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

Fri Oct 15 13:14:59 CDT 2021

Hi Dawn,
I am also in my second year in a school and we use the teacher Danielson
for evaluation. I would be happy to talk with you off-list if you would
like.  My evaluator is understanding of the difficulties in doing it this
way and I would be happy to share what I have learned with you.

Some of the other issues have to do with school culture, don't bang your
head against the wall with teachers. Talk to the kids. Find out how to do
research now, what they know. I did a mini-lesson last year about the
difference between search and research and included myths about research
that I heard about from students. Things like they already know how to
research, it doesn't take time to do research, and finding one source is
enough. This all depends on if the teachers are required to bring the
classes to the library or if they are choosing to do that too.

Do you have anyone aside from admin you can talk to about the teacher
behavior? We have instructional coaches here who I would probably go to in
this situation or someone from our student services department like a
social worker who could help me identify some options before going to
admin. The library is your classroom, I am sure they would not be happy if
you came into their room and did the things they are doing.
I am happy to talk in more detail if you would like. It would be for me too!
Jessica Parker (she/her)
Library Media Specialist
Kaneland High School
Kaneland High School Library Website
<https://sites.google.com/kaneland.org/khslibrary/home>
96880 at kaneland.org

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On Fri, Oct 15, 2021 at 12:56 PM Dawn Scuderi via AISLE <
aisle at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:

> Hi Kathy,
>
> First, thanks for reading my whole long email!
>
> 8th Grade does no research for the entire year.  There is no 8th grade
> research except for the 40 kids that are in our accelerated classes.  The
> previous librarian supervised kids and checked out materials and that was
> it.  No one in the science group was willing to put themselves out there.
> I met with everyone at the end of last year.
>
> There really was not an opportunity to tie it into any planning in any
> group's curriculum so I thought that having them exposed to the content was
> more important than just doing nothing.  Also, I am on the teacher
> danielson so I had to have an assessable lesson (not ideal).  There is no
> requirement for "lessons" but I try to tie stuff in with the calendar like
> banned book week and poetry month.
>
> I am afraid that if I address this with the teacher, I will lose all of
> 8th grade.  :(
>
> On Fri, Oct 15, 2021 at 12:15 PM Kathy Wickline via AISLE <
> aisle at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>
>> Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ujhslibrary
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 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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>>
>> MAILMAN_MIMEDEFANG
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