I am putting together a proposal for my superintendent on what a 21st century elementary school library should 'look' like in a school of 600 students. My main concern is that I have so many classes, many of which are preps, that there is no time for teacher/librarian collaboration in my 1-3 classes. Presently, I am a 30-min. prep for grades 1&2, half the year (not changeable); a 40 min. weekly prep for grade 3,and not a prep for kindergarten.
I am OK with my 4th & 5th grade classes; I see them on a weekly basis for one hour (each class for half the year) where we do technology-supported research - we have use of both the library and the computer lab and I have the support of the technology teacher and classroom teacher (part of the time).
My schedule right now basically looks like 6 classes per day, with barely any free time at all. Although my grade 1/2 classes are only a prep for half the year, they are used to coming in on a weekly, scheduled basis. With 5 classes on each of those grade levels, I want to propose a "Week A, Week B" schedule, where grade one comes, let's say, during Week A for their 'prep time' and Grade 2 comes during Week B, thereby opening up some time for flex scheduling.
I have all the 'stuff' I need: a laptop cart, 6 pcs, smartboard, audio recorders, databases, good book collection, etc. - I just don't have the time in my schedule to utilize it properly with my younger grades! I feel like I am running a daycare center for them and I HATE that!!
My physical space is OK... not really room for simultaneous happenings, my media center is small, relatively speaking. but I am adjacent to the computer lab.
I am limited as to what I can change regarding physical space and prep covering. So, working with what I have, I am trying to come up with a solution...
Your comments are welcome!!
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Wow! Your fixed schedule will be prohibitive in any real transformation of teaching and learning for the 21st century. The good news is that your superintendent has an interest in 21st century learning - therefore you have a "foot in the door." You should present the research on the advantages to flexible schedules, and paint a compelling picture for making changes that will allow for more collaboration with classroom teachers to integrate 21st century skills, design engaging inquiry-based learning experiences for students that aren't limited by being forced into 30 - 60 minute time blocks! Good luck!
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