Paradigm Shift: Education Dreams

A lot of people have told me that Uni isn't a "real" library.  Students want to come to the library, they want to study in the library, they're sad they don't get to do enough pleasure reading (because of their rigorous course load), and they are extremely self sufficient.  They still need guidance on finding reliable sources, and they might need some help navigating the University of Illinois online catalog, but they are schooled in this during their first year at Uni.  By the time they are Sophomores, they have a pretty good handle on this.

So, why am I here?  What can I really learn from working in a library where the librarian isn't "as needed" as they might be in a public school library?

1.  I've learned how much students love to interact with their teachers on a personal level.
At Uni I have learned that the gap between teacher and student needs to be bridged.  The conversations I hear between teachers and students at Uni are so much more beneficial than almost any I had with students when I was a teacher.  There still needs to be respect for the teacher, because the teacher is the expert, the one passing on knowledge, but having conversations with students as human beings and not charges is something that I want to encourage and provide in my next step as an educator.  I think this is one reason students love Uni so much: they are respected, and they are encouraged to voice their own opinions.

2.  Students are encouraged to teach others and share their knowledge with everyone.
Every February Uni hosts Agora Days, when staff and students veer off the curriculum map and spend a week exploring things that are interesting to them.  Staff AND students lead sessions during this week of alternative classes.  Here in the library we've started a series called Agora Unleashed, for students who want to get a jump on the February festivities.  This week's topic?  Beyonce and Feminism: The Pop Culture Queen, Her Music, and Her Message.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE working here??

3.  Study Hall is NEEDED.
Remember when you watched 16 Candles when you were little, and you saw Samantha, a Sophomore, in study hall with Jake, a Senior?  You don't?  That was just me?

Well, anyway...study hall is required here, and they are multi-class affairs.  Students getting time to work on their homework and projects during school time is a beautiful thing, and even if they don't work on their homework, they can take a moment, breathe, and read a book of their choice.  Working in schools where study hall isn't required, because we have to be doing curriculum all the time or interventions all the time or making sure we're ready for a test all the time is tiring!  If it's tiring for the teachers, just think how bushed the students must get!  (Oh, and don't even twist this to make it sound students should never get interventions when needed.  They just really, REALLY need a break, too.)

4.  Freedom and responsibility are hallmarks to building student trust.
Students have one free period a day.  They are given the freedom and responsibility to use this time as they see fit.  They can leave the building, study, take a nap, or do whatever they need during that period to better themselves.  I wish I had this.  I wish all buildings could encourage this and build trust between staff and students to make this possible.

Will I be able to do these four things in my library?  Probably not, because they are school-wide initiatives.  Will I be able to encourage a mind shift in my colleagues to experiment with these things that I've learned?  Maybe I could with a few.  I wish that schools would start to rethink education for students, though.  I wish that some teachers would stop thinking of school as a place to cram curriculum down students' throats and to complete timelines.  I think if we could shift our thinking to education as a joyful lifelong pursuit and to instill this in our students, a lot more genuine, authentic learning would take place in public schools.

Encouraging others to think in a new way, to stand up to what has always been, is not easy.  It's scary, intimidating, and I don't know if I can do it.  Maybe this really is just a dream I have, that I'll never see come true.  But, with ideas I'm gaining from Uni, how can I not at least try when I get a school library placement?  With Beyonce telling me I can do it, how can I resist at least trying???