[CALIBK12] one of us is in the news again !!!

[Darla Brown]

You're right, Barb. Because I know what I do and how well I do it, I often assume others do, too.
I was sitting next to a woman at a Christmas party this Saturday night who asked what I did. I told her my title and my high school, and she asked whether I needed to go to school for that. In as calm and friendly a voice as I could muster, I listed my degrees and credentials for her, to which she replied, "Why would you need to know all that just to be a librarian?" I then had the opportunity to explain to her-and others at the table-exactly what we do to prepare students for college and for life.
Her ignorance was an eye opener to me. Lesson learned: Tell everyone. Tell them often. Then perhaps our fine Golden State will start giving us the respect afforded to our fellows across the nation...

From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu [mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of barbdon
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 9:26 PM
To: Grace Murphy-Jenkins
Cc: Calibk12
Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] one of us is in the news again !!!

what a good idea--"cultivating a relationship with the local newspaper"....looks like Grace has put up a challenge to the rest of us to do likewise!!

....barb scheifler
NS newsletter editor
On Dec 2, 2007, at 6:42 AM, Grace Murphy-Jenkins wrote:


We need to let everyone know what we do.  I have grown bolder in publicizing the benefits of  school libraries.  I have let our school board and superintendent know as well.  People truly do not understand what we do.  They think we check out books all day long and that's it!  That's why they think of cutting libraries when there is a budget crunch.  We can't allow this to happen.
I am also a former school teacher (credentialed), so I understand what goes on in the classroom.  I am also an English major, BA and MA, who wanted to make students more aware of the beauty of poetry.  And, I have lots of materials to support my project.
Of course, having legislative action on our side will help.   When the call goes out, contact your legislators about pending action.  I  have done so!
Thank you again, Barb, for making others aware. I know there is so much good that we do.  In the meantime I am cultivating a relationship with the local newspaper.  It is happy to promote the good works in our school district.  The public needs to have a good image of us.
You strike me as being a very dedicated and  talented LMT yourself.
Regards,
Grace Murphy-Jenkins, LMT
Lovonya DeJean Middle, Richmond, California
510.231.1430
West Contra Costa Unified School District



barbdon <diversity1211 at comcast.net<mailto:diversity1211 at comcast.net>> wrote:
congrats to Grace Murphy-Jenkins, lmt, DeJean Middle School, Richmond, for receiving an EdFund grant for her poetry workshop AND for having her be the main focus of the news article (see below).....we're always saying we need to be more vocal and visible and "out there"....grace did this both by her poetry project AND by letting others know about it....

hurray, grace.....

...barb scheifler
NS newsletter editor


Grant to boost writing skills: Ed Fund distributed $39,000 among 60 West Contra Costa programs
By Kimberly S. Wetzel,
Oakland Tribune     11/27/2007

 In formats ranging from free verse to rap, they voice their feelings
on world events, discuss their goals and dreams, and profess their
middle school love for each other. The poems' topics and styles don't matter to DeJean Middle School  librarian Grace Murphy-Jenkins, as long as students at the central  Richmond school get their thoughts on paper and refrain from vulgar language.
 "The idea is really to provide more opportunity for students to  explore poetry as a viable literacy tool," said Murphy-Jenkins, who came up with the idea to hold poetry workshops last year to help students develop better writing skills. "It's to really provide an avenue of self-expression."
 Grant to boost writing skills is one of more than 60 West Contra Costa school district teaching and learning programs chosen this year to receive money from the nonprofit West Contra Costa Public Education Fund, which provides grants and scholarships to help facilitate learning and succeeding.
 Teachers, principals and schools throughout the district received
money ranging from $50 to $1,000 for everything from garden projects
to field trips. This year, 129 applicants competed for the $39,000 in
available grant money, said Ed Fund Executive Director Jennifer Henry.
Murphy-Jenkins received $452.
 Henry said the Ed Fund board agreed that Murphy-Jenkins' poetry project, as well as Ohlone Elementary teachers Danelle Dibble and Craig Hammock's idea to transform the classrooms at their Hercules school into restaurants to help students understand money, were especially creative. ...
 "I was really impressed," Henry said. "There was a lot of thought put
into the applications." In addition to the grant Murphy-Jenkins received, DeJean received school-wide grants to start both a mobile demonstration garden for use in different classrooms and a personalized yearbook.
Murphy-Jenkins said she could not have initiated the poetry project without a startup grant she received from the Ed Fund in 2006 that helped pay for reference books and other materials, and she could not keep it going without the most recent cash infusion. "I'm appreciative of the Ed Fund," Murphy-Jenkins said. "This not only exposes the children to poetry, but exposes to the faculty that this can be an important tool for learning."



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