Friday, November 22, 2013

Thanku to School Librarians

Happy Poetry Friday! As part of our Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving series, today I share a Thanku poem in honor of school librarians. After you're done reading here, be sure to check out this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Katya Czaja's Write. Sketch. Repeat. blog.


As JoAnn mentioned on Friday, we're focusing on education-related thank you notes this year, in part to honor this week's celebration of American Education Week.


One goal of American Education Week is to "honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education." When I read this, I thought immediately of school librarians, whom I consider the unsung heroes of education. I worked as a library aide for several years and saw first-hand the difference librarians can make it students' lives at both the elementary and high school level. Contrary to what some people think, today's school librarians do more than buy books and stock shelves. They educate students in computer skills, research skills, and critical thinking. Many school librarians are on the cutting edge of information technology, and they are the ones educating not only students, but also teachers, on the best use of that technology. You can read specifically how in this document prepared by the International Society for Technology in Education.

Several studies have shown that full-time librarians have a positive impact on student performance, as discussed in this report by Keith Curry Lance that I found on the Laura Bush Foundation website.   Dr. Lance also co-wrote the article, "Latest Study: A Full-Time School Librarian Makes a Critical Difference in Boosting Student Achievement," that appeared in School Library Journal in March 2013. According to that article:
"Consistently, reading and writing scores are better for students who have a full-time certified librarian than those who don’t. Students who are economically disadvantaged, black, Hispanic, and have IEPs (i.e., students with disabilities) benefit proportionally more than students generally. These findings suggest that staffing libraries with certified librarians can help close achievement gaps." 
So today I'd like to honor and celebrate school librarians with a simple Thanku poem. (A Thanku poem is a haiku that expresses gratitude. You can read more about the form in Esther's post.) I'd especially like to pay tribute to four school librarians I've had the privilege of working with: Jennifer Brown, Susan Gibbs, Gayl Smith, and Debbie Turner. I dedicate the following poem to them, and to librarians everywhere:


School librarians,
thank you for helping students
be better thinkers.

Now, I hope some of you will join in our Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving by posting a thank you note on your blog. Comment with a link to your post and we'll include it in a roundup on November 29, the last day of our series.

And don't forget to head on over to Write. Sketch. Repeat. for today's Poetry Friday roundup.

Happy writing!
Carmela

15 comments:

jan godown annino said...

Thank you for using the "L" word.

Librarian Thanku #1
by Jan Godown Annino

Singer of book songs

Puppet whisperer to all

Lenita Joe has retired!

This is quite the party to be part of. Thank you for the Librarian Thanku topic.
Other Thanksgiving month Thankus are appearing here if anyone would like to visit. Happy giving of thanks to all. I am thankful for Teaching Authors.

http://bookseedstudio.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/gratitude-in-this-latitude/

Thanku, TA's!

Jan

Author Amok said...

After days of rain
thank you to the sky above
for being blue

(It's actually raining here today -- this is a "thank you in advance" poem and some wishful thinking.)

Carmela Martino said...

Thank YOU, for sharing these wonderful poems, Jan and Author Amok. And thanks for following our blog.

Fats Suela from Gathering Books said...

Oh this is such a lovely "thanku" for librarians. They are worth a lot more than what people give them credit for! =)

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

A lovely theme for a series, Carmela. You're right, school librarians often don't get the thanks they deserve, but your thanku hits just the right spot! I will try to post a thank you note on my blog this coming Tuesday. Stay tuned for the link...

Joy said...

the scent of library
books stacked upon the shelves
librarian's perfume

What a great post and project, Librarians never get enough credit for all the wonderful things they do to help all of us.

Carmela Martino said...

I agree, Fats Suela! Michelle, I look forward to reading your thank you post. Joy, I love your "librarian's perfume"!
Thanks to all for stopping by.

jan godown annino said...

Can Joy's poem be shared with a school librarian publication, for publication, or gifting at a librarian conference. It's super.

"Thanku to School Librarians" & the "Thank you Students" are mighty fine topics.

Margaret Simon said...

We did thanku chalkabration in my class today. I'll post it on Nov. 30th, but I wanted to share my favorite that a student wrote for me.

"A bird who couldn't fly
met you, gained courage and hope.
A bird who can fly."

Yes, I cried.

Tabatha said...

I can see why Margaret's thanku made her cry.

Matching book
to reader --
a delicate art
that deserves
many thanks.

Carmela Martino said...

Jan, that's a great suggestion for Joy's poem--I hope she sees your comment.
Wow, Margaret, what an amazing tribute. How old are your students?
Tabatha, I LOVE your poem. Thanks so much for sharing.

April Halprin Wayland said...

Talk about bright lights--who doesn't remember their elementary school librarian?

What wonderful thankus from all!

April Halprin Wayland said...

The Children's Literature Network's (http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/)
latest newsletter included this gem:

"Librarians are generals in the war on ignorance." ~ Author Unknown

April Halprin Wayland said...

The Children's Literature Network's (http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/)
latest newsletter included this gem:

"Librarians are generals in the war on ignorance." ~ Author Unknown

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

Here's my link, Carmela: http://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/2013/11/with-thanks-to-my-teachers.html