INCLUDE: Interview with Gina Causey from Alston Middle School

Gina, my cooperating librarian, has become a dear friend to me. When I think about getting to know her over the last few months, she has such a giving heart that includes everyone. Then when reading through the shared foundations, “Include” just fit her. She opens her library and her heart to everyone. With the covid restrictions, it has been difficult for her to really do that effectively, then with the added pressures of managing technology, relationships have been on the back burner. She always roots for the underdog and its apparent in how she treats everyone all the way down to the books she chooses for her collection. She has been allowed in the last few weeks to create a student counsel. She had students apply and choose from the list. It was a diverse group of students. She also had them collecting can goods for Thanksgiving food drive. So not only are they diverse but they are helping the less fortunate. Middle school functions a tad different than elementary so her flexible schedule allows her the freedom to push into classes for research lesson or to have teacher send students done for book check outs. There was never a time I felt like she excluding any group and she always used teachable moments as opportunities to grow the students. Like I said above, her biggest challenge is being pulled in so many different directions and not being able to establish relationship the way she used to pre-covid. She looks forward to the day when her library can be the hub it once was.

Below I found how one can grow as a librarian in each Shared Foundation.

“School librarians have a pivotal role in facilitating opportunities for learners to under and participate in activities that honor diversity and embrace inclusion. It is imperative that the school librarian be well-versed in a variety of perspectives and strategies that foster inclusion School librarians’ celebration of the diversity and commonality of humankind helps learners contextualize the ideal of inclusion.” (AASL, National School Library Standards, p. 148)

COLLABORATE: Interview with Donna Skipper from SPANN Elementary

In a normal year, Donna allows students to work in pairs or groups when tasked with an assignment to help build their collaboration skills. She also assigns role in groups hoping leaders to come forward. She is brushing up on her technology skills and trying to incorporate more use of the programs available for students now that they each have a device. She plans weekly with teachers by going to their planning times after school and getting their pacing guides for each subject area. Currently she is facing the same challenges we all are, our libraries are not open and technology support has become difficult to manage while trying to create and promote a successful school library program.

Below I found how one can grow as a librarian in each Shared Foundation.

“Collaboration is integral to school librarians’ work as educators. Being skilled in collaboration and practicing coteaching positively affect learners’ learning. The adage, ‘Two heads are better than one,’ applies here. Having a wide repertoire of collaborative planning strategies helps foster this disposition throughout the school community. Seeking out other educators and discussing ideas and information with them serves as an exemplar of collaboration that elevate all member of the faculty.” (AASL, National School Library Standards, p. 148) 

CURATE: Interview with Laura Smith from Alston Bailey Elementary

Laura seemed like a master at resources when we spoke, so it just seemed natural to me to ask her questions about curation. She creates pathways for students to use. She also creates resources lists on Destiny for teachers to reference. She is very tech savvy, so she does a lot to incorporate the use of district programs that students have access to. She is a very project-based teacher when she can be without all the covid guidelines. One of her biggest challenges is the number of devices she has to manage in a days’ time. She is also struggling with Destiny because of her resource lists are not saving when she creates them. Laura was extremely helpful and has offered to help me learn how to create the resources lists. She also wants to help me with some Destiny basics that I have had to learn on my own so far. She certainly seems like an asset to her faculty and our districts librarian group. Her other comment to me was to take it one day at a time and to learn one thing at a time. Building a successful school library program takes time, which was a wonderful reminder.

Below I found how one can grow as a librarian in each Shared Foundation.

“Curation, an area of expertise for school librarians, supports self-growth and is critical in creating a knowledge base and cultivating best practices in the area of school librarianship. Curating as an endeavor to personalize professional learning is as the root of creating a thriving and effective school library. Seeking out research and scholarly information about school librarianship, teaching, and learning helps school librarians formulate ideas and make connections that enhance their practice.” (AASL, National School Library Standards, p. 149)

EXPLORE: Interview with Angie Ackerman from Sires Elementary

 

Explore

Angie is a firecracker who speaks her mind and tells it to you straight. I chose “Explore” as her Shared Foundation because she has a whole are of her library devoted to “Makerspace.” She collects paper towel rolls and cardboard and plastics for students to explore. When libraries were fully open, she would task students with a STEM activity for part of their library time. She is still wrapping her head around all the technology we have at our fingertips for students but is not against using it as a resource. She works alongside teachers by meeting with them regularly and reinforcing lessons taught. She checks their team notes weekly and plans accordingly. Her biggest challenge right now is that students miss the makerspace. Her lessons have had to be virtual or mobile and its incredibly difficult to make that happen in those realms. She is also very frustrated that the district piled all of the technology support on librarians/media specialists. She said that although the “balance is getting better it has forever changed the role she has in the school.”

Below I found how one can grow as a librarian in each Shared Foundation.

“School librarians encourage learners’ exploration and innovation at all levels in all curricular arears and in areas of personal interest. School librarians are adept at supporting learners when they fail and encouraging them to modify their processes and persevere to improve their learning. As learners themselves, school librarians must participate in learning activities without fear of failure. School librarians, like all learners, must be free to try new ideas and reinvent ideas. It is acceptable to not know everything. The journey-The process used to gain knowledge- is paramount and must be systematic, responsive and comfortable.” (AASL, National School Library Standards, p. 149)

Diversity in School Library Collections

 This blog is about acquiring books for my school library collection that creates a more engaging and compassionate environment for ALL students to want to read. Here is the back story. This year, I walked into my current position as the school librarian at the elementary school I've taught Kindergarten at for past 15 years. I am a teacher at heart. I have always tried very hard to reach all my students by connecting with them and building relationships. My belief as a librarian, teacher and mother is that books can be "Windows, mirrors and sliding glass door" (Bishop, 1990.) But what I have noticed is that our collection of books does not represent the population of students at my school. We are about a third white, a third African American and a third Latino. One day, I was walking through the stacks and randomly pulling books from series to take pictures of different books for students to put on hold. (Because of COVID, students are not allow to be in the library to check out books.) What I noticed was that we were not diverse at all! The only sections of the library that had people of color was the "Historical Fiction" and "Biographies."  This means, that more than half of our students are not represented in our school library. I was very sad to see this was the case but now I know it is up to me to be the change. The following resources will be added to our school collection in the next order. 

Possible Standards strand that connect my diverse choices to the resources: (2^nd Grade Social Studies)

-Recognize the basic elements that make up a cultural region in the United States, including language, beliefs, customs, art, and literature

- Compare the cultural traditions of various regions in the United States and recognize the ways that these elements have been and continue to be passed across generations

- Recognize the cultural contributions of Native American tribal groups, African Americans, and immigrant groups

*Standards are only a base line to teaching the understanding and respect that comes with “diversity.” It is more a matter of character and social skills with representation in books all around them.

 

Books Added to my Library Collection based on Diversity: (a lot of these titles can be purchased as eBooks as well.)

 Elliott, Z. (2018) Dragons in a Bag. New York, NY: Penguin Random House

Selection Tool: Kirkus

 About the book: Jaxon is left with a neighbor while his mom has to go to work. He soon finds out that this woman is a witch who carries three dragons in her bag. 

Draper, S. (2018) Blended. New York, NY: Antheneum Books

Selection Tool: Publisher’s Weekly

About the book: Isabella is eleven and bi-racial. Her parents are divorced so she goes back and forth between two worlds trying to find her true self.

Schofield-Morrison, C. (2020) I Got the School Spirit. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Children’s Books Selection Tool: Kirkus

About the book: Summer is over and the little girl is excited about returning to school. She tells the reader all about how she is bringing "the Spirit" to school. The pictures are beautiful. 

Franklin, A. Illus. by Ebony Glenn (2019) Not Quite Snow White. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishing

Selection Tool: Booklist

About the book: Tameika, a beautiful and vibrant African American girl loves to be on stage. She wants to be the lead of the school musical, "Snow White." After being told that she couldn't be "Snow White" in the musical by her friends, Tameika tells her parents and they encourage her to be herself. When she auditions everyone realizes that she is the perfect "Snow White."

 Sumner, J. (2019) Roll with It. New York, NY: Antheneum Books

Selection Tool: Kirkus

About the book: Ellie has big dreams to be a baker one day but she is also in a wheelchair. It doesn't stop Ellie from pursuing her dream and making friends in the process. This is a great book for students with disabilities that will need to overcome some obstacles. 

Percival, T. (2019) Ruby Finds a Worry. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Selection Tool: Kirkus

About the book: One day, Ruby discovers a "worry." She learns that she needs to talk about the worries. This book is great for students that may be experiencing anxiety and worry. It puts a visual to the "worrying."

 

Walker, T. E. (2020) Nana Akua Goes to School. New York, NY: Random, Schwartz and Wade

Selection Tool: School Library Journal

About the book: Zura is having Grandparents Day at her school. She is bringing her Nana Akua but she is nervous about it because her Nana has marks on her face from her African tribe in Ghana when she was a little girl. On Grandparents day, her Nana paints symbols of the tribe on the students faces. 

 

Umrigar, T. Illus. by Khloe Lee (2020) Sugar in Milk. New York, NY: Running Press

Selection Tool: School Library Journal

About the book: This story is about a little girl that travels to America. She misses her family and pets from back home. Her aunt tells her a Persian story about a people that leaves their land. The people said they would sweeten their land like "sugar in milk" by spreading joy. 

 

Sriram, M. (2020) A Gift for Amma: Market Day in India. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books

Selection Tool: School Library Journal 

About the book: The little girl goes to the Indian Market in search of a gift for her mom, Amma. She describes the beautiful colors she sees when she's there.

Barnes, D. Illus, by Gordon C. James (2020) I am Every Good Thing. New York, NY: Penguin Books

Selection Tool: School Library Journal

About the book: This book has a narrator that speaks encouraging words on every page. This books really makes people examine their biases about black men because they start off as these young black boys. Books likes this is where stereotypes and fears around black men are being broken down. 

Charles, T. Illus. by Bryan Collier (2020) All Because you Matter. New York, NY: Scholastic

Selection Tool: School Library Journal

About the book: Wow, this story is about the parents of a black child expressing that they matter. This book should be in everyone's library. It is powerful and timely with the racial tension our country is facing.

Cevantes, A. (2019) Lety Out Loud. New York, NY: Scholastic Press

Selection Tool: Booklist 

About the book: Lety's first language is Spanish. She loves volunteering at the animal shelter. She gets into a competion with a boy at school over writing profiles for the animals at the shelter. 

Warga, J (2019) Other Words from Home. New York, NY: Balzer and Bray/Harper Collins

Selection Tool: Booklist

About the book: Jude and her mother are moving to Cincinnati from Syria to stay safe. She has to learn how to live in America as a "middle eastern" student. Her cousin Sarah isn't all that helpful either. 

Johnson, V. (2020) Twins: A Graphic Novel. New York, NY: Scholastic Publishing

Selection Tool: Horn Book

About the book: Twin sisters, Francine and Maureen Carter are taking on sixth grade with some difficulty. Both girls are so different and their middle school experience may cause a rift between their bond. 

Books to be used for actual content lessons

            Social Studies Lesson

1.       Cline-Ransome, L. Illus. by James Ransome. (2020) Overground Railroad. New York, NY: Holiday House

            Selection Tool: School Library Journal

            About the book: Ruth Ellen is traveling north in the Great Migration. Along the ride, poetry is used to describe the ride. I can see students using this as a model for learning about that time in our history as well as creating poetry about their experiences. 

 

2.       Woods, B. (2019) The Unsung Hero of USA. New York, NY: Nancy Paulsen/ Penguin Books     Selection Tool: School Library Journal

        About the book: This is a moving story about a friendship between a young white boy and a Black WWII veteran who recently returned to the unwelcoming south and its Jim Crow Laws. I would use this as a jumping off point for discussions on race and what it was like during thi time in history. I would imagine students would be able to tell you it doesn't feel all that different in some cases. 

 

3.       Verde, S. (2016) Water Princess. New York, NY: G. P. Putman’s Sons Books for Young          Readers Selection Tool: School Library Journal

        About the book: This story is based on supermodel Georgie Badiel's childhood and her dreams of drinking clean water in her African village. America's definition of princess is very Disney. I would be curious to compare and contrast the life of a Disney princess to that of the Water Princess. 

 

Science Lessons

 

4.       Chin, J (2020) Your Place in the Universe. New York, NY: Neal Porter Books

                Selection Tool: Horn Book

                About the book: This book is all about the scale of us to the universe. I can see many sciences lessons about maps to scale and comparing various other things in our lives to that of the stars in the universe. 

 

5.       Beaty, A. (2016) Ada Twist, Scientist. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams Publishing

                Selection Tool: Booklist

                About the book: Ada Twist is born to be a scientist. She questions everything and the adults in her life have their heads spinning. Science inquiry standards would be great to teach with Ada because she displays them throughout the book. You could read this as an opening unit for any science class.

 

Website resources for teachers about Diversity

 

1.       http://respectdiversity.org/?page_id=926

2.       https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/multiculturalism-and-diversity/

3.       https://diversebooks.org/

4.       https://www.teachervision.com/subjects/social-studies-history/culture-diversity

5.     https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/diversity-in-the-classroom

Google Expeditions Adventures

“Google Expeditions is an immersive education app that allows teachers and students to explore the world through over 1000 virtual-reality (VR) and 100 augmented-reality (AR) tours. You can swim with sharks, visit outer space, and more without leaving the classroom.” All you have to do is download the app, figure out what adventure you would like to take and download it. You can also purchase kits for your classroom or school that have the cardboard glasses to insert your device. Here is a site for buyingoptions. Libraries and school get monies for technology so buying several kits for teachers to check out through the library would be a great investment.

As a Kindergarten teacher, I have used the Expedition app several times to show my students science related topics they would not have had the opportunity to see otherwise. In the past, we have studied polar animals then watched polar bears in their natural habitats. We have studied ocean life and then swam underwater with the fish. If I can take Kindergarten students exploring through adventures, I can only imagine what older grades could do with these Expeditions. Imagine studying a time in history then taking a tour of the ruins or reading a classic novel then touring the setting of the story, the possibilities are endless. Google has a list of free tours you can take that I will link here.

With education becoming more virtual, I can see teachers using this app as a way for students to explore subject matter or topics in a fun and exciting way. This app allows students to see outside of their own little world and connect with other places around the globe. The video below will show you just a few examples of virtual trips.

As the school librarian, I look forward to using this tool as a way to excite students about literacy. “VR and AR technology enhancements offer librarians another opportunity to fit into the role of: guides (where), visitors can time-travel to 1906 to witness the massive earthquake that tore apart San Francisco, or ride on the Pequod, chasing Moby Dick – gaining exposure to great books by entering and living in them.”

Digital Citizenship and Cyber Bullying

          The cyber bullying definition from the Cyberbullying Research Center website states that it is “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.” We are living in the social media age and cyber bullying is rampant. It is all over any platform you decide to look at, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and Snapchat. Cyber bullying does not discriminate age, race, gender, social status, etc. People are always hiding behind their screens typing things to friends or strangers they would never have the courage to say in person. What stands out to me the most is that kindness and common decency has been forgotten and replaced with narrow-minded opinions and snap judgments of other people’s lives. Then it begs to ask, is this the future we want for our children? They are growing up witnessing this hurtful behavior, this cyber bullying.

            As a school, we are tasked with the job of teaching Digital Citizenship and Anti-Cyber bullying. Howard Gardner, a professor at Harvard University developed a unit called “Digital Life” that covers five ethical issues to assist in teaching digital citizenship. The five issues are as follows, Identity, Privacy, Ownership/Authorship, Trustworthiness and Participation in the community. These free online resources seemed like a great starting point for elementary teachers and librarians to delve into the importance of Digital Citizenship. School Counselors are usually very involved in the topic of cyber bullying and teach lessons at the school where I work. It would be wise if the librarian teamed up with them to reinforce and dive deeper into the cyber bullying issues that face young students today. Allowing students time and space to understand the ethical issues and their digital footprint is extremely important considering employers interview your Facebook page before even meeting you in today’s world. In addition, predators are grooming children and taking advantage of their naivety online. So, I think it is important as well to teach children at a fairly young age how protect themselves online.

            The “Digital Citizenship Project” founded in 2011 by a High School in Illinois pairs high school students with middle school students as mentors to explain the importance of digital citizenship. I absolutely love this idea. We have a leadership class at our local high school that has put on book drives and come in our elementary school as “Reading Buddies.” At my school, we could start in third grade pairing this group of high school students to help walk through scenarios and discuss topics surrounding cyber bullying. This way, students are learning from older students, not only teachers, and both are reaping the benefits.

            It is also imperative to have parents involved in this process as well. A study published by the Journal of Education and Training Studies surveyed parents in response to cyber bullying and they tended to “favor punishment-oriented solutions.” Most of the teachers, students and administrators surveyed felt that more education and awareness was the key to correcting cyber bullying. I feel very strongly that adults also need cyber bullying training and must be involved in hard discussions about their own representation online especially with all the divisiveness that is happening in our country currently. After the high school students work with the elementary students. We could have the younger students train their parents on Digital Citizenship and cyber bullying in an evening program event. The librarian could also line up some professionals to discuss internet safety in their homes and the new ever-changing trending lingo or apps.

            As educators and librarians, we have to arm our students with the knowledge of being a good digital citizen. Everywhere they look there are examples of cyber bullying, even by the president of our country. It is my hope that we can do right by them so that they do better than we have with empathy and kindness towards others while using electronic devices.The hurt and pain cyber bullying can cause is devastating to children. We must do better. 

Here is a resources for the Effects of Cyberbullying.