What am I?
Jun 8th, 2008 by Cathy Nelson
It is funny how summer really brings out the reflective me. My husband and I were having breakfast this morning, talking about qualifications for certain jobs in the education field. The conversation steered towards what makes me qualified for a library job. Now he has a different perspective as a school administrator who is significantly involved in the interviewing and hiring of faculty and staff.
What he said to me shocked me. He said he didn’t really see me as a good candidate for a library job-a media specialist (as they are called in SC.) He said while I am quite progressive and good at what I do, I am too far removed from the traditional look and feel of a school library media specialist. He further explained that while he knows am above average in my position, he said I did not fit the mold of a school librarian, that the things that excite me do not center around books and reading, and that I am prone to get wrapped up in the “what’s new” and the technology side of everything. He said that I would not be considered as the “most qualified” candidate anymore because of how progressive in my thinking I am and ways of doing things.
While I know he was not trying to be mean, it did come as a sucker punch. Since when did being good at technology or being a forward minded thinker become a bad thing? Since when did one have to reel it in, and dumb down the extent of their knowledge to appear “normal” or fit the mold of expectations for one’s job? I do not apologize for my knowledge on any one topic. I do not criticize others for not having the same extent of knowledge I have. As a matter of fact, in the position of a school librarian, i proudly link together those who can compliment the 
learning. I say this all the time. We all have our gifts and bring different things to the table. And since the role of a “contemporary” LMS is multi-faceted, I celebrate that I can meet many needs in a school setting. I am happy to do it from a library. I will never go back to being a traditional book lover or gate keeper in the library. My paraprofessional in my media center brings that gift to our table.
But I do want to leave this rant, if one can call it that, with this. I do not hold it against any LMS who is more of a traditionalist in their school. In all likelihood, there is another who brings the gift of technology, progressive thinking, and 21st century learning to the table in their schools. Just be good at what you do, that’s all I expect from other LMS’s in the field. I don’t think anyone should be just like me. And I do not hold it against them if they are not.
Just don’t hold it against me, and know that I am willing to work with any and all–because I know we all bring a gift to the table, whatever table it is.
Cathy,
I question myself all the time! I’m good but not great with literature, blogging, technology. Sometimes I feel like the Great Pretender, worried that people honor me for gifts I don’t possess.
I know that I can interact well with people online, and that small talent is what will serve me well as I retire from my teaching career and move more into online work.
You and I both are blessed with inquiring minds. If that makes us unsuited to the traditional concept of LMS, so be it. We’ll wait for the world of education to catch up to us…and enjoy exploring in the meantime.
I admire what you do and I’m sure you’d added immeasurably to the school experiences of your students.
Many administrators don’t “get it” so don’t be too hard on your husband.
Sometimes it’s not easy being a library goddess.
diane
I don’t even qualify as a “library goddess!” IN all honesty I think I am a constant reminder of how “behind” we as learners on the instructional side really are. So be it. I don’t apologize for that either, but hope instead I am a catalyst to move folks forward.
Cathy,
Interesting the different perspective that your husband has. In Iowa, the Media Specialists are expected to be EVERYTHING in technology and books. While I think that job description is too grand for any one person, I think looking at a librarian as a book-dealer is too limiting.
It seems to me, based on our weeding the library twitter conversation, that you are extremely competent at that part of the job. So, the fact that you also have a deep desire to enhance learning should be seen as a positive attribute. Further, should that be a requirement for anyone who works in a school? We must be in the business of learning what is new that will help out students grow.
Thanks for caring about kids and learning….and for being reflective about your practice. We all need people like that in our schools.
By the way, my best friend at my school is the over-worked and under-appreciated media specialist who is expected to dispense books and fix overheads, printers, computers……you know the drill. Thanks for all you do!
@Terry Shay–LOL Thanks for those words of encouragement. I really do feel very appreciated in my building, though I also recognize that I am VERY different from most of the LMS’s I know. Actually I can’t think of but a small handful in my own state, and I am very active in my state organization. It was just a god conversation my hubby and I had from literally opposite sides of the desk. While he sees the value in what i can offer a program, he loves to play devils advocate to make me broaden my perspective, to understand what others may be thinking. I love him very much.
I am very glad that you recognize the value of your friend’s role in the school, and doubly glad to know your state has expectations beyond just book lover/gate keeper. Too few of our schools expect anything more, but I am working on changing that view by presenting every year at the school administrators annual conference. So far, all this has accomplished is getting me invitations to present at district meetings for LMS’s. But that is a start, and a sign that there are admin beginning to make the realization that their Library programs need help.
Thanks for dropping by. PS-I took all my weeded books (3500+) to the cafeteria for pick up Thursday. The company wanted them unboxed and stacked near a door. I should have taken a picture of the humongous mess!!
Now, I just had to add on to your rant and I mean no disrespect to anyone. But, come on, should we be happy with the way school is? Full of teachers who lecture and provide non-interactive group activities that many teachers consider interactive, and the good old outmoded industrial style of teaching. The drop out rate nationwide is 30% for most students, but 50% for students who are Hispanic or African-American. Let’s not notice that the Internet has changed how the world of business works and that only a percentage of that knowledge has migrated into mainstream education. Let’s ignore the fact that high school kids today are the second generation who have grown up on the Internet and that they are the ones who are seeking out more customized, personalized learning at the high school. As media educators or librarians or school administrators we need to look at the trends in education to better meet the needs of all students so all student earn a high school diploma. Leaving school the way it is will not accomplish this.
@Rob-WOW yes you are right on every front. I am but one person striving to make a difference. Despite what my husband says, my principal reminds me constantly what a valuable team player I am. She recognizes the value of forwardness and 21st century learning and encourages me all the time. But the conversation I had this morning just makes me wonder if there is a different niche for me in the educational environment…even though I love the library world. I don’t know what else to do to get others on board, admin and LMS alike. But his words ring true–I am not understood and am very different from what is expected in that role, at least here in SC.
Okay, my 2 cents…
Like Diane, I sometimes feel like the “Great Pretender” in my school, too! I’m not an “educator” or at least I don’t feel like one since I came to LMS not from an education background, but from the civilian world. I’m “faking” it most of the time, but that’s where the librarian in me comes in handy…I may not know the answer, but I know where or how to find it! And let me tell you, knowing and understanding technology sure makes that much easier.
I also feel that not coming from an education background means I have a different perspective to bring to the table as well as different talents. Whatever it is, my teachers and administration seem to not mind….some even appreciate it, even when I push them to learn and use new technology and take them out of their comfort zones.
As for your not being a good candidate as a media specialist, I think your husband is just trying to get a rise out of you. At least from my experience in my school district. Here, we are perceived to be the expert at everything: literacy, technology, curriculum, collaboration, integration, and anything else they can come up with. I think any school would be lucky to have your forward thinking and zeal for educating teachers and students!
Cathy,
Your husband gives some food for thought but I don’t agree with him. At HEMMS, our Media Specialist is rather weak and it is hurting our school partially because she is a technophobe. The nature of media is changing and schools need forward thinking and innovative people such as yourself to help make the transition. Don’t let your husband get you down. Just put him in the dog house for a night if he continues. Better yet, take away his TV remote during his favorite show and give him a book to read, maybe one about how technology is changing the world. BTW, what position would he consider you for? See you soon.
John
That’s just it–there does not seem to be a position for me. I am educating myself right out of fitting into a traditional school in any role.
Cathy,
You are welcome to join my secret society of subversives. It’s one way to survive traditional schools. And marriage for that matter.
All the best,
Doug
Cathy,
Can you imagine my surprise when, at a recent job interview, the principal told me that he had visited a “21st-century” library. What would my 21st century library look like?, he wanted to know. I was thrilled by this, and was able to talk about the multitude of resources that my library would have and provide access to (including me!) that satisfy individual curiosities and inspire creativity. The web tools that I used to develop and demonstrate the process of critical thinking in the library seemed to impress them, but the focus was on school improvement, a much broader context in which a 21st century school library program falls.
Our new AASL standards are very liberating, I think. I just need some help “wrapping” my head around how to use them concretely to improve the lives of students and their schools. Is your husband aware of these, and how you are leading us to teach them?