Reflecting back on my own primary school library days, I clearly remember being petrified of our school librarian. We were not allowed to talk, cough or even breathe loudly and if we did, it would lead to her yelling at us and at times, miss out on our playtime. Her demeanor was always fierce, intimidating and certainly not comforting. It was always the place I could not wait to leave as I did not feel comfortable, valued or cared for and most importantly I could not be myself. It is these early memories and experiences that have shifted my mindset towards how I want my library to look, feel and operate.
From day one of my primary teaching profession, I became the school’s librarian. The only full-time classroom teaching experience I had before this role was during my practicums. However, during these placements, I never had the opportunity to sit in during library time as it was the classroom teacher’s release from face to face. Therefore, my experiences as a classroom teacher before working in the library was very limited.
I remember thinking to myself when I accepted the role of the school librarian that I will break the mould that is placed around the stereotyping of the school librarian. I said to myself, I want my library to be a place where students can socialize, share ideas, read books to one another, share books, share interests, create, explore, experiment, tinker and most importantly feel welcomed and comfortable. After visiting other schools and professional development days I soon came to realise that the mould had already been smashed apart by my predecessors and the idea of the silent library managed by a dragon lady in a twinset and pearls disappeared many years ago (Carmody, 2019).
I had always thought to myself what a cruisy job being a school librarian would be. I had no intention of being a Teacher Librarian, but as fate has it, it turned out to be the perfect fit for my skill set and what I can offer my school. I went into the role thinking it involved simply covering books (without bubbles), reading stories to students and allowing them to borrow books that interest them. However, over the years, as my skills and technology evolve, it is evident that our roles as Teacher Librarians are much more than just a distributor of books. From my experiences in my current role, I now see myself as a researcher, trainer, social media expert, web developer, graphic designer, data analyzer, ICT go-to guy, resource manager, literacy coordinator and the list goes on. I now realise it is far from cruisy and if you do not possess a high level of organisation skills and management qualities it can all catch up with you both mentally and physically.
After all my years of running a library, it is clear to me now that it is the centre of the school and a place where students can escape to feel safe and comfortable (Carmody, 2019). I see my role as the Teacher Librarian as an extremely important one and it is my job to create an atmosphere and environment that is inviting, caring, stimulating and full of adventure and excitement. And most importantly, to teach children the importance of developing a love for reading. As a famous person once told me, as I also tell my students daily “You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book” (Dr. Suess).
Reference list:
Carmody, R. (2019). School libraries hit by the loss of a dying breed as teacher librarians enter ‘survival mode’. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-15/research-reveals-alarming-loss-in-teacher-librarians-in-schools/11494022
Gaiman, N. (2009). On Banning Books and Escaping From the Attic. Retrieved from http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/09/on-banning-books-and-escaping-from.html
This is a great post Matt. I am sure your experiences as a student have shaped your experiences as a TL! You certainly have a good understanding of the role of the TL and will use this to effect throughout the course. Good luck!