Introduction

While I have started this blog as an assignment for ‘LIBE 465: Organization of Learning Resources', I can see it becoming a very useful tool for reflecting on my practice and learning experiences throughout my career. Before I begin about the specifics of the course, I suppose a good place to begin would be my thoughts on why I have chosen the path of the TL.  There are many reasons but I suppose it is based on my love of reading and my desire to help young people with their literacy skills; therefore, as an English teacher, teacher-librarianship seemed like a natural choice of specialization.  Further to that, I really want to help students, teachers and parents with the many different aspects and challenges of learning and teaching. Anybody in the Education field knows that teaching is a tough job, and that teachers today have to "do more and more with less and less". I believe teaching needs to become more collaborative – especially as new teachers take on a generation of students that face challenges vastly different then their predecessors.  

To paraphrase Alvin Toffler, the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn how to learn. Educators need to be the "guide on the side, not the sage on the sage" to help students to come to their own meaningful learning outcomes. Students need to be actively involved in and responsible for their own learning! They cannot be mindless robots that store seemingly needless information that they will never use again.  But someone must show them the way, hence the teacher in teacher-librarian. A plethora of print and on-line learning resources are now available, resources that must be careful selected, managed and utilized by the librarian in teacher-librarian.   Education is changing. With our society becoming more and more dependent on technology, students must be taught how to use said technology effectively and responsibility. But who will teach the teachers? The media specialist, aka the teacher-librarian! School libraries are changing from just a "place" to dynamic learning centers for entire school communities. Access to quality resources, a belief in strong communication skills and a respect for diversity and critical thinking are but a few values of the school library, now more accurately called the school library media centre.

Sadly, TL jobs are often at the mercy of school board's budget cuts. Despite this, I believe the TLs role is needed now more than ever.  Gone are the days of the shrewd librarian permanently fixed behind a desk saying "Shhhh!" to anybody who uttered so much as a word.  A TL now wears several different hats, is apparent and visible in the school as a co-teacher, media specialist and team leader. I've already learned that the scope of the job is far beyond what I'd imagined-I anticipate a steep learning curve, and yes there will be some significant challenges, but it's a job that at its core is promoting lifelong learning - a skill with immeasurable value. Please stay tuned for my reflections on the specific topics of the course!