January 24, 2011
Dear AASL,
I’m writing to you in an effort to bring about change. The debate over what we call ourselves has gone on for too long. We should not call ourselves “School Librarians” nor “Teacher-Librarians” or even “School Library Media Specialists.” Let us cut through all this terminology and call us what we really are: “Superwoman” or “Superman” depending on gender. (I will use Superwoman for ease of reading).
The nation is in turmoil over the education system. The world’s expectations of students entering the workforce and college are currently not being met. The workforce is looking for independent learners that possess problem solving abilities as well as the ability to work with new technology AND work in teams. College professors expects their students to have a large variety of skills including analyzing source documents, supporting arguments with evidence, and conducting research. “Superwomen” are the ones who teach and model all of these skills. This crisis has a hero. It is us, “superwoman” of our schools.
Superstar Joyce Valenza was asked what it meant to be a 21st Century Librarian. She created a wiki that listed everything we “Superwomen” do in service to our patrons. Her headings include: reading, information landscape, communication and publishing and storytelling, collection development, facilities, access, equity, and advocacy, etc. If you think these sound simple, I encourage you to visit the website: Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians. You will become exhausted just scrolling down the page let alone reflecting on all that the modern school “superwomen” do.
Students complain that school has nothing to do with the “real world.” Students have been suffering from this problem for as long as school reform has been on our nation’s mind. Dewey explained this issue as the “isolation of school from life.” Students have two lives they lead: the real world and school life. While in school, they are forced to “turn off” their real world to concentrate on their studies. The two do not have any connection to each other. Again the solution is “Superwomen.” A huge part of our roles is matching books with readers. We do this based on their “real world” personality. Books are matched based on hobbies, interests, read-alikes, and what’s going on at home. Through this connection, we help students learn at a personal level, not in isolation from life. We attempt to bridge the gap between their two lives.
The need for teaching technology skills is growing in importance. Technology is increasing its influence on our daily lives with every passing year. New gadgets emerge that allow us to access information with ease. The danger is to think that technology will replace genuine thinking. “With computers in every classroom and every home, heck with computers in every pocket” students have access to information at all times. This gives them knowledge, but let’s not confuse knowledge for wisdom. “Superwomen” provide students with the skills and context to digest the information in a meaningful way.
Joyce Valenza’s 21st Century job description shows how tirelessly we work to support our students and our teachers. Everything we do is to support the school’s mission: to fully equip ALL of our students for their lives outside of school. We are the CEOs of the learning commons. What we sell is life long learning. Our positions should not be cut. They should not be merely kept. They should be held with the highest esteem and increased with qualified and enthusiastic personnel. We are Superwomen.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Emily Wood
Superwoman
Whoville Elementry
Suesstown, VT
Works Cited
Valenza, Joyce. “Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians.” http://informationfluency.wikispaces.com/You+know+you%27re+a+21st+century+librarian+if+.+.+. (24 Jan 2011).
Zmuda, Allison and Violet H. Harada. Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.
Dear AASL,
I’m writing to you in an effort to bring about change. The debate over what we call ourselves has gone on for too long. We should not call ourselves “School Librarians” nor “Teacher-Librarians” or even “School Library Media Specialists.” Let us cut through all this terminology and call us what we really are: “Superwoman” or “Superman” depending on gender. (I will use Superwoman for ease of reading).
The nation is in turmoil over the education system. The world’s expectations of students entering the workforce and college are currently not being met. The workforce is looking for independent learners that possess problem solving abilities as well as the ability to work with new technology AND work in teams. College professors expects their students to have a large variety of skills including analyzing source documents, supporting arguments with evidence, and conducting research. “Superwomen” are the ones who teach and model all of these skills. This crisis has a hero. It is us, “superwoman” of our schools.
Superstar Joyce Valenza was asked what it meant to be a 21st Century Librarian. She created a wiki that listed everything we “Superwomen” do in service to our patrons. Her headings include: reading, information landscape, communication and publishing and storytelling, collection development, facilities, access, equity, and advocacy, etc. If you think these sound simple, I encourage you to visit the website: Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians. You will become exhausted just scrolling down the page let alone reflecting on all that the modern school “superwomen” do.
Students complain that school has nothing to do with the “real world.” Students have been suffering from this problem for as long as school reform has been on our nation’s mind. Dewey explained this issue as the “isolation of school from life.” Students have two lives they lead: the real world and school life. While in school, they are forced to “turn off” their real world to concentrate on their studies. The two do not have any connection to each other. Again the solution is “Superwomen.” A huge part of our roles is matching books with readers. We do this based on their “real world” personality. Books are matched based on hobbies, interests, read-alikes, and what’s going on at home. Through this connection, we help students learn at a personal level, not in isolation from life. We attempt to bridge the gap between their two lives.
The need for teaching technology skills is growing in importance. Technology is increasing its influence on our daily lives with every passing year. New gadgets emerge that allow us to access information with ease. The danger is to think that technology will replace genuine thinking. “With computers in every classroom and every home, heck with computers in every pocket” students have access to information at all times. This gives them knowledge, but let’s not confuse knowledge for wisdom. “Superwomen” provide students with the skills and context to digest the information in a meaningful way.
Joyce Valenza’s 21st Century job description shows how tirelessly we work to support our students and our teachers. Everything we do is to support the school’s mission: to fully equip ALL of our students for their lives outside of school. We are the CEOs of the learning commons. What we sell is life long learning. Our positions should not be cut. They should not be merely kept. They should be held with the highest esteem and increased with qualified and enthusiastic personnel. We are Superwomen.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Emily Wood
Superwoman
Whoville Elementry
Suesstown, VT
Works Cited
Valenza, Joyce. “Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians.” http://informationfluency.wikispaces.com/You+know+you%27re+a+21st+century+librarian+if+.+.+. (24 Jan 2011).
Zmuda, Allison and Violet H. Harada. Librarians as Learning Specialists: Meeting the Learning Imperative for the 21st Century. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.
Comments
Post a Comment