[aisle] 7th/8th Grade Research teacher pushback...

[Kathy Wickline]

Dawn,
First, your treatment by a fellow professional is deplorable. Before going
to your admin, I would meet with the teacher.

Secondly, were these lessons taught in conjunction with students using the
information for databases, citations, and validating websites?  I
definitely believe students won't retain this information unless they are
being asked to apply it.  Remember the old four-step approach:  Tell, Show,
Do, Apply.  Once the teachers and students apply what you have shown, then
your lessons will be valuable to them.

Last of all, if the eighth grade isn't doing any research this semester,
then research as your goal is probably not the goal for this semester.  Are
you required to have weekly lessons with the ELA classes?

I remember starting out and finding one or two teachers with whom I felt I
could successfully work.  We came up with projects that went with their
curriculum and then after other teachers saw this, they were willing to
work with me, too.  I found the social studies and science teachers were
very open because they don't have to stick so closely to Common Core, so I
started with them.  After all, they can have their students complete
research, too.

Kathy Wickline
Unity Junior High Librarian
Tolono, IL
wicklinek at unity.k12.il.us

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On Fri, Oct 15, 2021 at 11:04 AM Dawn Scuderi via AISLE <
aisle at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I could really use some advice.....
>
> I am in my second year at a middle school.  As you all know, last year was
> a train wreck for most libraries.  I was closed for 4 months at the start
> of the year.  Many of last years 7th graders didn't get any library lessons
> as I was pulled to teach in other parts of the building.
>
> Last year, I met with ELA (the only users of the library in this district)
> and they advised me 3 things about research content in their curriculum:
> 7th Grade does research at the second half of the year.
> 8th Grade ELA does NO research
> 8th Grade Science (only our highest kids) do research for the science fair.
>
> When I had to create my professional goal with my admin, I chose to focus
> on research.  I taught 3 lessons.  Databases, validating websites and
> citations.  I see kids every 2 weeks for 40 minutes, and to accommodate
> reading, I mixed in banned book discussion and narrative non-fiction
> booktalks.
>
> Now, there has been pushback from 8th Grade ELA who are sick of my
> content.  One of them decided to not have students bring tech for my formal
> eval because she wanted to have more time for checkout and not do the end
> of my lesson (she knew it was my formal) and another talks to kids over my
> lessons (about sports and non related stuff) and makes snarky and passive
> aggressive comments during my lesson for the benefit of the students.  Now
> students are starting to be disrespectful.
>
> Advice?  Should I go to my admin?  I feel like the level of disrespect is
> painful.
>
> They want to meet with me to have me alter my calendar to better meet
> their curriculum...
>
> What do you think?
>
> HELP,
> Dawn
> MAILMAN_MIMEDEFANG
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