[aisle] Help with Teacher Relationships Needed

[Leanne Brown]

Good morning,

I am in need of some wisdom, if you have the time to share it.

I am in my 7th year of being a librarian, and this year I am in a new
school in my district. My administration is very supportive of students
taking out whatever they would like to read, as long as they are doing some
"stretching" and trying new things, challenging themselves, etc. My admin
are great to work with.

My struggle is with some staff members; they have some very specific ideas
on what their students should check out, particularly avoiding "candy
books," as they are called--books with lots of pictures. Some teachers even
say picture books aren't welcomed, even though I have been educating on how
some are made for older readers, such as our Bluestem selections. Graphic
novels aren't particularly welcomed either, and my efforts to have the
students take a balance of graphic novels with traditional novels has lead
one teacher to banning graphic novels altogether with a "No Graphic Novel
November."

I am trying not to go hard on this because I am new to the building, and
relationships and trust need to be built so that I can do my job the way it
needs to be done. However, the daily struggle is getting to me.
I would appreciate any ideas you have; please email me off-list so we don't
clog everyone's emails. Many thanks in advance!

Leanne Brown, MLIS
Librarian
Meadow Ridge School
10959 W. 159th Street
Orland Park, IL 60467
(708) 364-3600
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