Hi, I’m Diana. Now that I am on the path of Teacher Librarian, it seems like such a natural fit for me! A bit of background first though…
I completed a Bachelor of Arts (double major in Sociology and Gender Studies) at Sydney University back in 2005, essentially choosing subjects that interested me. What was that Arts degree going to qualify me for…? Not much to be honest! The original plan was post-graduate law, but I changed my mind quick smart after a few short work experience stints. I’ll just stick to watching The Practice and Law and Order for my ‘courtroom fix’, thank you very much!
Fast-forward a few years (whilst working part time to save the world at Planet Ark Environmental Foundation), I decided to head back to university and complete my Master of Education (Primary Teaching) degree at Western Sydney University. I graduated mid-2008 and received a targeted graduate position at a school in the Fairfield district. I put all of my effort and energy into my lessons as well as the presentation of my classroom environment.
Leadership was always what I envisioned in my teaching future and in-between blocks of maternity leave taken whilst caring for my two boys, I was appointed as relieving AP in our school Support Unit; experiencing the most challenging class our school has experienced in its history. It was an experience that made my teaching all the better for it. The experience also made me realise that the upwards leadership path wasn’t what I expected, nor was it what I was passionate about.
Whilst on maternity leave for the second time, I knew that when I returned, I was after a change of some sort – moving away from the desire of having ownership of a class of my own. It was diversity I was craving. I’ve always had a passion for literacy and technology and reflecting on the alternative positions on offer within in a school context, consideration of the teacher librarian position was a light bulb moment. It was the perfect mix of my passions and skills.
The stars have aligned and I am now in a teacher librarian position at a brand new school in the Cambelltown school district. The library is where I am meant to be! I am thoroughly enjoying the position and am really looking forward to the working through the degree, in order to become an expert in the field and settle in for the next exciting chapter of my teaching career!
I’m so impressed with this neat blog you have produced so far. I also thought this theme was the best pick out of the many to choose from. One question though…how to insert the banner picture at the top? I could only find the option of inserting a logo? Thanks in advance! Cath
Hi Cath,
Thank you so much for your positive feedback! You’re actually spot on and in the right place for what you want to do. In Appearance – Customise – you do insert the banner picture as a ‘logo’. A bit confusing because of it being referred to as a logo, but that is where to upload and insert it. I’d love to check out your blog if you are willing to share your URL and see how you’re going! D.
Thanks for your reply! When I add a logo, it won’t go across the full length of the page in a banner type of way. It only appears as a small image. Very fiddly. Any advice? Sorry to disturb once again!
No problem 🙂 First, just checking… you mentioned earlier that you liked my theme – I’m assuming that is the one you are also using… The reason why I ask is because if you are using a different theme, it may have pre-determined restrictions on the page for sections (like banners/logos/columns etc), that require much more advanced ‘coding’ to change.
If you are working in the same theme, your image might just be too small. I used the blog banner template in Canva.com for my banner/’logo’ creation – which has a preset size. The Canva blog banner size measurement is 2240 x 1260 pixels. If you are unsure of the size of your banner/’logo’, go to the ‘media’ section in your dashboard side column and click on the particular image, where you can see the details. The size measurements I gave you are a rough guide, though. Hope that helps. Good luck! D.