Let me first start off by stating that my media clerk is out this week because she has driven to Pennsylvania to move her elderly mother to Savannah to live with her. That leaves me with a part time support specialist who leaves daily at 11:00 am and then I am alone for the remainder of the day. It is definitely a challenging task to service a school with 1100 students and 80+ teachers all by myself.
A common misconception about media specialists is that we just sit in the media center with little to do and occasionally, we check out/check in books. A lot of teachers I have interacted with over the years seem shocked that a media specialist has to have a master’s degree to work in this position. With that said, below is a glimpse of my week as a media specialist at Windsor Forest High School: I gave teachers the carts they signed up for before school starts and then I went to unlock the labs for the teachers who signed up for them (daily). I straightened up the media center (daily). Wednesday – Friday, I rolled 2 small carts, with 5 chromebooks on each, to the cafeteria during 2nd block so that one of my assistant principals can work on next year’s scheduling for students. I also had to pick them up. I created this presentation for a social studies class that will be coming to the media center next week to work on a research project: primary and secondary resources. I put together 2 chairs (shown below) for my principal. I added 12 new book titles to destiny, printed barcodes and spine labels, and got them ready to be checked out. I helped a student print an SAT ticket. I weeded some older professional books. I walked with a teacher to the copier in the teacher’s lounge so that she could use my copy code. (We are given an allowance for copying each month and I usually don’t use mine, so I help teachers by letting them use it – I don’t give them my number – I sign in for them). I entertained the soccer team before they left to go to a soccer game. We played uno. I began scanning the books in the professional section of the media center. I scanned the DVD section in the media center (just trying to get ahead). I worked on my practicum. I worked with the pre-k students Wednesday morning. I read to them and they worked on a coloring sheet. ELA teachers had a planning day in the media center Thursday. I assisted and collaborated with them all day, as I was available. I added 5 ipevo document cameras to my collection and checked them out to the social studies department chair. I had a leadership team meeting. I was the “first casualty” in our active shooter training Monday because I was in the hallway and the intercom system doesn’t work on the hallway I was on, so I didn’t hear the announcement. I was in the hallway because I was helping a science teacher with his projector issues. His mounted projector suddenly quit working, so I had to take a projector cart to him and set it up. (Most teachers – at WFHS -- are not technology savvy, so I have to assist them a lot!) I entered my final purchase orders for the year. I had to use my budget before the end of March. We have a newly built construction lab. I had to meet with the teacher to go over his inventory and add his equipment to my fixed assets inventory. I judged 8 short films for the IB film teacher. I hosted softball coaches from around the county so they could meet to discuss next years schedule. I was “given” an autistic student. He will come here every day during 4th block to work on A+ (a self-guided software program that enhances learning) because his regularly Finally, as I was just writing this, I had to stop because one of my students walked in and was hungry, so I gave him a pack of crackers. Being a media specialist isn’t just about sitting at a desk reading and checking out books. My day hardly ever goes as I plan for it to. I am interrupted constantly, rarely have a minute to myself, and usually eat my lunch standing up working on something. For me, this job is fun, exciting, challenging and rewarding and I am so blessed to be able to say that I work in a job that I love.
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April 2018
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