As a classroom teacher I have always loved books and libraries. I always loved reading to students and searching for information. In 2018, I worked with a librarian in the past in my role as Instructional Leader of Technology. In this role I encouraged the TL to use technology in library lessons.

Back then the Librarian was always very cranky. She used to yell at the students and always be cranky. Her lessons involved photocopying worksheets for student to fill in. She never seems excited to work with the kids in the library. I think the displays spoke volumes. They were all from years and years before or were just of posters that had been purchased. Student work was never displayed and the whole library looked quite drab.

I remember thinking that it could all be so much nicer. She could be more welcoming. The program the students were doing could be so much more engaging. The displays could be easily showing of work students were doing. Everytime I went there it was just disappointing.

Fast forward to 2022 and I am a classroom teaching feeling like I needed a change. I left my permanent position at the end of term 1 and started looking for something different. It was meant to be! I scored a temporary role as TL!

What an experience it has been. I have learnt so much about what it is to be a vital role in supporting students and staff. I have taken on 17 classes year 1-6 in a low socio-economic area with students from war torn back grounds who have so much happening in their lives. The last TL hated the role as the students are quite challenging. You could tell by the junk that was left in the library and the lack of exciting displays and programs in place.

I am very passionate about students learning and creating a shared learning space. The students love coming to the library. Their eyes light up at lunchtime when they can come to free drawing or simply read a book on the couches. I am slowly working on the best way to create an exciting, welcoming learning place for our community. Some of the things I have improved include clear signage of different collections (include using tape to colour shelves), redesigning the library circulation desk so that it is movable and versatile, redesigned the teaching and learning programs to reflect learning happening in the classrooms, and the endless amount of jobs including mending, wedding, ordering and of course- shelving books on the daily!

The students absolutely love their worked being good enough to be displayed on the wall so all 420 students can see it. They get a kick every time to see if I have changed a display or some furniture. This is now their library.

I am so exciting for the promise of learning new things that I can put into practice. I cannot wait to know all those things I don’t yet know. I look forward to learning as much as possible to take back and make my library even better!

One of my interest topics is books written by Australian Authors of Middle Eastern or Vietnamese Backgrounds. Anyone have any good reads?