Wisdom for Teacher-Librarians (and teachers too)

If the librarian is qualified, that’s a real plus; if they’re training, that’s great; if they’re full of energy for books and discovery, and loved by the children, you are one lucky school!

Can I highly highly highly recommend you read this document from The School Library Association in the UK.

So much wisdom in this small publication. We talk about the importance of getting our students to read; to love reading; to spend more time reading; and as I used to say helping our students become 'real readers' by which I mean kids who seek out books and love to read for pleasure. 

In this 32 page booklet Alec Williams covers so many ideas that made me cheer. In Australian schools,  Teacher-Librarians are constantly worried about their role. In other countries and districts we have watched with horror as school libraries are downgraded and left with no staff. We all ask questions such as: Will the school keep their Teacher-Librarian? Will he or she be replaced when they leave? Does the school value the library? How do I make visits to the library meaningful for my students? How do I juggle the demands of providing release time for teachers? Do teachers use the library collection? Are the children keen to borrow? Is the library the heart of the school?  

If your own time is limited then read Appendix one of Get Everyone Reading - pages 26-30 - lots of practical ideas presented as easy to read dot points. I would like to thank SLA (UK) for this brilliant and free document. Perhaps there are some ideas from Alec Williams you could share with your school executive. 

Here are some points from "Get everyone Reading" that resonated with me.  I hope I did many of these things in my school library which was my happy place and I hope a happy place for so many of the children in my school.

Role of adults:

• Enabling and empowering teachers and librarians to promote reading for pleasure is one of the most important things we can do.
• Children who want to read, read more quickly and successfully.
• Don’t be tempted into constant questions 
• If the book’s worth reading, you will – you should – read it again, and there’ll be time for quizzing later.
• That first time is precious, so let the story ‘bloom in their heads’. 
• Picture books are a lovely ‘slow read’ experience
• There’s no such thing… …as an eight-year-old girl, or a ten-year-old boy, when it comes to reading. 
• Encourage parents to read aloud to their children up to any age at which they’re willing to listen. 
• Remember that ‘Every teacher is a teacher of reading’

The school library

• (Have) a lively school library, because while children may learn to read in the classroom… in the school library, they learn to be readers.
• ... a school library is different from a classroom. It should look different (in style, seating – maybe in colour scheme) and it should feel different. It’s a special space, where children can become readers. They should feel it’s theirs (an ‘Our School Library’ sign?), for ‘guilt-free reading’.
• (Developing) good book stock, and talking about it with knowledge and passion, is key.

Why reading matters:

• Reading helps you make sense of yourself. 
• It gives children different perspectives on life, and can help them understand themselves better. 
• It’s empowering, because through it they learn new things, gain tolerance, and dream dreams. 
• It gives both boys and girls a sense of identity (both cultural and self identity) if they see themselves represented in the story, helping them to shape, store and reflect on their past and their future, vicariously testing problems and possible reactions to them. 
• It helps them build decision-making skills, based on new information and perspectives – ‘What would I have done?’, ‘Could I be brave, like that?’.
• Reading connects children to each other. It can help them see other points of view; it connects them to wider worlds and ideas. It gives them insights into other cultures, and other ways of thinking. It can build tolerance. 
• Every child’s favourite is valid, and it’s OK not to like a book.

Classroom teachers:

• You need classroom book collections too, because they’re a permanent reminder of the importance your school attaches to books, and their use can be immediate – but make sure they’re up-to-date and inviting (you could refresh them regularly from the school library, to stop them getting stale). 
• There’s also no such thing as ‘quality literature’ – by which I mean that children don’t think like this, and we shouldn’t impose the notion until much later, if at all.