BCTLA & TMC7

 Happy Media Literacy Week and Canadian School Library Day!

Last week and this week are busy ones, indeed. Today I'm going to reflect on the 2022 British Columbia Teacher Librarians Association Conference and Treasure Mountain Canada 7. I was only able to attend virtually this year but it still gifted me with lots of learning.

Friday, October 21, 2022 (9:00 am PDT, 12:00 pm EDT)

Opening Keynote: David A Robertson

3 Key Points

1) The ways we learn about ourselves often comes via popular culture and school

2) An absence of representation has a negative impact (note King's overview of the 3 common stereotypes of Indigenous people [savage/noble/dead]) and shapes the perception of the self. It also manifests violently with MMIWG.

3) We have made progress in terms of learning about residential schools and reconciliation (nowadays if you don't know it's because you don't want to know) but we need to continue to give books about Indigenous issues (first by Indigenous writers, then by non-Indigenous writers who have done the work properly) to kids so they can be the better leaders we need in our society because they can handle it.

So what? Now what? = I took so many notes. My next steps come directly from David's words: "teacher-librarians, dig in your heels, we need policies, be determined and fight! We can let book removals happen." My other next step is to read some more books by David. He was a captivating speaker.

Media Artifacts

Friday, October 21, 2022 (10:10 am PDT, 1:10 pm EDT)

A Peculiar Path to Library Leadership by Diana Maliszewski

Summary

Are you interested in making your mark in the field of school librarianship? What lasting legacy can you contribute? You might be surprised at the roundabout routes and curious circumstances that come into play. Chat with Diana Maliszewski, one of the writers of Ontario's pivotal Together for Learning vision document and a former recipient of Canada's Teacher-Librarian of the Year Award, to learn about how she got involved in different exciting projects and how she is now helping form new teacher-librarians at two universities. 

3 Key Points

1) The path to leadership isn't always linear or traditional - sometimes it's tangential to your work organization. 

2) If you volunteer, you might end up in the right place at the right time (and while you are there, lift others up - nominate them for awards, for instance).

3) Three key words: Network, Assist, Share

So what? Now what? = 82 people registered for my talk, although I didn't take attendance to see how many showed up. The tech was really well organized, with my special Zoom account, passwords, codes to access passwords, and links all in one convenient place. It's really hard to tell if people are enjoying your session, since cameras are off and it's mostly through the chat feature that we communicate. 

Media Artifacts

Friday, October 21, 2022 (1:00 pm PDT, 4:00 pm EDT)

Books to Build On: Indigenous Literatures for Learning by Erin Spring, Maureen Plante

Summary

This session focuses on 'Books to Build On: Indigenous Literatures for Learning,' an interactive web resource designed to assist educators with weaving Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing into teaching and learning, all while starting with story. Responding to the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the BC Professional Standard 9 for education, this resource helps teachers build foundational knowledge and competencies in Indigenous education.

3 Key Points

1) Alberta Education funded a grant to respond to the TRC and Calls to Action, encouraging people to integrate Indigenous knowledge into teaching.

2) The group created a website for all people, although it is mapped to the Alberta curriculum - see http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/teaching-learning/indigenous-literatures-learning 

3) Another good site is http://indigenousstorybooks.ca 

So what? Now what? = I plan on sharing these websites with my staff after the panic of report cards is through.

Friday, October 21, 2022 (2:05 pm PDT, 5:05 pm EDT)

Closing Keynote: Ivan Coyote

3 Key Points

1) Queer, non-binary folks have to leave their small towns to travel to bigger cities so they can be more anonymous and understand about how to be themselves, even though being part of a small town is part of their identities. 

2) What if we celebrated tenderness rather than toughness? Often, people who are "marginalized" (a term Coyote doesn't like) are praised for their resilience and character, but why do they have to be resilient in their own communities? (Story of Indigenous and queer youth asking small town council for a rainbow crosswalk and being turned down, the councils wondering why people don't want to get involved.)

3) Places need to ask "Who are you already missing? Who has left the room?" Choose education over fear. (Story of Michael Marshall creating a great policy on supporting surgeries but who will benefit if people move?)

So what? Now what? = Once again, the speaker told us what to do. Ivan said, "They're coming for us via the school boards. ... It is enshrined in the Human Rights Act that people cannot discriminate based on gender identity. ... Build a community where people don't have to learn to recover from their differences." My other next step is to read some of Ivan's books. 

Media Artifacts

Saturday, October 22, 2022 (1:45 pm PDT, 4:45 pm EDT)

Afternoon Table Talks
a) Larkspur LLC End Year Reports 2020-2022 by Beth Lyons

Summary (taken from TMC site)

The 2020-2022 school years were marked with a great deal of change, upheaval and constant re-imagining of the system for all of the community members involved in education. COVID restrictions, online learning, closed classrooms and re-adjusting to a return to in-person learning for the majority of our students and staff took precedence over everything. As we worked to re-imagine what the Larkspur LLC might be in this “new normal” we constantly looked to ensure that we were centring the needs of students and their families. We reflected on our collection curation, choice of books for read alouds and maker materials to provide “mirrors, windows and doors” (Sims Bishop) for both students and educators as they interacted within the library space, both in-person and virtually. It is my hope that the Larkspur LLC and the library programming provided an opportunity for growth, for reconnection and most of all, joy.

3 Key Points

1) Collect data and examples throughout the year.

2) There are many tools you can use to make your end-of-year report beautiful.

3) These reports are important advocacy and history documents. 

So what? Now what? = Beth's reports have inspired me to "up my game" and I've made changes to how I've created my annual reports based on her experience. I'll continue to 

Media Artifacts

Thanks to @CdnSchoolLibrar for inviting me to #TMC2022 to talk about my LLC year end report in a virtual table talk. #ONSchoolLibraries https://t.co/LPys2otYcO #onted

— MrsLyonsLibrary (@mrslyonslibrary) October 22, 2022

Afternoon Table Talks
b) Riffing on OSLIP: A Conversation by Diana Maliszewski, Dawn Legrow, Sarah Wheatley

Summary (taken from TMC site) 

How can elementary and secondary teacher-librarians “combine forces” to better serve their students? Impressed by a recent Ontario Library Association study of transitions between secondary and post secondary, the writers embarked on a quest themselves. In their research and conversations, they explored the challenges facing both panels in preparing students for successful transitions. The writers invite you to share strategies and approaches you use to address this critical problem.

3 Key Points

1) Elementary and secondary TLs need to talk together more, using an asset-based approach.

2) We can help each other, once we understand each other. 

3) Schools with teacher-librarians can better prepare their students for the next stage, especially if they have access to the students and know what the upcoming goals might be. 

So what? Now what? = Dawn, Sarah and I had a good chat with the participants that chose to chat with us. Someone asked a good question about what they should be asking their secondary colleagues if they reach out and I think our answers were something like "What will you cover in Gr 9 and what skills would you like them to possibly come with before entering Gr 9?" I need to reach out to the local TL in the high schools my school feeds into. 

Media Artifacts