Well, it probably started when I was a child, who loved to read, much more than playing outdoors. I also like quiet, so I particularly enjoyed visiting the library. In high school I spent one period each day assisting in the library, and even though I firmly disagreed with her, the librarian said that I would one day be a great librarian. (I had lofty plans to be a physical therapist) In college I worked at the university library, doing such things as shelving, shelf-reading, pulling materials for repair, accepting theses for binding and cataloging, and shifting materials to new locations. At that time I still did not know I was destined to be a librarian. I finished my bachelor’s in history and took a job working for the State Board of Elections. Only two years later I decided it wasn’t enough and that I wanted to go back to school. When I reflected on the things I had learned and jobs I’d had, I thought about what had I truly enjoyed? My thoughts continued to return to the library, and thus I entered Library Science school. I could have gone into archives and special collections given my history background, but having done some observations at highschools and worked at a summer camp, I knew I would enjoy working with children. And that’s how I ended up following the route of school librarianship.

These days, it is the children who inspire me and keep me coming back to work, who keep me doing my best. It is their smiles and their eagerness to see me and what new book or story I have to offer them. It is their search for sanctuary in “my” space – the library – where no child is a “bad kid.” I do not have “discipline problems” because I have created a safe place for my students. I do not judge or critique them because they cannot meet a grade-level benchmark; I do not give them grades; I do not take away their recess or give them more homework when they choose not to read or not to finish a book. I am happy when they abandon books and go instead to find another that will pique their interest. I enjoy getting to know what students are interested in learning about, how they share with their peers the newest and greatest found book or series, what is going on in their lives. The best part, aside from the students, is that no two days are the same. I may be reading a storytime using three different characters’ voices to kindergarten and then teaching the research process with fifth graders one day, and the next I may be helping fourth graders use digital cameras to capture evidence from their science experiment and then teaching second graders about perspective and point of view through the use of magazines, art prints and fractured fairytales.

Being a teacher-librarian is a fun job. One that I know impacts my students, their future and mine as well. And if I can make a difference in one child’s life, then that’s all the inspiration I need to keep doing what I do.