The Role of the Teacher Librarian

I was reading chapter 2 The Role of the Teacher Librarian by James Herring last night.  Herring stated that Teacher Librarians have a multifaceted role in the school and I agree with that statement.  Herring suggested that the Library is seen as the centre of learning first and a centre of resources second (Herring, 2007, p.27).  However, I do not think that is how some classroom teacher’s and students see the Library.  My concern with that statement is the fact that some classroom teachers may feel the teacher-librarian is encroaching on the classroom teacher’s domain and I truly hope I’m wrong.  Herring also mentioned the teacher-librarian influences student learning by collaborating with the classroom teacher to develop learning opportunities that are challenging for the student and that is a role I believe would be beneficial for the student and the school.  Although, after 17 years as a classroom teacher I have noticed a lot of secondary students are not engaged in the classroom from year 7 -12.

In Catholic schools, all students have a laptop and their instructions and the majority of their work is on OneNote.  I recently had an extra class and it was Year 12 Maths.  I would say 20% of the students were on task and the rest were off-task.  3 of the students were playing games on their laptop.  After numerous warnings, I ended up moving to the back of the class so I could see their screen.

I believe the teacher-librarian plays a pivotal role in the school and can make a difference to the young adults and assist them to achieve their goals.