The End and The Beginning.

Well, I am nearing the end of my journey of obtaining a masters degree in school library media. I really cannot believe how much I have learned over the past two years. I am very ready to start working in a media center and to start implementing what I have learned as well as my own ideas. Unfortunately, I am graduating in December which means I must wait till spring to start the job hunt. So now what? Sleep is the only thing on my schedule for now :)

Education Reforms – School Funding - Parenting.com

Education Reforms – School Funding - Parenting.com

As a parent and an educator, I get really frustrated because I understand what some of the problems are with today's educational system, yet I feel like I have no power to make a change. I read this article in Parenting magazine and I agreed with the top 10 reforms the Mom Congress is pushing. Of course, I doubt anything will change and I do not understand why it is so difficult to change the system. Right now I feel like the current strategy is a mish-mash of a whole bunch of crazy ideas. Rather than taking the time to see what works and what does not, we see new baseless theories being shoved into the curriculum. The teachers understand the problems, but the lawmakers do not.

Here is the top 10 list from Mom Congress along with my thoughts:

Stop the Testing Insanity Let's figure out once and for all what kids really need to learn, and how to measure their progress, without forcing teachers to spend all their time on drill-and-kill methods.

VERY TRUE. WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL THE TESTS WERE DONE TO HELP TEACHERS AND PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHERE THE CHILD WAS ACADEMICALLY. IT WAS A TOOL, THAT'S IT. NO PRESSURE ON THE STUDENTS. NO PRESSURE ON THE TEACHERS. LET'S JUST LEARN FROM THE TESTS AND MOVE FORWARD TO HELP THE STUDENTS IN THE AREAS THAT THEY NEED IT.

Show Teachers Some More R-E-S-P-E-C-T Offer them stipends and tax deductions to help with their education, then pay them more and reward superior performance. According to the National Education Association, the average teacher earns $55,350 a year. The average NBA basketball player: nearly $5 million. Enough said.

OUR VALUES ARE REALLY MESSED UP. TEACHERS ARE INCREDIBLY VALUABLE TO OUR SOCIETY YET WE PAY ATHLETES AND ENTERTAINERS AS IF THEY HAD THE KEYS TO OUR FUTURE. WHAT A WASTE!


Motivate Moms and Dads Get more parents involved with innovative programs, such as reducing their tax burden if they volunteer at school or requiring them to commit to a specific amount of time if their child is accepted in a charter or “choice” public school.

PARENTS NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THEIR CHILD'S EDUCATION. TEACHERS CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. IF THE PARENT DOES NOT SUPPORT THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS THEN IT'S A LOSING BATTLE.

Pony Up for Preschoolers, Too Increase funding for Head Start, Universal Pre-K, and other early-childhood programs so all children are ready to learn when they enter kindergarten.

MANY CHILDREN NEED THAT EXTRA BOOST BEFORE THEY ENTER SCHOOL AND MANY PARENTS CANNOT AFFORD IT. LET'S HELP KIDS GET OFF TO A GOOD START.

Clean Up the Cafeteria Ensure that healthy meals are provided to all children daily.
Reclaim Recess If you really want to fight childhood obesity, make recess mandatory every day and demand more phys-ed classes.

YES, YES, YES! RECESS IS NEEDED! KIDS NEED TIME TO BE KIDS. THEY NEED TO RUN AND PLAY AND INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. ACADEMICS ARE IMPORTANT BUT SOCIAL INTERACTION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS ALSO CRUCIAL TO DEVELOPMENT.

Bandage Their Cuts and Bruises… and treat their allergies, asthma, tummy aches, and whatever else ails them with a full-time nurse in every school building.

A FULL TIME NURSE IS NEEDED IN EVERY SCHOOL. ASIDE FROM THE NORMAL ILLNESSES AND SCRAPES THAT HAPPEN DURING THE DAY WE NEED A NURSE TO LOOK AFTER THE KIDS WITH SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES, LIKE JUVENILE DIABETES, FOOD ALLERGIES, ETC.

Banish Bullies… and any other threats to our childrens' safety by insisting on adequate security and zero-tolerance policies.

NO BULLYING PERIOD.

Be Smart About the Arts! Ensure that music and arts education remains a key part of the curriculum in all schools.

ART AND MUSIC ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF A CHILD'S EDUCATION. EVEN IF A CHILD DOES NOT SHOW A TALENT IN EITHER AREA, THEY CAN STILL HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR THE FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS. OUR KIDS NEED TO BE INSPIRED BY WHAT THEY SEE AND HEAR.

Wire Budding Brains Equip all schools with the technology and the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes needed to make our children globally competitive.

I WANT EQUAL ACCESS TOO. ALL SCHOOLS NEED ADEQUATE TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES. WE CANNOT LET ANY SCHOOL BE LEFT BEHIND AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES AT RAPID SPEED.

So there it is. Now what can be done?

Am I ready?

School is almost in session and summer will be coming to an abrupt end. My daughter will be entering middle school and she is so excited. I think she'll be fine, but like a normal mom, I am a little worried. I did learn last week that I will be doing my media center internship at the same middle school that my daughter will be at. I am thrilled to be with her and to be at such a great school. I know I will learn a lot and I am looking forward to getting to know the kids and the faculty. I also have only one other class to complete this semester and then I will graduate. I cannot believe this journey is almost finished. I will then be thrown out of the UGA nest. And then the job hunt begins. I really dread that part. I do not enjoy having to sell myself. I am more likely to convince someone that I am completely wrong for the job. I am a little goofy, after all. I do not really have the look either. Perhaps I should get some "smart glasses" and put my hair in a bun. I can purse my lips like I am ready to shush someone too. A little voice is telling me, "be yourself, be yourself." Good advice, however now I'm hearing voices...

Read To Your Bunny

I often get strange looks when I tell people that I still read to my 11 year old daughter. I have been reading to her since she was a baby and it has always meant a lot to both of us. I was pleased to read this article and to know that I'm not the only parent that sees the importance of reading to their child, even when they get older!
Alice Ozma's Very Long Read-Aloud

Three Cups of What?

I have had several people recommend the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I got a copy of the book from my church's library, but since I was a student full time this past year I have not had time to read it until now. I had heard some talk about the truthfulness of the book’s accounts of Mortenson’s experiences in Pakistan and I was hesitant to start reading. However, I went ahead and started reading before I fully explored the charges that have been made against the authors. After reading a few chapters and deciding for myself that the story is interesting and worth reading, I started researching the claims against the book.

The charges were made by the CBS program 60 Minutes. Their reporters have interviewed individuals who were present with Mortenson when he was in Pakistan and they claim that the story has some significant mis-truths. More troubling was the finding that there does not seem to be a clear accounting for the funds given to the charity that Mortenson founded. Certainly, I am bothered when someone presents a book of fiction as non-fiction. That is a big problem. Then to think that the book has prompted generous people to give to a charity that is possibly corrupt is an even bigger problem. This book that has been on my shelf for over a year, just waiting to be read, may have to stay on the shelf. The sad part about this tale is that from what I can ascertain, there is a compelling story to be told about the people living in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The children living in these countries desperately need educational assistance and obviously many people would want to help.

So why not tell the truth from the beginning? Mortenson does not need to be presented as a hero to tell a compelling story. And if Mortenson had witnessed the poor living conditions of the people and the lack of educational opportunities for the children, then how could he not want to help them and direct all charitable donations to these people? Three Cups of Tea seems to be more like Three Cups of Wasted Opportunities.

Riding the Wave

My husband just placed an order for a new laptop. So we will now have four laptops and two desktop computers at my house. Add an iTouch, Smartphone, Flip camera, a digital camera, and a video camera and I’d say that we are sufficiently covered in the technology department. Sometimes I wonder if my family is too technology-obsessed when I hear other moms sounding off about kids spending too much time on computers. I never know if I should counter their arguments or not. I have thought about taking a technology vacation, however my husband is a college professor and he teaches online classes so he simply cannot do it. Plus, my 11 year old daughter uses a computer to produce videos for her Youtube collab. channel and she would never agree to taking a technology break. And I am just as guilty. Even though I enjoyed reading a paperback book last night before bed, I still plan to buy an iPad or a Nook in the near future—how can I resist a device that will hold a personal library of over 1000 books?!

What I do know however, is that my daughter spends her time on the computer doing some amazingly creative stuff. My husband is teaching with his computer and as a graduate student I am learning with my computer. Perhaps my family is not technology-obsessed, rather we are just riding the wave of a technology driven society. More importantly we are using technology for learning. We are not couch potatoes; we are a "techno-savvy-family." I think that sounds much better. Now I’ll get off my computer and head to the pool to ride a different kind of wave!

Summer: So Far, So Good

I have been trying out my Flip camera with a waterproof case. As you can see it is a lot of fun!

Another Path to Take in My Journey

I finished the reading instruction course and I enjoyed it so much that I have decided to take the additional courses required to add the Reading Endorsement to my certification. I feel like the courses will help me be a better media specialist and to me that is worth the extra work and expense. So now I will be taking two courses and doing my internship in the fall. I am just glad to have the next month and a half free to relax and enjoy being with my family. Then I will be ready to go in the fall and graduate in December!
BTW my friend Rebecca got a job as a media specialist at an elementary school. I am so happy for her. She will do a wonderful job!

Share the Magic

This week I’ve been reading and writing about shared reading for students in grades 3 and up. I admit I did not realize shared reading would be a part of the reading curriculum for older students, however I am now convinced that it should be. Although I have never led a shared reading lesson, I have led a book club and I believe that the students got more out of the stories because they got to hear my thoughts about the story—so they understood the kid and the adult perspectives. Shared reading would be even better for reading instruction for many reasons:
1) Students would get to hear a fluent reader (the teacher) read.
2) The teacher introduces the text, giving information about the setting, time period, and the characters.
3) The writing style would be discussed and difficult vocabulary words would be defined with context cues being pointed out by the instructor.
4) The students would get voice support as they followed along with the reading without having to decipher the text, which would help with comprehension.

I have been disappointed to see that more and more teachers are not reading aloud to their students. Shared reading is another wonderful method for reading instruction. My job as a media specialist will be to implement shared reading as a teacher and to also inform teachers as to why it is a good strategy and how to conduct a shared reading lesson. The author of our text Janet Allen remarked that one of her students referred to the books they have read as, “magic.” That is what books and reading are all about and what better way to encourage reading, but to share the magic.

The media center is where students explore possibilities.

So the title to this post is the first line of my media center mission statement. I wasn't really keen on mission statements because often times they seem more like words than a real statement of intent or fact. However, I believe this will be the true description of the media center that I work in. I came up with the statement while working on coursework for the reading instruction course I am taking. I originally decided to take the course so that I could add reading endorsement to my certification, but I have been so inspired by the texts that I have decided this course should be a requirement for school library media majors. It has only been one week into the course and I have learned so much. One text, Yellow Brick Roads: Shared and Guided Paths to Independent Reading by Janet Allen, is so full of knowledge and wisdom. While reading it, I feel like a sponge, soaking everything in. My only regret about taking the course is that it lasts only a month so assignments move quickly. I like to think about what I read...sometimes for days. I hope I can stay focused on the coursework and still glean as much as I can from what I am reading. The texts stress that teachers need to get to know their students well to be able to understand how their instructional needs can best be met. In addition, teachers should also be able to adapt and make changes according to the various needs of their students. I completely agree with this position. One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a teacher is understanding students and how their minds work. It's like a very complex puzzle. You want to be able to reach them and help them overcome weaknesses, but it can be a very mentally challenging task. The rewards for achieving success are immeasurable however. I look forward to getting to know the students in the media center and encouraging every student to explore possibilities. What a great job I will have one day!

Teachers Are Amazing

Teachers really are special people and I am glad schools have a Teacher Appreciation Week each year. I painted this watercolor card for my daughter's teacher this year. It is her first year teaching and she has done a wonderful job. She is like me, in that she was a mom full-time before she went back to school to get her education degree. It is hard to beat that "Mom" experience!

As a student I always enjoyed watching a good teacher, teach. Now that I am an adult and I substitute teach, I work with many different teachers and I am still fascinated by good teachers. Teaching truly is a gift. One of the best ways to learn how to teach is to watch an effective teacher. I am constantly making mental notes. I will always consider myself a student first and foremost, because I love to learn. I just hope that I can be a teacher-librarian that makes others want to keep learning too!

“The most important thing that you bring into the classroom is who you are.”

While working toward this degree, I have had the opportunity to visit many media centers and I've been struck as to how different each media center is even when they are only a few blocks away from one another. I have decided that one of the biggest factors in what makes a media center the way that it is, is the personality of the media specialist. In a lot of ways the media center is a reflection of the media specialist. This can be deceiving if you just go by appearances. For instance, I visited one media center that had beautiful murals on the walls and it was decorated with tons of stuffed animals. It was basically stuffed animal overload. However, the media center certainly was not a warm and friendly place because the media specialist was so cantankerous. The students wanted nothing to do with her and their experience in the media center was only positive if she wasn’t there. I got the same vibe from the teachers, as well. It was a waste of some really nice stuffed animals! In contrast, I visited another media center where a new media specialist was recently hired. The media center was not visually appealing and she was hoping to make some big changes. This didn’t matter to the kids, however. She was so warm and kind. It was obvious that the kids and the teachers enjoyed visiting the media center. It was a fun place simply because the media specialist had such a positive energy. It made me realize how influential the media specialist is to the students’ attitudes about the media center. I have decided that it takes more than a degree and years of experience to make a good media specialist. You also have to love the job.

Honor and Decency

www.amazon.com

I recently purchased a book at a school book fair and I have not been able to stop reading or stop thinking about the book. It is written by Rafe Esquith and is titled, Teach Like You Hair's On Fire. I love philosophical discussions and I'm intrigued by Esquith's book because it is based on his philosophical approach to teaching. He hits on so many things that I have thought about when working with children. I find myself mentally struggling with the issues that surface when teaching kids. Behavior is one such issue. Self-esteem is another. I keep wondering what I can do to influence students to care about themselves, their education, and the people around them. Esquith introduces his students to Lawrence Kohlberg's Six Levels of Moral Development. He strives for each student to attain the last level, which he calls: "I have a personal code of behavior and I follow it." It is certainly an interesting approach and it seems to work in his classroom. Personally, I have wondered about how one develops honor and decency. Is it a nature versus nurture thing? Surely, we are not born with or without morals. Yet two people with the same parents, from the same home, can have entirely different moral compasses. How can that be? And as an educator, how can I help students strive to be honorable and decent when they may go home to an environment that supports neither quality. Esquith seems to have discovered something that works with his students and I feel that I need to research his methods more. I believe that education can be positively affected by the attitudes and beliefs of the students. How to instill a sense of honor and decency in every student is the dilemma.

A Special Assignment

textHELP Literacy Software

This Saturday the students in my Information Services class will be presenting an exhibition of an instructional media of their choosing. I have chosen to present a software program for special needs students. I intend to create a media center that welcomes special needs students in the same way that general education students are welcomed—thus my choice of media. Since I started working on my exhibition, I have been thinking about the experiences I have had working with special needs children. One of my first experiences was teaching a special art class to a boy with severe autism. What a challenge it was, and yet it was a wonderful challenge. A few classes into the semester he started asking me questions like: what is your name, what is your husband's name, what is your daughter's name, etc. At first I would answer and then try to quickly divert his attention to the task at hand, however he was relentless with his repetition of questions. When his mother picked him up after class, she mentioned that he had been showing signs of trying to converse with others. After mulling this situation over for a week with no revelations, I met with the student again, and again he started in with the constant repetition of questions. For some reason, I suddenly started telling him stories about myself; stories about my childhood and even current, everyday stories about my life. He was quiet and I wasn't sure if he was listening or not. I just kept on talking. Then finally he asked me a question about the story I was telling. I answered and then continued on. He later asked another question and then another. Just retelling this story on my blog makes my heart leap, because it was such a magnificent moment. He had been trying to converse with me before, only he didn't know how. When I provided the information he was able to respond with an appropriate question. I felt like Annie Sullivan—at least for that moment! From this and other experiences I have had, I know that special needs children deserve an education just like every other child does. And a media center provides equal access to information to all patrons, even the most special ones.

iWant it!

Apple's iPad 2 Site

I've been waiting to see what changes Apple has made to the newest iPad and my wait it over. The iPad 2 will be released March 11. Today I had a discussion with a high school media specialist and he admitted to me that he has not requested any ereaders for the media center.  He explained that any ebooks he purchases for the media center do not count as a book for the media center collection. So any books that are weeded need to be replaced by an actual book to keep the collection to the required number. I asked about the iPad and it's use in schools and he confirmed what I had already been thinking. He believes that schools will start purchasing textbooks for use on iPads because it will save money in the long run. He said that he will then start purchasing ebooks because the dynamics will change. I felt a little giddy during our discussion because I am an Apple/Mac person all the way. FINALLY, people may start seeing things my way. And students will love carrying around iPads rather than heavy backpacks full of textbooks. Of course, iPads have the potential for being lost and/or broken, but still it's a wonderful dream. I just hope it is not a dream!

Apple's iPad Education site.

Book Club Begins

Next week I start a new book with my 5th grade book club. We are reading Al Capone Does My Shirts, which is a book selected by the PTA. I read the first chapter and I was a little taken aback by the language. Not that there were any "bad" words in the book. It was just a little crass, which isn't necessarily wrong or different from many other books. I think I'm just used to books like the ones I read when I was in elementary school. I don't think I'm a prude by any means, however I am a little uncomfortable with the attitude of today's literature for children. I understand that it is a reflection of the times, but I sometimes wish I could be a protected adult—in complete denial about what kids are doing and saying. The truth is however, that I know exactly what kids are doing and saying. It just seems funny to me that other adults do to, and they are writing about it! So my problem is not that the books are wrong, it's that they are too right. Wow, this should be an interesting book club!

I PASSED...now hire me!

Yay me! I passed the Media Specialist Content area GACE test. So now I just have to get a job. Normally I am an optimistic person, however in this economy, job opportunities are not plentiful. More like pitiful. I am fortunate because my spouse has a good job. I feel bad for those who desperately need a job, yet cannot find one. I admit I have not really seen firsthand how the economy is hurting people. If I did not have access to news sources I may not even know that the economy is in a slump. I still see plenty of people eating out and shopping—no changes there. It certainly doesn't seem like a "great depression" type situation. I guess that is what the media does best: allow us to see beyond the bubble we live in. Of course, it can be a depressing scene outside of the bubble. I just hope the economy rebounds soon...for all job hunters.

Twain Knows Best

Sorry, Huck, but you can't use that word these days—Online Athens article

So the publisher of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has decided to take the offensive "n-word" out of the original text and publish new books with the word "slave" used as a replacement. I have mixed feelings about the issue because, although the word is offensive, it is also symbolic of a time in history that should not be forgotten. The reader of the book should understand that Huck's use of the word does not represent his personal feelings about black people. In fact, he has a father/son like relationship with a black man named Jim. His casual use of the word merely reflects the society that he lived in. It is common for children to use the words that adults use, even when they don't understand their meaning, or their power. When I read about Huck Finn as I child, I understood the situation and I knew who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. I do cringe when I read or hear that word, but I also cringe when I think that history is being rewritten and "dressed up" by its removal. Yes, Huck Finn is a fictional character, but Mark Twain wrote about the life that he knew. And racism was a part of that life.

A few weeks ago, on Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday, I watched a documentary about the first two African American students to attend the University of Georgia. One of the students Charlayne Hunter-Gault told how she was taunted by other students and she used the "n-word" frequently when telling her story. Had she not used the word, she would not have given an accurate recounting of what had happened. I was not offended when she spoke the word—that word was a part of her experience and the experience of all black Americans who stood up for their rights and the rights of others. Though it is an ugly word, it played a role in making her the person she is today.

I do understand that we want to protect our children from offensive words. And perhaps, the new version of the classic story will make it more accessible for younger children. Personally, I am a lot more concerned about protecting children from the offensive people who continue to spread hate with their words.

Image retrieved from: (http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Huckleberry-Finn-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553210793)

The Dreaded Stairs

After doing a lot of reading from my textbooks about learning, assessment. and instructional design, I began to wonder if I am entering the right field. It can seem a little...how shall I put this? Unexciting. Tonight I saw this video and it made me think that I may be OK. People like to have fun. I can stay my silly self and it will be alright. Maybe kids will learn more from fun, or at least as much. So fun is still apart of my educational plan...I just need to integrate it with instructional design :)

Reading, Reading, and More Reading.

Today I have been catching up on reading what is required for tonight's online class. I have also been listening to supplementary web presentations, which are wonderful because they allow me to do other tasks at the same time—like load the dishwasher. I hope I can get the work done by tonight. I find that it is harder to read when I am under pressure. My mind keeps wandering—What should we have for dinner? Does Grace have drama tonight? Is it OK to wear my pajamas all day?—and then I have to go back and reread. One issue that has been on my mind today is the possibility of taking two additional courses this summer that would make me eligible for add-on certification in reading. Of course, that also means more work—ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I am considering this option for two reasons: 1) I may not be able to secure a position as a media specialist for the fall and this would give me another option. 2) More education in literacy is always a good thing and it would certainly benefit me when I do become a media specialist. Truthfully, I do enjoy learning, just for learning's sake. I will need to scrape up the money to take the courses. Scraping up money is something that I have NOT learned how to do.