Interview II

 For our second interview, I decided to approach Mrs. Flint, in whose library I had spent the semester interning.  Mrs. Flint is highly experienced; a seasoned educator and skilled librarian who had, already, given me some incredible insight into how to construct and administer effective library programming.  She was, therefore, a perfect candidate to shed some light on the next standard I’d chosen- Collaborate. 

As with Mrs. Streets, I opened by asking her what her familiarity was with the AASL standards.  She noted that she was relatively familiar, particularly since our district had (prior to my joining) held a series of PLs discussing the AASL standards crosswalk, and how it integrated into our practices.  Satisfied, I decided to dive right in, as our time together was unfortunately quite limited on this occasion.  I asked her what Collaboration looked like in her Media Center, how it manifested in regards to her colleagues.   

She responded that collaboration was a weekly occurrence, taking the form of joint planning sessions hosted in the Media Center.  During these “check-ins,” as she called them, she would learn what the teachers were planning to cover in the coming week, and would offer suggestions and resources to help supplement those lessons.  “It’s hard to get buy-in sometimes,” she explained, “but if you can show two or three teachers that you can make their lives easier, more will follow.” This had been a particular challenge for me, so I made careful note to try and implement these regular check-ins at my next school.  

Next, I asked what role technology played in her collaborations.  She thought for some time on this question, then responded that she largely used technology in an organizational sense.  She would use things like Google forms to create online Sign-Up sheets for library visits, or would organize a number of resources into a digital pathfinder for their use.  She tended, she said, to leave some of the finer points of technology implementation in the collaborative lessons to the discretion of the teacher. 

My next question involved the portion of the Collaborate standard that focused on modeling respectful behavior for diverse perspectives.  “How,” I asked, “do you ensure that this respect is upheld in your library?”  She responded that making her library a safe space was integral to her mission, and that she tried to consider the needs of all students when creating programming or making purchases.  In particular, she highlighted her ESOL collection, and how she tried to ensure that, where possible, she ordered Spanish language versions of her new books, so that no student would be left out.  Sadly, our time ran out here as her leadership meeting began, but she signed off with a final summation:  “You have to give students ‘buy-in’ if you want them to be engaged.”   

Thinking back over our talk, I wondered at the many facets of Collaboration.  Most obviously, it manifests in tandem work, sharing the burden with colleagues and helping to elevate both of you higher than you’d be able to go on your own.  However, it also meant ensuring enough space at the proverbial table, allowing everyone to have the chance to input their ideas and see their feedback considered.  This standard, therefore, is no less paramount than Inquiry- it is a vital piece of ensuring a healthy, responsive, thriving library program.