Assignment #1-reflections and participation LIBE 463

My participation in the discussion forum has been very good. Because I have little experience as a Teacher Librarian I have refrained from giving advice or sharing much personal experience. Participation on my part has been mostly theoretical and questioning, and thoroughly reading others responses. I feel I have much more to learn than to contribute. Throughout my blog I have summarized my participation in the forum, reflected on research articles, interacted with others on their blogs, and have written a reflection of each lesson.

With each course I take on Teacher Librarianship I become more and more overwhelmed with the scope of duties and expertise needed to effectively run a media centre. During this course my list of skills a teacher librarian needs to practice and demonstrate is becoming has grown. A Teacher Librarian not only needs to be able foster reading and writing in students, they need to be an expert in information skills, a master teacher, a media selection specialist, have superior interpersonal communication skills, strong technological understanding, and have a strong sense of purpose and be persistent. Through interaction in the forum I can see the many challenges Teacher Librarians have faced in attaining these skills and making their media centre programs a reality. Also, there have been many valuable insights and resources shared that I can use in my own practice.

Before starting this course I thought of collaboration as a natural part of being a Teacher Librarian and that I would simply have to talk to teachers, suggest ideas, and off we would go working collaboratively together. I now have an idea of the many frustrations encountered by Teacher Librarians in establishing collaborative teaching practices while reading others experiences in the forum and on their blogs. I realize that time, patience, and experience are some of the main factors in establishing collaborative partnerships. Small success- a casual conversation with a teacher during a break, collecting of resources with another, or a partial collaboration of a small teaching activity- can be well won victories toward collaborative teaching. I should expect to put in a lot of effort and not expect my ideas will be immediately sought after. Most importantly I need to be persistent and not give up because the benefits of collaboration are many and the focal point of Teacher Librarianship practices.

Within my bog are references to two articles on collaborative teaching I read and my thoughts on each. Both articles deal with practical suggestions of establishing collaborative teaching and professional and personal development. I feel this is what I need at this point in my career. These articles describe some of the ‘subtle’ practices of setting up collaboration and that being a Teacher Librarian means constant professional and personal development. A big part of this is reflection of my own practices. I can not be sensitive and self righteous, but must be willing to adapt and modify myself to fit the needs of others. I need to look at myself as a resource for others to use in a way that fits their needs, not just my own, but at the same time not let myself be overwhelmed. The image of the Teacher Librarian sitting at a desk signing out books is long gone. I need to be an active participant in the learning of others, a roaming resource of technology and information. The library is a valuable and vast resource for the school community and I also need to do whatever I can to make the library a welcoming centre for all. This means not only reflecting and changing my professional self, but my personal skills and attitudes if needed.