Hello, fellow book lovers. I need some opinions on what I’ve been seeing at the school I work at. This year I started as a Teacher Assistant for grades 3-5. It is a small catholic school, Pre-K through 8th, that I attended years ago. Nonetheless, I remember how things were done but understand change happens. However, none of these changes are for the best of the students.
First, the library is hardly utilized at all. There is no librarian or media specialist hired. For reference, when I was a student, there was a designated time my class went each week. The librarian read to us and taught us about the Dewey Decimal system and helped us understand the organization of libraries! However, even without a librarian, this space should still be used. There is nothing stopping teachers from arranging time for their class to visit, yet none do.
Secondly, the ELA (English language arts) teacher for 3rd-5th grade, is the same for all 3 grades and has hundreds of books in her classroom library. All these books are hardly utilized because this teacher does not let her students take them home. They are not allocated time to read in class either. The only time they can read these books is when they finish their work early and wait for the class to catch up. I was told the students would “lose the book” if they were allowed to take them home. The way I see it, this is a perfect opportunity to learn the value of responsibility. I’ve offered to create a sign-out sheet to keep track of who takes what book. If the child does not bring the book back after x amount of weeks, they are fined with the cost of the book, the same penalty as the library. This idea was shot down. I’ve tried to schedule time for the classes to have weekly visits and I was met with opposition.
Lastly, although the school is private, state funding has allowed many lower-SES students scholarships to attend. This is so great for the children to have an opportunity to attend a small, Christ-centered school. Not all of these children come from families that can just purchase whatever books they want. Public libraries are great, but this should not be the only option children have to read.
I can’t wrap my head around this situation. I never thought I would have to fight for children to have access to books. I just want to know if anyone else feels like this is an injustice to these student’s education. School should be a place where reading is encouraged and easily accessible. What kind of world do we live in where books are gate-kept by educators?
I also love books and believe kids should have as easy of access to as many books as possible.
What I would suggest however, is that you start gently and respectfully find out the background and viewpoints of the other teachers, admins, and volunteers.
I volunteered in my local public school for over 12 years plus have experience with Catholic schools as well. There is a lot of similarities when it comes to the decision making actually.
First you have the funding - someone (be it the school board or the parish council) holds the purse strings and makes the top level decisions about money. That’s what would need to be addressed regarding getting a librarian back into the school.
Second you have the legalities - I saw first hand the teacher frustration with our state’s laws when they mandated that various set amounts of time be given to X, Y, and Z. It sounds good on paper … but there are only a certain number of minutes in the school day. A mandatory “uninterrupted reading time” law in my state resulted in the loss of library time because library time involved walking around and looking at books - and to qualify, the time had to be specifically sitting still and reading (no listening to an adult read, etc.)
Third you have the experiences - people create rules and procedures based on experience. And you have to find out why things are the way they are before you can change them. Don’t assume - have the meaningful conversations and find out. Maybe the ESL teacher had too many of their books - purchased with their own money - disappear. Maybe the library area has a mold issue no one has the funding to address. Maybe some parents have made too much noise about “wasted time” or lodged complaints about which books are available.
Fourth - once you know what the funding situation is, what legalities are in place, what past problems/concerns have led to the current situation - then you talk with the power brokers. The PTO members, the parish council members, the pastor, the principal, etc - every school I’ve been at has a core group of about 5 to 15 people who in the end really make everything happen. You get them in agreement with you - things change. You don’t - it’s impossible and you’ll find your contract not getting renewed.