So what's in store for my future?

 I am excited about this blog because it is definitely something I need to address, as I get closer to finishing this graduate program.  Currently, I am a stay at home mom, but I will write from the perspective of a teacher (my profession for the past nine years).  I am working on my masters in library science and educational technology.  When I graduate, I hope to find a job as an elementary school librarian. 

After teaching high school for four years, I made the move to elementary school where I taught fifth grade for three years.  I then became a dyslexia specialist where I worked with small groups of dyslexic students for the past two years.  Making the move to elementary school was so eye opening for me because I realized the importance of those early years and how they truly are the catalyst for education for the rest of your life.  I also realized how many of my high school students could not read and had given up.  Learning to read in elementary school is absolutely necessary for success in the long run.  I know that I love working with students and helping them learn to love reading.  I also want to work with teachers to empower them to help their students.  I believe my strengths are in getting to know my students and designing instruction that meets their needs.  I know I want to work with elementary students in a public school setting.  My dream school would be about half low socioeconomic and half middle class.  I want to make sure that I have strong parental and community support to meet the needs of my students.

In order to be effective as a librarian, I will need to have a good understanding of the curriculum of every grade I serve, school policies, district policies.  I will need to be knowledgeable about all things library: cataloging, copyright, acceptable use policies, community support, collection development, weeding and much more.  I do feel like I got a good overview of library skills in my library tract classes.  My practicum in the library was a great way for me to get hands on experience working in a library environment.  That class really helped prepare me for my certification exam and gave me insight on what to expect when I start my job as the school librarian.  I would love to take some electives on diversity in education and some school leadership classes.  I would love to work on building me leadership skills to help with collaboration with teachers and administrators to achieve school goals.

There are several organizations that I am already a member of that will help me in my library profession.  I am already a part of TLA (Texas Library Association).  I will also join ALA (American Library Association) and AASL (American Association of School Libraries).  These organizations will help me stay up to date on current best practices in the school library.  TLA does a great job of posing as a sounding board among librarians for different day to day questions and issues you might face.  I do believe these organizations will be so helpful for my career as a librarian and I look forward to learning from the seasoned librarians whom I meet.