Reflections on 2/24/12 class

How fun to talk about designing a library with someone who does it for a living. Just when you think you know of all of the jobs out there in the world, another one pops up. Peg gave great insight into the process of planning a library design or (or redesign). It sure would be helpful to talk to her in person (or hire her) if I ever had to design a school library. She certainly has it all figured out.

I especially appreciated her AEIOU guidelines for library design considerations:

A= Activities: Keep a laundry list of what happens and what you what to have happen in your media center

E= Environment: Be aware off all the factors that affect the feeling, comfort level and effectiveness of the media center

I= Interaction: Think about how the space is used by people, does it provide space for separation and inclusion?

O= Objects: Think of every physical object in the space and what purpose it serves

U= Users: Observe your media center’s demographics and consider how the space serves as a home away from home for many patrons

All this talk of redesign has made me reconsider the layouts of the libraries I have worked in and what I would do (just as far as rearranging the furniture) to make them more efficient, more effective and more user friendly. I imagine that, for most people, you work in a space long enough and you just get used to how it is. Or you start in a new space and are so overwhelmed by everything that moving heavy furniture around is the last thing on your “to-do list”. I am not like that at all. My mother remarked one time while sitting in my newly rearranged living room, “Jennifer, you change around your furniture more than some people change their underwear.” Of course, now that I am in grad school I have better things to do than move my furniture around, but that doesn’t mean that I am not constantly thinking about how things could be improved.

One has to be careful about mixing things up too often, especially when dealing with younger children. Kids grow to expect and appreciate the stability of the library space and when you change things up too much, kids can become uncomfortable. It’s as if their sanctuary has been torn apart. To alleviate this problem it might be fun to include kids in a library redesign, so they can claim ownership of the new space and not be intimidated by it.

Reflections on 1/13/12 class

What a great group of ladies:)

I am really going to enjoy spending my Friday afternoons with you and I am particularly interested to hear of the experiences of the student teachers.

Geez- what did we talk about on Friday- I KNEW I should have done this earlier.

Standards- it seems that we are still talking about standards- it seems that I've been talking about standards in a lot of my classes and that I will continue to do so for a very long time.

The more I think about standards the more I think that there should not be National standards or even State standards. What would happen if assessments were done away with?

In my (embryonic) idea for education reform there would be requirements for learning (I haven't decided if they should be mandated by the U.S. government or State governments yet) which would include strict guidelines for:

teacher certification

building resources

teacher/student ratio

services provided to students (in and out of school)

services provided to families (in and out of school)

and that's pretty much it

-oh, and EVERYONE has to graduate

Also- in my new model (if it starts next year) the U.S. and State government (combined) give each student $20,000 per year to go to the school of their choice. This is more than any other state currently spends on their students.

"The national average in fiscal year 2009 was $10,499, a 2.3 percent increase over the previous year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, citing data from Public Education: 2009. Some states spent way above the national average, starting with New York, which spent $18,126 per student. Other top spenders include Washington ($16,408), New Jersey ($16,271), Alaska ($15,552), and Vermont ($15,175)."

(Sorry this info was from Fox News- but it WAS based on U.S. Census data)

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/26/public-school-student-spending-increases-state-funding-decreases/#ixzz1jit8LOx1

Already, just the U.S. government spends $10,441 per pupil (2008-09 expenditures by the U.S. government-in constant dollars) http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=66

I figure if the U.S. and State governments relieve themselves of the standards and assessments business they would have a lot more money to give to students, right? Schools would then become more focused on their market- more user-focused, and provide students (and parents) with what they want and what they need, because they will only receive money from their customer- the student. Because of student (and parent) demands schools would evolve into "boutique" schools- offering their constituent students the type of education that will advance students in their chosen career path.

Not every student should go to college (like Emily's example of her brother). There is a place for everyone and that's not always in an ivy covered hall somewhere. My idea gets a bit of inspiration from the German education system. Students are tracked (and unfortunately sometimes not by choice) to either college-bound secondary schools or trade-bound secondary schools. I think this is a brilliant idea. Students should be educated in where their talents lie and every student is different.

Are these schools public, private, charter, magnate? I hate to say it, but I think this model would dissolve the public school system. Schools would become businesses and the students would be the customers. With $20,000 in their pocket per year, students will have the power to reform schools on their own, money talks.

I know there are a lot of kinks in my plan to work out; jurisdiction, funding sources, union involvement, etc. What about transportation you say- how will students get to their school of choice if they live far from it? No matter- by the time my plan gets implemented- we will all be teleporting back and forth to the grocery store;)

See you on Friday.

Reflections on 1/6/2012 class

This is going to be extremely interesting. I am really excited about learning with all of you and working on the projects Kristin has assigned for us. I like the small class size and the opportunity for us to benefit from each other's varied experiences and backgrounds. It will be especially beneficial for all of us to hear about the experiences of our classmates who are student teaching this semester. I look most forward to what they have to say about their day-to-day interactions with their mentor librarians, students, teachers and administrators. I'd also like to know how they feel about working with different age groups.

My biggest concern about the profession of school librarianship is its continued existence. In considering last week's readings and listening to Kristin's lecture (w/more to come on NCLB this week) I feel that maybe the golden days of school libraries are over. It is up to those now in the profession (and us) to fight for it's continued existence by making it a relevant, beneficial and integral part of the school through our collaborative and advocacy efforts and by garnering support from administrators, teachers and parents.

Get ready to put on your happy face:)

Long live the Media Center!