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.

 

Maintaining Connection: September OneWordx12

 

It's almost back to school. We are now 4 days into September,

We've had three days of professional development here in my school board, plus one more next Tuesday before the students come back to the building. 

Many educators still don't know what grade or subjects they are teaching.

Many educators still don't know which physical classroom they will be in. Many educators don't know if they are going to be teaching virtually. There are so many things still unknown across the province as we head back to school.

I have been very lucky and blessed to learn that I will be remaining in the teacher-librarian role. While the physical space of the library learning commons in closed, I can still deliver books to classrooms. I can still do virtual story time. I can still co-teach using virtual tools. 

I can work to re-invent the teacher-librarian role and find ways to connect with the educators and learners in my building. And I'm hoping with the staff that will be working with students online as well.

My school is approximately 50% face to face and 50% online. This means 18 of our educators were moved from working in the physical building to teaching at the online school in my board.

That's a lot of educators that I won't see in the halls. I won't have a passing moment of connection when we discuss a moment from their class, someone asks a question about student, someone is looking for a book or resource to support their teaching. And when I reflect about the staff that will be in the building we will be so spread out as the classes are being placed in every other room, where possible, to maintain physical distancing in the halls. 

How might we actively work to maintain and 

build connections during this school year?

 

How will we lift each other up and be available to support each other when we are already feeling the stress of unknowns, the pandemic and life as we have known it for the last 6 months.

The world, and education, is starting to open it's eyes to the realities of racism, the harmful legacy of the colonial-settler history that has built our society, the ever-widening gaps in equity, resources and needs across our communities.

As we go back to school this year, I want to actively look at my role as the teacher-librarian and consistently be asking-

How can I work to create deep and meaningful connections with educators, students and their families?

Forward.

Summer is finally here? Or is it?

It's hard to tell this year as we have been home since March. 

But the temperature is hotter and I'm getting less emails so it must be summer break.

I think many educators are feeling a little adrift this year as we settle into summer break. 

Doug Peterson highlighted this blog post by Lisa Corbett on This Week in Ontario EduBlogs. 

Lisa was writing about the last week of school but I think this description -

"I’m a ship lost at sea this week – meandering here and there with no real aim." 

- applies well to the first week of the summer. 

We haven't had any real routine here at my house. We are halfheartedly attempting to break the reliance on screens built from months of two adults attempting to work with two young children in the house. We are trying to get outside every day but it's HOT. We need to clean, tidy, organize and straighten all the makeshift works spaces and craft areas that have sprung up. 

But we haven't. Not really.

For the last two weeks I have taken part in the #QuarantineEd chat on Thursday night hosted by Matthew R. Morris and Jay Williams. Both discussions were open, honest and thought provoking. Last night's was interesting as the topic was supposed to center around summer plans but one participant asked an amazing question- 

"Do you think people will burn out or tire of anti-racist education?" 

(I'm paraphrasing and convinced their wording was better than mine. That was the gist.)

Wow. 

So many people shared honest concerns- that'll be worksheet-ified, that it will become something on a checklist to say we've covered it, that people won't see their place in the system and won't do the work, that people will find excuses not to do the work.

A big takeaway from last night for me was-

“You can only meet people as deeply as they have met themselves”

Which means as an educator it is my job to meet myself as deeply as possible. 

To look inwards, to reflect on my place of privilege, to consider my role in past wrongs, to unlearn and re-educate myself, to name and disrupt racism when and where it occurs in my sphere of influence. 

Doug also shared a blog post by Amanda Potts on This Week in Ontario EduBlogs and although I missed the broadcast of the show on Wednesday, reading the blog post really spoke to me. 

Is what I am doing enough? 

Is it enough to read and unlearn? Is it enough to listen and try to understand my role and to do better?

Is it enough to discuss my new learning with other educators and those is my life?

Is it enough to advocate for more books by Black and Indigenous authors for the library collection? To advocate for more diverse authors and illustrators that represent the tapestry of our world?

  To advocate for more books with diverse characters? 

I don't know.

I do know that I will keep reading, I will keep listening, 

I will keep discussing, I will keep learning, and I will keep advocating.

At first I thought picking my own word for July would be difficult given that

 I only picked June's word 13 days ago.

 I know that I originally posted that I might just keep unlearn for two months. 

But I want to be intentional in my own reflections and I want to stay committed to my goal of choosing one word each month for 2020.

Forward. 

July's word is connected to June's word... 

Unlearn. Forward.

As a white woman I recognize that my journey will be unending. 

I will be working every day to acknowledge what I don't know, 
to learn what I don't know, to de-centre myself, to do the WORK every day.

To learn forward. 

The Great Pause. Or the Push Forward.

So June.

Specifically June 19th.

Is it just me or do each of the months just get longer and longer this year?

2020. For real.

Back in January I decided to do one word for each month of the year based on what was happening, how I was feeling, and the goals I wanted to accomplish. Doug Peterson mentioned back in May that I just might be a genius (Well.... wink wink!). In all seriousness, if there was any year in which to do this, 2020 was definitely the year. 

And here we are in the 6th month of the year. Halfway done. 

But does it really feel like half? 

Or does it feel like an eternity. 

In truth I've had this blog post rolling around my brain for 19th days now. I knew going into June what my one word would be. I knew mostly want I wanted to say and to share.

So why did it take me 19 days to sit down and write it?

Because 2020. 

A look back at my OneWordx12 for this past year before we get to June's word(s) and why. 

January- Renew

February- Motion

March- Appreciate

April- Breathe

May- Grace

It's an interesting progression of words. Discussing it might be a whole other blog post.

Back at the end of May I heard a colleague say that in a meeting they had someone in yet a different meting describe this time as "the great pause". 

That we'd all look back and see the time as when we stood still. 

When we took a pause. 

When we had time to spare.

And while I can see certain aspects of that, I'm not driving my kids around to activities, we aren't rushing home from school to eat dinner and head out again, we aren't making weekend plans just to wish we'd stayed home and relaxed, etc, there's so much more to this that is not a pause.

Of course, I must acknowledge the wide path of privilege I have walked in during this time. 

Both my husband and I are still fully employed and getting our full paycheques. We have fully functioning wifi (for the most part). Our children have devices on which they can learn or entertain themselves. No one in my family is sick, got sick, or was hospitalized. We own A LOT of books. We are not food insecure.

But I don't see this as a pause at all. If anything this has been a huge push forward. 

When I think of the learning gains undertaken by educators and support staff across the world to pivot to emergency distance learning and completely change the way in which we deliver the education system as never before. 

That is not a pause.

Considering the duality of the roles taken on by many parents and caregivers to not only do their own work and see to their own responsibilities but to become homeschool parents to multiple ages and grades of children when in most cases they hadn't taken part in an education setting since their own days in school 20 or more years ago. 

That is not a pause.

The door, the lock, the unspoken knowledge of the wide gap in equality of education, food security, wage inequality, home life, access to health care, and systemic racism was blown wide open during this time. Never again will people be able to say "I didn't know." 

If you don't know after this, it's because you don't want to know. 

This was not a great pause for many people.

This was stress. This was heartache. This was illness and death. This was wondering which bill to pay and which meal to eat. This was continuing to see how society treated you differently because of the colour of your skin. 

Inequality did not pause for COVID 19.

Food insecurities did not pause for COVID 19.

Racism did not pause for COVID 19. 

I hope this is the push forward.

I hope this is the point from which we unlearn. From which re-educate ourselves.

And that is my commitment. My word for June is unlearn. 

To confront my place in the truth of anti-Black racism and 

white supremacist structures here in Canada. 

To acknowledge my role and responsibility to 

understand the settler-colonizer history of this land that is now called Canada. 

To work to learn and take action to support the communities that live with the 

trauma of this daily oppression  and marginalization.

Given the importance and necessity of this work I think 

I will keep this word or choose a variation of the idea. 

This work will take a lifetime.

Applying a Critical Lens on I Read Canadian Day

I believe the world needs more Canada.

~Bono

This year schools, school libraries, public libraries, families and more celebrated the first ever I Read Canadian Day on February 19th, 2020.

It was a fun and exciting event that will only grow with each year's planning and programming. I really enjoyed curating the books from all sections within our library learning commons in anticipation of the day. 

It also helped bring to light same gaps within our collection. As with everything we do in the library learning commons, we need to look at the collection with an eye to how the books reflect the community and provide an opportunity for readers to see themselves in the books they read. It's also important to include examples of Own Voices. This is a good article with a description of Own Voices if you are unfamiliar. 

As I was curating our collection, I really struggled to find books written by Black Canadian authors. While there as been a concentrated effort to increase our collection of books with Black main characters and books written by Black authors until the onset of I Read Canadian Day I hadn't intentionally looked to see if Black Canadian authors were represented in our collection. 

This led me to think that I also need to take the time to see what other cultures within Canada may not be represented by Canadian authors in our collection. Again, this is an area where we have worked to increase the collection overall but without an eye to Canadian authors specifically.

If I Read Canadian Day has done nothing else, it has given me another lens to which I can use to critically evaluate the collection within our school library. 

I ordered 300 maple leaf stickers to add to the cover/spine of books in our collection in anticipation of I Read Canadian Day and was surprised as I began to pull books from the collection how many there were and that I ran out of stickers.

As I was pulling books to add the maple leaf stickers another opportunity to think critically about the collection, specifically the movement to decolonize the library.

A good article about this idea can be found here. 

I wondered whether I should put a maple leaf on any of the books

 we have in the collection by an Indigenous author? 

Was I creating a situation that would cause harm to 

authors who do not identify as Canadian? 

I read this article by Tanya Talaga today and my worries continued to grow. 

I ended up putting maple leaf stickers on the books by Indigenous authors because I wanted them to be easily found and noticed by students and educators as they came to choose their books for I Read Canadian Day. 

I hope I haven't caused harm but if I have I will work to undo that harm and learn from it. 

I will work to find another way to highlight these authors in a 

way that is respectful and honours their voices.

But for this first I Read Canadian Day it was all new territory and 

I didn't want them to be shut out, forgotten or ignored. 

“Do the best you can until you know better. 

Then when you know better, do better.” —Maya Angelou

All I can hope for is that I did the best I can for this first I Read Canadian Day and that by the time next year comes around I will know more, our collection with have grown and I can continue to share a love of Canadian literature with our school community. 

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?

Social Media- What is it good for?

Maybe it's not about the length of time you've known someone; 

maybe it's about the instant recognition on an unconscious level.

Our souls know each other.

~ S.E. Hall

Warning before we start... 

I think this post is going to be a rambling one. 

It'll probably back track and circle around all over the place.
It might not even make sense to anyone but me. 

But I know that I think best through writing 

so this is just me trying to put my thoughts to paper and to see if all the columns

add up to a cohesive thought for myself. 

I've also taken a bunch of screen shots of tweets that have prompted 

my thinking or given my pause and helped to clarify my own ideas.

So fasten your seat belts, it might be a bumpy ride.


With great power, comes great responsibility.
~Spiderman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_great_power_comes_great_responsibility

It's been an interesting summer as an educator who uses social media to connect with others, to grow in my understanding of the world and those around me, and to share my own thoughts.
I will be the first person to say that I tweet A LOT.

I like it.

I like sharing my learning journey with others.
I like learning about how my journey intersects with others on a
similar path or a vastly different path.
I like having my learning journey disrupted, interrupted, sent spiraling on a tangent.

I like "meeting" new people. I like engaging in conversations. I like thinking and hearing about the thinking of others.

This summer there are many people questioning the use of Twitter (and I'm guessing other social media platforms" by #eduknowns or #educelebs.

What is their purpose?
What are they attempting to drive their audience to do?
What might they be selling?

Can an #eduknown be part of your #PLN?
What do they offer to your learning journey?

What if all they post are questions and no replies?
What if there is a lack of true engagement?
Do #educelebs have a responsibility to engage and provoke on topics?

Why do you follow an #eduknown?

A big thanks goes out to Chris Cluff @chrisjcluff for really pushing my thinking on this topic.
We have been having DM convos throughout the summer based on
tweets, articles, Twitter threads and more.

Each time we chat I come away with new thinking and new questions.
Lots of #thoughfuel .

So why might I follow an #eduknown?

This summer has really opened my eyes to which Twitter users might be using the platform to push their own agenda (e.g. selling a book or tickets to an event where they are a keynote speaker).

Do I wish or think they should engage in more pressing matters related to education?
Yes.

Can I control how they use social media?
No.

Can I control who I follow and how I use social media?
Yes.

These three posts really hit home for me and made me think.

Am I using my Twitter to "amplify those voices who may have been silenced"
as stated by Jenn Brown @JennMacBrown ?

Or am I creating an echo chamber where I hear more of what I already know and understand?

How many Indigenous Black or People of Colour am I following so I can better understand?
So I can confront my privilege? So I can learn and grow?

If an #educeleb that I follow is not engaging in these communities and conversations do I still want to follow them? Can I still learn from their posts and tweets?

What do I want from my Twitter feed?
What responsibilities do I have when using Twitter (and other social media) to engage in important topics? 

I want to follow people who will challenge my thinking and the thinking of others.

I want to follow people who are learning out loud and are sharing that learning with others.

I want to follow Indigenous, Black and People of Colour so I can learn and grow.

I want to follow people who are reading and watching and sharing the work of Indigenous, Black and People of Colour.



I want to come away from every encounter with new questions.

Moving forward, I will be more intentional about curating my Twitter feed on a regular basis.

I will question the #educelebs I follow and whether their voice needs or deserves to be amplified any further.

I will consistently ask whose voice needs to be amplified?

How might I use the reach of my Twitter use to advocate for the voices of others?

And most of all, as with every thing we do as educators we must ask "And how are the children?'.

This thread by John Phillips @ByJohnPhillips presents excellent #thoughtfuel on this topic.

The reading, learning, watching, discussing, learning that I engage in is there
to make me a better person and a better educator.

I want to bring my learning back into the school community in order
to support my students to the best of my ability.

It all really boils down to one thing:

Is it good for kids?

And that's really the most important thing of all. 

School Libraries: Breathe In the Change Together

I love when my reading, listening and learning all converge on each other in a natural and organic way. 

It's my own little happy place. 

My serendipity.

On Friday night I was listening to a OnEd Mentors podcast episode on VoicEd Radio called Thinking About Change as I was making dinner for my children and waiting for my husband to come home for the weekend.

There were many good questions posed and ideas expressed throughout the conversation and I recommend that all educators take some time to listen to it as we are indeed heading into times of change. There is a lot of uncertainty and worry in the air these days. 

What will the cuts to education look like?
What will they mean for the future of our students?
How will we support the needs of our students with less?

And these are all valid worries because without a doubt there will be cuts to the education system and we will have less. 

The only unknown question is-

How will we breathe in these changes and come out the other side stronger?

I have also been working my way through The Library Book by Susan Orlean which details the history of the Los Angeles Public Library and the devastating fire that took place at the Central Branch. I really enjoyed this book as it weaves the history of the library in Los Angeles, the history and role of libraries in our society overall, a look into the mindsets of various city librarians, and how libraries continue to adapt to change as society needs. Libraries have become more that a storehouse of books. Libraries are open and welcoming gathering places. Libraries offer support to new immigrants. Libraries offer a refuge to the homeless. Libraries are places to take risks and learn about new and developing technologies. Libraries are a glimpse into the best of what a society can be.

As I listened to Noa, Mark, and Stephen discuss how we navigate the turbulent waters of change and use the metaphor of remaining below the surface of the water where it's calmer and being able to gaze up at the choppy waves and know we will be okay, I was really struck by how profound and important a belief this is for all of us moving forward. We will be okay. We have what we need to continue honing our best practices, to continue to innovate for our students, to deepen our capacity and empower our students. We can do all of these because we have each other.

Yes, I know that sounds corny but hear me out.

In the summer when the Truth and Reconciliation sessions were cancelled and the Health curriculum was repealed back to the 1998 version people were angry and upset but that didn't stop anyone from continuing their journey to honour the calls to action. If anything I think more people have committed to reading books, having discussions and learning more about Indigenous history and culture to fill in the gaps. The recent #21Things book chat on Twitter is an excellent example of that. In regards to the Health curriculum, by repealing the curriculum and the subsequent "consultation", it has only brought a deeper awareness to the public's commitment to support the  LGBTQ+ community within our schools and society at large. 

If we continue to lean into each other, to talk together, to breathe in the change together, we can remain below the turbulent waves of the unknown.

School libraries are also open and welcoming gathering places. As cuts to professional development opportunities happen we can work together to build our own capacity. After all, teachers are experts in education. We can seek out and lead our own learning opportunities. Right now there are two different book chats happening with the staff at my school- In This Together: Fifteen Stories of Reconciliation and Making Math Meaningful. These books chats are happening in the LLC which then also leads to co-planning and co-teaching opportunities. Our Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) are a vast repository of knowledge. Working together to move everyone's learning forward will not stop because of any cuts to education. We can lean into the change and support each other to innovate for our students. 

Our school libraries offer a place of refuge, a place to build self-regulation skills, to develop a growth mindset, to calm ourselves when needed. School libraries promote risk taking, a maker mindset and innovation. Our school libraries can be places of change. 

We just need to gather and breathe it in together.