My love affair with libraries began over fifty years ago on the corner of Cynthia and Cathy Streets in Savannah, Georgia.  That was the stop for the monthly bookmobile in my small African American community of Cloverdale. This love led me to work in the main Savannah Library, both my college libraries, and finally, volunteer in all my daughter’s school libraries.  It was at Chapel Hill Middle School in 1997 that former DeKalb librarian, Mrs. Effie Bazmore, told me I could “do this for a living” and I’ve been “doing it” as a media clerk and teacher librarian ever since.  I’ve endeavored to use all my creativity for the benefit of teachers and students at the following schools: Freedom Middle, Banneker High (Fulton County), Salem Middle, and Columbia Middle School.  Since coming to Columbia in 2008, I’ve served as a Reading Bowl coach, News Team trainer and mentor, School Webmaster, Digital Learning Team member, and Principal Advisory Council secretary.

 

Through the years, I’ve been a presenter and panelist for numerous Educational Media events sharing the day-to-day work of media specialists with everyone from peers to principals.  I’ve supported young classroom teachers, aspiring teacher librarians, and several support staff members seeking advanced degrees from Georgia colleges and universities.  In addition, I’ve had the privilege of directly mentoring almost a hundred students through News Teams helping them build skills in communication and collaboration.   As I reflect on it all, it has been a blessing to have lived long enough to witness some of them become laudable leaders in their high schools, colleges, and in the teaching profession.

  

Instructionally, my focus has always been on collaboration with teachers.  One of my primary goals each year is to support them so they can better teach students.   One of my passions is teaching and empowering students by sharing transformative knowledge and giving them access to the world through literature and technology. In every media center I’ve worked, I’ve sought to provide lessons that support the curriculum and build critical thinkers.  I believe in and practice co-teaching with the classroom teacher in a variety of subject areas.  To expand the learning beyond the school building, from 2012 to 2017, I co-taught free computer classes at the local Exchange Park Recreation center.   This outreach to the parents and grandparents of my students allowed me to demonstrate one of my core beliefs that the school belongs to the whole community and the community belongs at the school.  My life has been continuously enriched by serving in the role of the teacher librarian.   I hope my work brings honor to that bookmobile librarian from so many years ago by continuing to build that bridge between the library and the home.