwnVoices . (I blogged recently about my reading journey in 2019 in a blog post called- Looking Back, Reading Forward)

I have worked to bring these books into our library collection and to have students see themselves in our collection. I love that the students feel empowered to suggested books they want more of and new titles they think belong in our collection. 

It surprised me (and humbled me) that after 2+ years in the TL role and completing my Teacher-Librarian Specialist I had not yet read "Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors" by Rudine Sims Bishop. While I had encountered the idea of books providing "mirrors on our own lives and windows into the lives of others", I had not had a first hand experience with the article. I thank Diana Maliszewski for guiding me to the article after a recent panel we were both a part of for OnEdMentors.  The opening passage is pure magic-

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.” ~Rudine Sims Bishop

I have always been a hands-on, get messy, play around with stuff kind of teacher. As a special teacher I had the fortune to work with years ago recently told me "[m]any of the things you did 10 years ago (thing I have adopted to this day), I see teachers doing now. " The benefit is that now I have a name to put on the things I tried all those years ago that just felt right and that I knew were working with my students, even if I didn't always have a term for it. I now know that my jump and loop around style of teaching math is called spiralling. My hands-on, maker, questions first, student-led social studies and science teaching is inquiry-based learning. Allowing students to create as part of their learning is the maker movement. Becoming a TL and reading, reading, reading as allowed me to centre my understanding of these pedagogical methods and to feel empowered to share my beliefs of the value of teaching and learning this way. 

I posted recently on Twitter about my aunt who was a TL while I was growing up and that I wanted so much to be like her. Sadly, she passed away in September of my first year as a teacher. But every day I think of her and what she might have thought about this journey I'm on and where it is taking me. As I wrote in my bio for the OSLA Council election - I believe in being open about my own learning journey as a educator and a teacher-librarian. I see the role of the teacher-librarian as a curator, an advocate, a risk take and an ally. The ability to see the big picture of  curriculum and content integration in central to this role. Each day involves asking questions, making mistakes and learning together. 

I have discovered a love for podcasts in the past few years. There's something special about listening to a long discussion or story that really dives deep into a topic. I love the connection that is created by hearing the voices of people across the void as they discuss various topics. This past year I had the honour of joining in on some podcasts as well and it was great experience each and every time. I met Stephen Hurley from VoicEd Radio at OLASC in 2019 and from there the connections just blossomed.  

A long held goal of mine... I will be presenting a workshop at OLASC 2020 with two amazing educators, Tina Zita and Jane Dennis-Moore. I am beyond excited to share our learning journey related to identity, photography and diverse texts.

I just submitted my first-ever action research paper related to the open-making program I call the Genius Cart for Treasure Mountain Canada 2020. A year long culmination of questions, reflections, successes, failures, and exploring the messy, wonderfulness that is maker ed. 

I think becoming a teacher-librarian has helped me to become more of myself. 

I am excited (and nervous) to see where this new role takes me and what new learning will take place. 

I am humbled to be in this role and hope to do it justice. 

Looking Back, Reading Forward

Maybe this is why we read, 

and in moments of darkness we return to books: 

to find words for what we already know. 

~ Alberto Manguel

This past year I tracked my reading using GoodReads for the first time. It's not the first time I've ever tried to keep a list of the books I've read but it is the first time I used this app and that I was consistent for the whole year. 

I set a reading goal at the start of the year, not because I wanted to reach a certain number but because I was interested in knowing how many books I would read over the course of the year. I've noticed in the last two years as my daughters have gotten to an age where they can be trusted to play and entertain themselves that I have been able to read more again. In the early years when they were babies, I was either too exhausted to focus on reading or every time I tried to read they would want my attention. 

Now that they are older, I can read as much as I want ... but 

I also miss those little baby arms always reaching up to me. 

I started out the year blogging about my reading with the intention of keeping it up all year. Isn't the saying that "the path to Hell is paved with good intentions..."? Well, as the year got busier and other things took my attention I dropped that endeavor but I think I'd like to pick it back up this year. 

Maybe focusing on just 1-2 books each month? Maybe completing a FOLD Reading Challenge? Perhaps this is the year I read the Canada Reads long list as I did a few years ago?

I'd definitely like to find time for more PD books during the school year. 

A wonderful educator, Alanna King, that I met at previous OLASC's and who I follow on Twitter recently blogged about her reading journey and it really stuck with me.

Alanna shared this video on Jacques Derrida from Youtube (and I swear I haven't heard anyone mention Derrida since my days in undergrad...) and it was super interesting.

My husband and I often talk (or have a fierce discussion... however, you want to call it!) about the state of the world, people's reactions to things, and our own opinions. For two people who pledged to spend their lives together, it's rather amazing how little we often agree on.

One thing that usually comes from our chats is the belief that most people are too stuck in their own thoughts and beliefs. That they haven't attempted to learn enough about the "other" around them. That we need to go outside of ourselves, to ask questions and to learn more, and to understand that we know less than we think we do.

So what did I read last year?

Well, GoodReads just happens to create a visual display of the books logged over the course of the year.

I have also been reading articles related to reading. What reading is and could be.
The books that should be available to children and the books that need to be available to children.

I started with Diverse Literature in School Libraries: Reflected Realities by Matthew Courtney (School Librarian, Vol. 67, Issue 3, The School Library Association) and then moved on to Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors by Rudine Sims Bishop (Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, Vol 6, no. 3, Summer 1990.)

I was sad, disappointed and a little ashamed that neither had crossed my path during any of my teacher-librarian courses or qualifications.

Then the amazing article by Rabia Khokhar came out in the ETFO Voice Magazine entitled- The Power of Stories: Learning from Complex Characters to Counter Islamophobia (Winter 2019). This led me to A Black Character Does Not a Good Book Make: Choosing Black-Focused Books to Support Culturally Relevant Teaching by Natasha Henry (ETFO Voice, Spring 2018). And finally, as I had already started writing this blog post the latest edition of The Teaching Librarian magazine arrived with the article Silent Message in the Stacks by Holly Dickson (January 2020, Vol. 27, Issue 2).

So after a year (and more) of intentionally diversifying my reading-

...reading books with #OwnVoices, from backgrounds and cultures different than my own, trying new genres and formats, reading more non-fiction and memoirs, reading Canadian books, etc-

Do I have less questions? 

No.

But I'm happy with that. I'm happy to have more questions.
More wonderings. More confusion.
Less certainty. More openness.
Less silo.

More books to read. Always more books.

And isn't that the magic of reading?