Crazy Aunt Katy Shines Again!

My Aunt Katy got "Teacher of the Year" at her school! Since she's not going to brag, I'm going to brag for her! Way to go, Aunt Katy! As our economy continues in a downward spiral, I hope that school districts will put a priority on keeping qualified, certified librarians in the school, so that when I get to school, librarians continue to add to the curriculum. I don't think many people understand how valuable a good librarian is to a school. My grandpa, who was a school principal for 18 years, used to say, "Give me a good librarian and a good custodian, and I'll turn it into a good school."

Things you may not know about your local certified elementary school librarian:

1. They must be certified librarians, meaning they need a "library media endorsement" which is equal to 45 quarter credit hours. Many have their Master's degree.

2. They must also be certified teachers. Therefore, certified teacher libarians are assisting other teachers by augmenting their curriculum with what is being taught in the library. Librarians also assist teachers in finding resources for what they are teaching in the classroom. Further, they are the critical link to teaching research skills and what are usually refered to as 21st century literacy skills, which include understanding how to find, evaluate and use materials for research using print, database, and web resources.

3. Librarians are often the school's technology expert, and are instrumental in assisting teachers with how to effectively use technology in their classrooms.

4. In districts that do not have certified librarians, the equivalent of an aide (non-librarian, non-teacher) oversees library services, which greatly reduces the amount of teaching that can occur at the library, and the support that can be given to teachers. In fact, it is not legal for a certified aide to teach students without the guidance of a certified teacher.

My future is at stake! If you are a registered voter in Washington, and feel strongly that our schools should keep certified librarians on staff, you can follow this link to sign a petition supporting school libraries and information technology. You can also go one step further and write to your representative using some of the points I listed above.
http://gopetition.com/petitions/world-class-education-for-washington.html

P.S. Aunt Katy is going to be REALLY surprised when she sees this!