Education Resources

Can you share a fond moment of when roles were reversed and your students taught you something?

How much time do I have here?! Lol! This happens quite often. I’m always sharing with my husband the great things I learn from my students. He loves hearing the stories. I teach many subjects as an alternative ed. teacher. I love it when a student shows me a better way to solve a math problem or teaches me some creative tricks for Google Slides or Canva. There are so many amazing teachers out there who are experts in their subject areas, so when a student shares something they learned in another class, I’m always so grateful to learn something new. My B2B students also attend life skills groups and counseling sessions in the program. They surprise me every day with the way they respond to various stressful situations. The coping and communication skills they learn here are great, and I have borrowed many of the strategies I observe them using in the classroom. It has changed the way I teach in many ways.    

What are your thoughts on how school libraries and public libraries can work together to support students’ literacy?  

I think school libraries and public libraries can work together to support student literacy through shared resources, joint programming, and strategic collaboration. By working together, public schools and libraries can help bridge literacy gaps for students and families. The partnership just makes sense.  The JCLS librarians that visit my classroom are so great about planning activities and events that are meant to go along with and enhance the units I teach. The support they provide makes a big difference in my teaching and has had a great impact on my students. They have also provided resources and opportunities for my students. They have brought books to our classroom, planned author talks, done book tastings, organized summer reading programs, and have provided my students opportunities to participate in some of the JCLS community outreach projects. Partnering with JCLS has been a real joy.

How do you motivate reluctant readers/developing readers to engage more with literacy? 

I have seen a dramatic change in students and their interest in reading over the past five or six years. I used to have to pry books out of their hands so we could transition to a different lesson. I  started encountering more and more reluctant readers, and students seemed to lack the focus needed to read for longer periods of time. For many kids, cell phones and social media have taken the place of what used to be time spent reading. It can sometimes take a while to get into a book, and many kids do not have the patience to get there. I have some students tell me they have never read an entire book before. That always surprises me. In my class, we have partnered with JCLS, and they have helped us create an amazing reading program. We are so fortunate to have two awesome librarians who have pretty much adopted our B2B students, and they come to our classroom on a regular basis. They make the students feel so special and important, and the kids know that time with the librarians is just for them. It’s really fun to see how excited they get the kids about reading and learning. We have done several library tours as well, and the entire library staff is always so welcoming. The students really feel they belong there and love having such a special place to visit.