So I am a little late to the #WhyLib party, but I am here!
A conversation was started on Twitter to share the stories of how librarians found their way to being in a library. Our paths are diverse, but we share a common thread. Hear our stories. #WhyLib
(from the Why We Became Librarians padlet shared HERE)
For me, being an educator is a calling. The reason I am an educator is that I am absolutely passionate about making sure every child has positive experiences with learning. As a librarian, I also add that I want them to have positive experiences with reading.
My reading life had a rocky start. In 2nd grade, we moved from Oklahoma to Kansas City, and it was discovered that I couldn’t read. I spent a lot of time then in special reading classes. I also spent a great deal of time in elementary school knowing full well that I was not a good reader. I struggled and felt bad because I was always in the lowest reading group.
My librarian at the time refused to let me check out the book The Secret Garden because she knew I was having trouble reading. Then one day she was gone and I checked out that book. I struggled with it, BUT it was the first book that I distinctly remember seeing the movie in my mind. I read that book again and again.
As I progressed through school, I became a better reader. By the time I left middle school I was reading on a college level.
Fast forward to my leaving the corporate world to pursue an alternative certification to become a teacher. Initially I went into teaching for less than honorable reasons, but during my first year of teaching I fell in love with this profession. Providing kids with the best learning environment possible became my passion.
I pursued many different professional development opportunities. One of those was participating in the North Star Writing Project. I spent an intensive 4 weeks with an amazing group of educators learning about teaching writing and reading. After that experience I gained 6 hours of graduate credit. I looked at about every education and English related masters program at UNT. Ultimately, I found that I the Masters of Library and Information Sciences was the most appealing to me for what I was passionate about.
I found that I wanted to be able to teach and work with every child in my school as opposed to just the kids in my class. I wanted to help kids navigate online activity and learn how to find information. I also wanted to address digital citizenship and help kids understand appropriate online activity. Also though, I wanted to make sure kids had positive experiences with reading and so the role of librarian was a perfect fit for me.
Since becoming a librarian, I have also discovered that I need to publicize what I am doing to shine a positive light on my profession. I am very proud of the fact that I am a school librarian serving in a school along side teachers. I want everyone to know I am a teacher librarian. I teach kids every day, and I engage them in reader’s advisory. I will shout it from the rooftops the integral role I play in our curriculum and in student achievement.
My passion is learning and teaching. That is my #WhyLib story.