More on the interrogation of teacher librarians in LA

In case you missed it, please check out the link in this tweet.

ruth_skerricks Ruth Buchanan

A TL's spirit broken by prosecution from LAUSD & lawyers: http://t.co/YcfgtMp #savethelibrarians via @_capedcrusader #yam #austl #APPALLING

It's the same mizzmurphy blog I cited as giving a TL's view of the interrogations: Are teacher librarians teachers?  The same teacher librarian whose phrase, "the nuanced beauty of pedagogy" I admired, and shared this week with one of our seniors who is planning to be a high school history teacher.  What happened next?  Read and find out.

I don't think I can blithely type, Cheers

Ruth

Oustanding teachers fight for recognition

From Megan Johnston in this week's Education section of the Sydney Morning Herald, an article about outstanding teachers and the impact of school leadership.  It begins:

Pause a moment to ponder your school years. Most of us would remember fondly at least one teacher for their enthusiasm, spirited classes and willingness to push students to achieve their best. At some stage, however, many people have also encountered the opposite: a mediocre teacher who struggled with students and delivered dreary lessons.


Teachers at either end of the spectrum are now recognised as potentially the biggest influence on a student's academic achievement. Research has widely shown the effect is greater than the type of school or even who heads it.

But what separates top teachers from their lacklustre counterparts is not exactly clear. Creative nous, intelligence and resources obviously play some role, but the most dynamic schools are more than the sum of their teachers.

And, as many educators, parents and researchers will attest, the quality of a school is often determined by the people who lead it.


"You can have good teaching without having a good school but you can't have a good school without good leadership," says Professor Stephen Dinham, the research director of teaching, learning and leadership at the Australian Council for Educational Research.

"Leadership is an enabler, bringing the school together and driving it forward," he says.

But effective leadership is no simple matter. Many experts, Dinham included, believe it comes in many forms and is not restricted to the formal role of principal.

A senior education lecturer at Charles Sturt University, Dr Jane Wilkinson, refers to "lighthouse teachers" as those who guide their peers. "The ones with credibility, the ones others look to - we're talking about very influential teachers," she says. ''They … are recognised as leaders because of their credibility in the classroom."

Read the rest of the article here and consider the lighthouse/leadership role possibilities of teacher librarianship...

Cheers

Ruth

In praise of teachers...

Feeling like it's hump day, Wednesday, a bit teacher-weary?

Read this entry on the Alien Onion blog.  It's fabulous.

If I was making my own list:

Mrs B, who let the school choir sing the latest cool music, like Fernando by Abba.  Even if it was transposed up so we had to screech in some sections.  And who taught me the soprano descant for Silent Night.  I can still sing it.

Mr B, who loved putting on school musicals, so we got to be a part of that wonderful experience - yay for Oklahoma!

Mrs A, the fiercest, most uncompromising PE teacher ever - and the one we most wanted to have

Mrs B, (a different one) who showed me a little of the beauty of mathematical equations.  I bought a calculator after my HSC and have never looked back, but still remember that aha! moment.

Ms B (a third one!), who made 3 unit English a joy - Romeo and Juliet, Ted Hughes - still some of the best literature study I've experienced

Mrs ?? whose name eludes me, but whose weekly coloured chalk illustrations from children's books made her term as primary teacher librarian when I was in grade 5 utterly memorable

Mrs E, who taught Ancient History with style, verve, and many handwritten purple fordigraph sheets: I've never forgotten that Alcibiades won the trifecta.  Or that scent of metho from freshly-produced fordigraph sheets...

At tertiary level:

WC: best English literature tutor ever.

MH, who inspired me to be a teacher librarian.  Thank you.

Who would be on your list?

Cheers

Ruth

who once had one of my Year 12 students say how much she remembered my salad sandwiches.  Right.  You never know the impact you're going to have...!!

GIFSL*: 33. Lessons from Elsewhere

I never studied marketing or merchandising in any of my tertiary qualifications.  More and more in the last couple of years I've been paying attention to what I can learn from the world around me every day.  How do shops entice us in?  What draws the eye in a particular advertisement layout? How can I borrow, adapt, rework these ideas for my library?

Last week I bought a magazine to do with Elsewhere, the life that isn't about work and teacher librarianship, but about other interests, activities, people, places; the life funded by the happy life of being a teacher librarian.  This magazine showcases craft shops, and as I read, I was finding lessons from Elsewhere.  I've only tweaked the quotes slightly... how many can you tick for your library?

• Inside, she went for the WOW! factor.  "I want [borrowers] to be overwhelmed."
• Samples sell, so she hangs dozens throughout the shop.
• "If they haven't been [reading] we want them to start.  If they don't want to [find books] themselves, we do it for them."
• "We cater for different tastes".  She includes [staff/students] in her [book-buying] decisions to ensure customers have variety.
• "I want to make the [library] fun, " she says, "to make sure it's the best experience of the [borrower's] day."
• She builds customer self-esteem by helping them finish their work, by posting photos of it around the [library].
• Customers travel long distances to visit the [library].
• Customers can [borrow] small pieces or large [quick reads or long reads].
• "We help our customers.  I don't want anyone to quit because they [can't do it/understand it/need help].
• "We give a little to our customers and get a whole lot back."
• "They appreciate seeing things in my shop that they don't see in other places."
• "I want to encourage [students] to do things they think are out of their reach."
• "Being part of this network of people who love [learning/reading] is so rewarding."
• X is a regular at the [library].  How regular? "I have to go often! They get new [books] in all the time and are always changing the [library] around."
• One of the [teacher librarian's] key goals was to create a welcoming atmosphere.  "People come to our [library] because they know we care about them and are always happy to see and serve them."
• "We carry a wide range of [books] - not just my favourites, but your favourites, also.  People come for the variety and stay for the fun."
• "The [library] is always filled with wonderful [books], with new ones introduced [highlighted] weekly.  I don't know of one [borrower] who leaves the [library] uninspired."
• The space is small, but its character compensates.
• [I'm doing] "what I've dreamed of doing," says the [teacher librarian].
• There are many artfully arranged displays of [books], making it easy for [borrowers] to pick them up.
• "We pull together [books] that go together.. [Borrowers] find these irresistible.  They're an inspirational starting point."
• Near the front of the [library] are frequently changing displays of [books].  The myriad samples around the [library] provide additional inspiration.
• "I [read] a lot, every day," says the [teacher librarian].
• "It's fun and it's exciting," says the [teacher librarian].  "I love to see [lots of books borrowed/read]; it means that my customers are happy, that we've made good choices for them and that we get to make more."
• "We asked our customers what they wanted."
• Special events, large and small, are always happening.
• [Teacher librarianship] has changed a lot.  Now there are so many directions you can take."
• "You get people hooked, show them how easy it is, and they're amazed they really can do it."
• Service with a smile is the [library's] philosophy.  "We're friendly and helpful to everyone who comes in the door."
• "It's comfortable."
• "If a student says she can't do it, I take it down to a level where she can."
• In the [library] she likes [borrowers] to browse.  "I tell people their [reading] doesn't have to be perfect.  I want them to enjoy the journey, and to feel like they want to come back - right away."
• An ever-changing array...
• "We're known for..."
• "I work hard to make sure my customers find things here they won't find in other places."
• "I take great pleasure in meeting so many people who share a passion for [books/learning/reading].  The world abounds with talented people, and I gather a lot of inspiration by surrounding myself with them."
• "We try to offer a variety, a kaleidoscope of ideas."
• "[Borrowers] are proud that this is their [school library]."

There is no way I'll tell you I ticked off on every one of these - because I didn't.  But there's great food for thought.  For the shop owners quoted above, the importance of meeting their customers' needs is of dollar sign importance, business survival, business success.  These are the strategies they are using - successfully - to get it right.  While I sometimes inserted 'borrowers', I left in the word 'customers' here and there too.

Wouldn't it be great if our kids found that a visit to their school library was "the best experience" of their day?

Cheers, Ruth

*GIFSL = Good Ideas For School Libraries

OECD International Teaching and Learning Survey (TALIS)

I'm writing this entry before the report has been issued* on 16 June 2009, but click here  or www.oecd.org/edu/talis to read all about it.  From the site: 

The development of the new OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey programme (TALIS) is a significant contribution to the OECD evidence base on education. Never before have we had the opportunity to gain such an understanding of the teaching and learning environment inside schools and how these contrast between and within countries. In providing this, TALIS will help countries to review and develop policies that create the conditions for effective schooling.


Barbara Ischinger


OECD Director of Education

Cheers, Ruth
 
* scheduled/written in advance blog entries are so useful!

Writers who used to be school teachers

The Times has an article listing a number of well-known writers who spent time as school teachers.  Read it here. (Pop quiz: how many can you think of, before you click on over there?). 
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The accompanying photo of Michael Morpurgo (was he on your list?), apparently in lounging on a pillow in bed, with a pad and pencil, suggests the attraction over an argy-bargy bunch of hormonal Year 9 students on a wet and windy afternoon.  Hmmmm.  I suspect it's not as easy as all that.
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The follow-up article is here, from Kaye Umansky, explaining Why.
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Cheers, Ruth
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