Building on my inquiry into helping students develop a love of reading. (See August Reflection ETL402 Post )
It dawned on me that TL’s have the unique opportunity to get to know all the students in the school and tap into their interests as they grow and develop over their years at school, unlike a grade teacher who only gets to teach students for one year, in most cases. What an amazing, invaluable opportunity we have to not only be fully connected and“in the know” with our students interests as they grow and interests change, but we have the opportunity to develop positive, trusting relationships with them. This trusting, approachable relationship will come in handy when our YA readers are seeking books of interest that could be of a sensitive topic to them. When we are approached by struggling readers or any reader for that fact, a well-informed TL that knows their student and the library collection will be able to offer a wide selection of interests for the student to choose from and be able to direct them to the book that they are after. This is what it is all about, finding the right book for the reader, to discover new insights about themselves and the world around them, thus getting them hooked on reading.