Comments on: Sense of self: Embracing your teacher identity

By: Sense of Self: Embracing your teacher identity « Amber Welch

Sense of Self: Embracing your teacher identity « Amber Welch — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 12:41:34 +0000

[...] Link: Sense of Self: Embracing your teacher identity [...]

By: Wonderful world of blogs … « Market Intelligence for Librarians

Wonderful world of blogs … « Market Intelligence for Librarians — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:55:30 +0000

[...] Sense of self: Embracing your teacher identity [...]

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:53:32 +0000

I have been in a K-12 school for the last 10 years as their library media specialist. The first year it seemed as all I did was keep study hall. I was ready to leave as soon as the year was over. After that things got better. I still spent my time just checking in and out books when a teacher made them get one. I am working to change that as the years go by. I was in a room no bigger than the size of half of a reagular class room but now I have a new room and some computers. I am ready to change things up. I am going back to school to learn some more technology and hope to incorporate it in with the classes as they come in. This is a slow process for we do not have the equipemnt, time or schooling to do so. I am up for any suggestions to help get this library up to the point it needs to be in this day and age.

By: T.S. Eliot was dead wrong « lyndamk

T.S. Eliot was dead wrong « lyndamk — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:27:22 +0000

[...] the latest post on In the Library with the Lead Pipe was about teaching. Carrie Donovan’s Sense of self: Embracing your teacher identity is like a mini call to arms for all the academic librarians out there about to start the fall [...]

By: Sarah Beaubien

Sarah Beaubien — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:42:23 +0000

This is so inspiring! I agree that exposing the authentic self can improve teaching and learning, but I’ve never really thought about it in this way. Thank you for expressing it so well. A couple of things I struggle with are 1) striking the right balance between teacher and “friend”, as you mentioned and 2) trying to accomplish making connections with students in a one-shot session.

I’m happy to see Karate Kid on your viewing list – such a good example of scaffolding theory!

By: fred

fred — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:57:32 +0000

i work for an organization that has often cited itself as “amongst the world’s greatest” – The NYPL – The New York Public Library. they may once have adopted the nickname “the poor man’s university” to be politically correct & more accurate it really should have always been known as “the working man’s university” or now more accurately “the non-working man’s university”. i have worked here for 18 years mainly as YA librarian and i have always considered myself a teaching librarian.
in the last 8 years nypl has departed much from it’s ideals. since september of 2001 a hiring freeze was declared. even though the city and the nypl administration had experienced mainly good financial times during these years.
now instead of 7 or more librarian at a branch level 5 has been the quota but attrition has also been the rule so that many branchs now must function with only 3-4 librarians.
nypl has increased the amount of computers with internet access as well as the amount of its dvd collection. they have weeded print collections including reference collections all this while reducing the amount of librarians, clerks, pages & other staff.
something is wrong here. there is no one to teach or guide patrons because every one has expanded work loads even the free computer classes they offer have been scaled back.
i now dream of retirement while back in 2001 i had look forward to 15 years more at nypl.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:35:31 +0000

I recently took a “Literacy and Learning” course from James Elmborg at the University of Iowa, and I agree that the relationship between teacher and student is so important for meaningful learning to take place. Isn’t teaching ultimately about a self-actualized person who helps others on their quest to become self-actualized, too? For me, this all ties into being “thoughtful consumers and creators of information,” as you so eloquently put it!

After reading your post, I’ve been thinking about my role as a library school *student*. The librarians who are teaching me are doing their best to present the “shiny side” of themselves, to be the “most special and charming version” of themselves — shouldn’t I offer them the same in return? I’ve realized that, as a student, I can often come across as defensive or argumentative. But your post has reminded me that my persona also affects the learning environment. From now on, I will be trying to show the “shiny side” of my student self!

By: Carrie Donovan

Carrie Donovan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:20:00 +0000

I agree with you, Shana. It is a struggle. Parker Palmer discusses the evolution of “self” and how important it is to be tuned-in enough to recognize the changes in you and your audience over time. Looking at things this way, it makes “self” seem even more elusive. Although, I do find it very calming to know that even a veteran teacher struggles with identity and that for PP, as well as the rest of us, authenticity seems to be always just beyond our reach.

By: Carrie Donovan

Carrie Donovan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:56:27 +0000

Thanks to you, Julie!

By: Carrie Donovan

Carrie Donovan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:54:24 +0000

Heather, I appreciate your comment. If you read Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker article on “withitness”, I think you’ll find it relevant to our conversation. The article describes that the common element among successful teachers (or NFL quarterbacks) isn’t the training or experience they have, but it’s that certain something, that spark that really sets them apart from others in the profession. I do think having some foundational knowledge of educational theory and teaching practice that comes from coursework is important, but it’s not everything. I have a feeling we will see more opportunities for people to enter teaching (and possibly other professions?) without so many of the traditional requirements… simply because success in these fields does not always depend upon coursework alone.