Today is Monday, October 25, 2021. Happy Canadian School Library Day! #CSLD2021
There's reason to celebrate, personally. I am back in my school library. Granted, I spend a lot more time shelving books (no outside volunteers permitted and I can't yet assemble my team of student Library Helpers) and sanitizing materials than I ever did before, but I'm very grateful to return to the role, even altered as it is now. I'm also delighted to contribute to the professional development of future teacher-librarians at two wonderful institutions (Queen's University and York University). The Association for Media Literacy lets me do all sorts of things, as one of the two vice-presidents, to promote media literacy in Ontario, which is very rewarding.
Having said that, there are a lot of people in education right now that are NOT okay. I was contracted to write an article for a publication about how funding cuts have impacted school libraries. I did some crowd-sourcing and I was dismayed to hear some of the stories. There were many testimonials, from school library professionals from various different boards, explaining how difficult their jobs have become. A few contacts asked to be cited anonymously. It's unclear if they feared "reprisals" for speaking out; yet they were compelled to share their school realities with me. I need to figure out a way to include more of these perspectives in a helpful way. It was impossible to include everyone's examples but the stress and honesty really struck a chord with me. (When the article goes to press, I'll add a link here so readers can get a glimpse of the hardships.)
I see this even at my own school and in my own board. Educators are taking leaves because the pressure and demands are just too much. Workers are bone-tired and feeling completely overwhelmed. I wish there was more I could do to help my colleagues and friends. Maybe I can lessen their load by co-teaching with them and providing assessments. Maybe I can give advice or just be a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear or a helping hand. (What's with the body parts?) Maybe I can make them laugh or smile a bit with a joke or hot beverage. Whatever I try to do, I hope it helps alleviate the awfulness and spread a bit of joy. Let me end by including this photo that makes me smile - a student reading for pleasure in our renovated (and mostly tidy) school library.
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