I've taught in a middle school setting and elementary school setting. As an educator, I've never been in a high school. All I can say is... time's have changed. Here's a list of some of the things that I noticed:
1. There are two media specialists along with a clerk.
2. Circulation is non-existent (today at least).
3. Students come in to complete assignments before and after school.
4. Students have to pay to print documents (black/white or color).
5. The media specialists wear many hats that don't necessarily deal with the library.
The media center was really slow. A few students came in to type and/or print documents. I walked around and asked some of them to share what they were working on. A few young ladies (juniors) were doing some research on a book that they were about to begin reading in their literature class. While working, I noticed that they had another page open... watching Netflix :). Since they were doing their work, I just let them be.
The media specialists were mostly dealing with students who had to pay a fee to take the A.P. test. In just three hours, they collected over $3,000. Today was the deadline; therefore, several students and parents were coming in to take care of this fee. They've had since September to get this taken care of.
One of the media specialist is in charge of graduation, while the other is in charge of the A.P. program. They tend to spend most of their time dealing with these duties.
Today is the last day of Read Across America, yet I didn't notice any homage being paid towards it. The media specialists do have a window display in honor of Women's Month, and they have a few decorations around for St. Patrick's day. They say that students really enjoy the 'Banned Books' week. The media specialists decorate and make a huge deal out of the banned books. This is an opportunity to get the students engaged and excited about reading.
We went over some of the following grants that they have submitted:
1. Instructional Technology Grant Proposal
2. Mini-Grants for Education 2013-2014
3. Council of Intron Neighborhoods and Schools
I will use this information to help me get started on an application form draft.
It was really interesting to see the different types of books that high school media centers have on display, versus elementary school. It made me think of all of the censorship articles that I had to read when I first started this program. If you look at some of the titles above, it easy to see the media specialists here are keeping up with the latest social issues that these older students may find interest in.
Today's experience made me realize that I may want to stick to the lower grades. I'd rather teach and complete activities directly related to the media center versus collecting money from upper-class men.
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