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.)
(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.
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.
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.
