[CALIBK12] Letter

[Leslie Caldarera]

Seeanean,

 

Thank you for letting everyone know about this, and I need to add, since I
brought it up in the first place, that the LA teacher's union cancelled
their participation in the Sacramento demonstration tomorrow.  Apparently
the demonstration focus is different than expected, maybe someone else can
clarify.

 

Leslie

 

From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu
[mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of S. Shanahan
Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2009 9:19 AM
To: calibk12 at listproc.sjsu.edu
Subject: [CALIBK12] Letter

 

A couple of weeks ago, word came down that LAUSD might be cutting TL
positions in the district.  In response, I wrote the superintendent the
letter below.  I received a call back from him less than 24 hours later to
reassure me that TLs at the school site were not being cut at all.  They ARE
cutting our district librarian positions by four and those are basically the
TLs for our elementary schools since LAUSD only has library aides in those
positions.  We also don't know about the status of any aides we have helping
us in the secondary libraries.

 

I was asked by a colleague to forward this on to calib... so here it is.

 

 

Dear Mr. Cortines,  

 

It is with a heavy heart that I write because I have just seen the 2009-2010
Budget Development Process Overview for LAUSD.  On page 10, you and your
staff have listed librarians as one of the positions that may need to be cut
in the upcoming year.  The justification appears to be that we Teacher
Librarians are considered to be "Out of Classroom Personnel".

 

I would argue that we are anything but!  The Library Media Center is a vital
classroom on every school campus. You yourself told me how vital you felt
the library was to every school program when you visited our campus last
month.  We provide not only the books desired for recreational purposes, but
the materials that are needed for research, fact checking, and personal
inquiry.  We feed the fires of knowledge in our children.  We fan the flames
of curiosity.  And we provide the fuel for thought!

 

I don't just check in and check out books.  I teach information literacy
skills vital to a child's ability to survive and thrive in this world.  I
teach each child how to find the information he or she needs!  Sixth graders
walk in the first year with very little understanding about how to get the
information they need and want.  By the time they leave in the eighth grade,
they are self-sufficient learners who have the basic skills (and often
beyond basic) needed to succeed in high school.

 

I TEACH!  I GUIDE!  I LEAD!  And then I step back and let them lead
themselves, offering advice when needed or solicited.

 

I am not out of the classroom.  I have the largest classroom on campus.  I
have nearly 1200 students to whom I give direct instruction over the course
of the school year.  I am a Teacher AND a Librarian.  I am not just one or
the other.

 

I also provide essential support on a personal level for students seeking
help.  When they need a book, I recommend one.  When they need to know that
they are not alone, I give them something to read that will show them that
others have felt as they do.  When they are questioning themselves, I help
them find the resources to give them answers.  I am their teacher, their
counselor, their friend, and a person they can trust.  

 

I know that times are hard.  But in hard times, the library is needed more
than ever!  Libraries provide free access to books and information that many
of our students can't get anywhere else.  You say that you want to avoid
cutting items that directly impact students; LIBRARIES make a huge impact.
If you cut the TLs, you cut out the heart of the libraries and leave the
children with an empty shell of a room.

 

Please remember this when you are creating your budget.

 

Finally, for a purely financial reason to keep us, please remember that we
are not only the guardians of thought and inquiry, we are the guardians of
the physical library itself.  In my LMC, I monitor 36 lab computers and the
master computer there, as well as 8 general use computers, 4 OPAC computers,
2 circulating computers, the TL office computer, and over 19,000 books.
This equals about $500,000 in books and equipment in this LMC alone.  By
removing TLs from the LMC, you risk all of these things and more at every
LMC in the district.  The financial cost of replacing lost, stolen, or
damaged materials will outweigh any short-term budget benefits gained by
removing the TLs from the libraries.

 

Please don't take us from the children.

 

Seanean Shanahan

Teacher Librarian

Clinton Middle School

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