Collaborating with Mrs. Jennifer Thrift

 March 7, 2025

Interview with Jennifer Thrift; Teacher Librarian at Charles Pinckney Elementary School

    I spoke with Jennifer Thrift, Teacher Librarian at Charles Pinckney Elementary School (CPES) in Mount Pleasant, S.C., regarding the foundation collaborate and how she is implementing the foundation/domains and competencies in her library program. Mrs. Thrift operates on a fully flexible schedule, which allows her to collaborate with teachers and the student population. CPES serves around 646 students in grades 3-5. 

Collaborate is to work effectively with other to broaden perspectives and work toward common goals (AASL, 2018). 

In order to start the conversation, I asked Mrs. Thrift the following questions: 

• What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program?

• What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies?

• Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers?  If so, please provide examples.

• What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?

• Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation / Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today?

    Mrs. Thrift noted that one of hers goal with collaboration is to fill in the holes that the new curriculum does not cover. For example, she is currently collaborating with third grade teachers on a poetry unit. Third grade teachers reached out to her to assist them in teaching students how to analyze different types of poetry and teach figurative language. She tries to help as needed to support the curriculum. When a fifth grade teacher noticed that her students were having a difficult time finding credible sources for their essays, she reached out to Mrs. Thrift to assist. Mrs. Thrift and the teacher collaborated to find credible sources as well as teach techniques to help students with their persuasive writing essays.

    In order to assist her to work in collaboration with teachers and students, she uses the following resources: MackinVia databases, Destiny, ChatGPT, and other databases that she subscribes to. She noted that she uses ChatGPT to create articles for students on a variety of reading levels.

    Time is seen as the biggest challenge for Mrs. Thrift, as she stated that there is no time to collaborate because teachers are stretched thin. She emphasized that "Collaborating is seen as extra" J. Thrift (personal communication, March 8, 2025).

    Mrs. Thrift finds that the key concept to collaborating is to learn to build relationships first. Teachers and staff must first see the librarian as a teacher. She stated that, "A lot of times librarians don't see that as their job, but they are teacher above everything else. You have to make sure that they see you that way and respect you" J. Thrift (personal communication, March 8, 2025).

    Mrs. Thrift wants librarians to remember, "The culture of yes is a great thing, but remember to say yes I will as long as its what best for the kids" J. Thrift (personal communication, March 8, 2025).

    After interviewing Mrs. Thrift, I was reminded of the importance of creating relationships with teachers and staff members. In order for collaborations to be successful, the librarian must first gain the trust of staff members. It became evident that teachers will only want to collaborate if they see the librarian as being helpful, not as one more thing that they have to do. Mrs. Thrift made a powerful remark in stating the importance of the librarian remembering that he/she is first a teacher. If the librarian sees himself as a teacher, then others likely will too. It is my goal to keep teaching at the forefront of the profession and work to support teachers in every grade level with their curriculum needs. Mrs. Thrift also reminded me of the resources available to Charleston County teacher librarians. I am looking forward to exploring databases and resources that I can use to assist both teachers and students.

    

(J. Thrift, personal communication, March 7, 2025).

Engaging in Conversation with Mrs. Jennifer Gomez

March 6, 2025

Interview with Jennifer Gomez; Teacher Librarian at School of the Arts 

  

  I spoke with Jennifer Gomez, librarian at School of the Arts Middle School (SOA) in North Charleston, S.C. regarding the foundation engage and how she is implementing the foundation/domains and competencies through the library program. Mrs. Gomez shares the School of the Arts library with Academic Magnet High School. Middle and high school students use the library daily for reading, studying, printing, and quiet time. Mrs. Gomez operates on a flexible schedule so that she can meet the needs of the 1098 students that attend School of the Arts.  

    Engage is to demonstrate safe, legal, and ethical creating and sharing of knowledge products independently while engaging in a community of practice and an interconnected world (AASL, 2018).

  In order to start the conversation, I asked Mrs. Gomez the following questions: 

• What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program?

• What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies?

• Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers?  If so, please provide examples.

• What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?

• Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation / Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today?

    Mrs. Gomez stated that the library program at SOA advocates for the ethical gathering of information by sharing resources on their website. She also stated that she has created specific projects for teachers. One example of a project was a website that she created for a teacher who was using documentaries that included appropriate resources for music etc. Most importantly, she stated that it is the school librarian's role to model the ethical use of sources. Mrs. Gomez models this through her book talk video segments, which include a works cited screen at the end for all viewers to see.

    Mrs. Gomez regularly updates her school library's website and is available to assist students with available databases. In the library, there are computers already kiosked to Destiny and she is available to help students get into databases in MackinVia. She makes a point to introduce databases to classes as they research topics related to science, literature and careers.

    

    This school year Mrs. Gomez has collaborated with 6th grade science teachers and students,

8th grade ELA students, and high school students in their English class, as requested by the teachers. Mrs. Gomez steps in as needed and recently taught an English class how to evaluate sources and identify bias when the teacher noticed students were improperly using sources for an assignment.

    A challenge that exists with this foundation lies in teachers not viewing the ethical use of information as a priority for this age; therefore, students develop poor habits. Due to teachers being busy with teaching curriculum content, they often do not have time to model information literacy with consistency. Mrs. Gomez emphasized that students require constant practice and the consistent expectation to attribute sources, especially now with the ease of locating an answer on the internet.

    

    Mrs. Gomez noted that although this is one of the most important competencies, it can prove to be one of the most challenging to implement. "It is my hope that I can continue to work with teachers in the near future within their content areas to start to build that all important foundation" J. Gomez (personal communication, March 6, 2025).

    In conclusion, Mrs. Gomez attributed that the engage foundation requires constant vigilance, as resources are constantly changing. "As librarians, as long as we are vocal models of responsible research and are sure to include its tenets at every opportunity, we can help to raise responsible, engaged learners" J. Gomez (personal communication, March 6, 2025).

    As a result of interviewing Mrs. Gomez, I have been encouraged to better model information literacy skills. I have thought about the teaching aspect of information literacy, but Mrs. Gomez led me to realize the importance of demonstrating these skills for teachers and students to see. For example, when giving book talks, I will keep in mind the importance of accurately citing sources at the end for students to see. I also see the importance of keeping my library website up-to-date with tools that will assist students and teachers. Working to make sure the teachers in my building see this foundation as an important competency will be a goal of mine. Collaborating with teachers on research projects is a way that I can design experiences to help students see the value of ethically using information.

(J. Gomez, personal communication, March 6, 2025).

Inquiry with Mrs. Shelley Ward

 February 24, 2025

Interview with Shelley Ward; Teacher Librarian at Belle Hall Elementary School

    I interviewed Belle Hall Elementary School librarian, Shelley Ward, regarding the shared foundation inquire and how she is implementing the foundation/domains and competencies in her school library. Mrs. Ward works in the school library on a combination schedule. She sees classes for one special area rotation, then is flexible the following week. In her Mount Pleasant, S.C. elementary school, she serves around 657 students in preschool through fifth grade. 

    Inquire is to build new knowledge by inquiring, thinking critically, identifying problems, and developing strategies for solving problems (AASL, 2018).

    Several questions guided my interview with Mrs. Ward. Questions included:

• What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program?

• What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies?

• Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers?  If so, please provide examples.

• What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?

• Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation / Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today?

    Balancing fiction and nonfiction is a large way in which Mrs. Ward is working to teach students to display curiosity and activate prior knowledge. "Nonfiction tends to get pushed aside, so I am constantly implementing nonfiction" S. Ward (personal communication, February 24, 2025). For example, fifth graders read the engaging book, Evidence, and then participated in a breakout. Part of the breakout was for students to look up cholera on the MackinVia database. Mrs. Ward often creates opportunities using nonfiction that go along with curriculum standards. 

    A way that Mrs. Ward guided students through the inquiry process was by having students conduct authentic research about cats. She had students analyze cat adaptations and think about what types of toys cats are attracted to. Together, she and the students wrote a survey asking any staff member with cats to complete it. Staff members described cats and what motivates them. After compiling the surveys, students designed a cat toy based on what they learned. Students then bagged toys up based on what they learned and gave them to each staff member.  

    Although the cat research process was planned, Mrs. Ward stated that often times "inquiry is spontaneous" S. Ward (personal communication, February 24, 2025). For example she read the book Flight School and then decided to look up an ostrich after students reported that they had not seen one. Together they got on the database Pebble Go and looked up how an ostrich runs. When reading the book Except Antarctica, students became curious about where Antarctica was and what animals actually lived there. This led to lots of natural inquiry.

    In order to support students inquiry, Mrs. Ward often uses databases available through MackinVia and Discus. She also puts lots of research-type questions on the morning news show. She noted that True Flicks through Scholastic is a great resource for nonfiction e-books.

    During her flexible time, Mrs. Ward works to collaborate with teachers in her building and with other librarians. She recently collaborated with a fourth grade class on Native American research projects. She made a collection of books on Epic that covered tribes and walked through note taking by using a rubric.

    Collaborations seem to be challenging, due to time constraints. She stated that she has a standing time each week during her flexible time where she sees first graders. She noted that collaborations take a good bit of planning. Another challenge related to time is that some classes do not have enough time to complete lessons or if the research lesson is moving slowly, she needs it to wrap up due to not seeing the class the following week.

    After speaking with Mrs. Ward, I am more aware of ways that I can spontaneously support students inquiry by following their lead and seeing what interests them. Often, my lessons are thought through, but moving forward I will provide opportunities for learners to use inquiry questions to further guide learning. I will be more aware when I am reading books that all students may not know what I am talking about or have the background knowledge to complete a certain activity. Enabling learners to seek knowledge and make real-world connections is an area that I would like reinforce in my library. Ensuring that I am promoting and using nonfiction books regularly will also encourage students to probe possible answers to questions and assist them in constructing new knowledge.

(S. Ward, personal communication, February 24, 2025)

Exploring Librarian Life with Mrs. Sarah Goodfellow

 February 26, 2025

Interview with Sarah Goodfellow; Teacher Librarian at Jennie Moore Elementary School

    I had the opportunity to speak with Sarah Goodfellow, librarian at Jennie Moore Elementary School in Mount Pleasant, S.C., about the shared learning foundation explore and how she is implementing the foundation/domains and competencies through her library program. 

    Explore is to discover and innovate in a growth mindset developed through experience and reflection. Through the explore foundation, school librarians can help foster learners' personal curiosity, stimulate learners to construct new knowledge, prepare learners to engage with the learning community, and help learners develop through experience and reflection (AASL, 2018).

    In order to start the conversation, I asked Mrs. Goodfellow the following questions: 

• What are some examples of the ways in which you are implementing these competencies in your library program?

• What are some of the resources in your library program that you are using to implement these competencies?

• Do any of the competencies that you are implementing include collaboration with classroom teachers?  If so, please provide examples.

• What are some of the challenges that you face when trying to implement these competencies?

• Are there any other comments that you would like to make regarding the Shared Foundation / Competencies and Domains that we have discussed today.

    At the elementary level, Mrs. Goodfellow serves a little over 1,000 preschool through fifth grade students. Mrs. Goodfellow follows a completely flexible schedule; however, she schedules class checkout once a week. Students simply visit to the library to pick a book. Mrs. Goodfellow does collaborate with teachers and works to plan lessons around curriculum-related content. In order to collaborate with teachers, she looks at the State Standards first and then finds a grade level whose standard matches a theme or activity that she would like to collaborate on. She stated that she starts with the resources she has then plugs in the academic content.

    The biggest challenges that Mrs. Goodfellow run into are timing, scheduling, and teachers willingness to collaborate. “Most teachers don’t want a true collaboration, they just want me in the room with the kids. In order for teachers to want to work with me, I will give them a break” S. Goodfellow (personal communication, February 26, 2025). Most of the collaboration occurs before the lesson is taught.

    

    In order to encourage learners to read widely in multiple formats, she regularly promotes Beanstack. Beanstack is a tool that Charleston County School District has adopted in hopes of encouraging students to read more by offering challenges, activities, and rewards. Mrs. Goodfellow runs the morning news show and once a week she runs a slide with the Beanstack Top Reader Leaderboard. She notes that “students love seeing their names. The music that I use gets them excited as they anticipate who from their class will be the top reader of the week” S. Goodfellow (personal communication, February 26, 2025). The top readers get to visit the library and receive a “Brag Tag.” The school gave necklaces out at the beginning of the school year and students are able to earn tags as they achieve goals around the school building. Mrs. Goodfellow promotes reading in second grade by participating in Read Around the Bases. Students are encouraged to read, as they get to move to bases based on the number of pages that they read. For the upper grades, Mrs. Goodfellow enjoys participating in Battle of the Books. When students participate, they are exposed to genres that they likely would otherwise not read.

    

    Mrs. Goodfellow stated that she is always asking children what they are reading so that she will get a feel for what she may need to order more of. She notes that she really makes a point to buy relevant books. For example, students are currently interested in Wicked after it showed in theaters. She also likes to make sure that she has biographies on the most current NFL players, among other current athletes.

    

    In order to stimulate learners to construct new knowledge, Mrs. Goodfellow provides many opportunities for tinkering and making when she works with classes. She likes to come up with things that students can take home with them. For example, this fall she led a lesson centered around the book Creepy Carrots. Students were given a real carrot to work with that they got to take home.

    When she has first and second graders come in for lessons, she sets up stations during checkout time. Manipulatives like Magnatiles, Keva planks, and brain flakes are among the open-ended items that students can explore.

    In order to prepare learners to engage with the learning community, Mrs. Goodfellow recently spent time having students engage in a Black History activity. She had students research an influential black person that a similarity to them. For example, someone who liked to play baseball picked Jackie Robinson.

    

    Regarding assisting learners to co-construct innovative means of investigation, Mrs. Goodfellow creates Transformation Rooms for classes, based on the curriculum. She created Spooky Science stations, where students had to see if their ideas worked or didn’t. They created catapults and if they didn’t work, they had to change their set up until they found a way that worked. Themes for exploration rooms that she has created in the past included Spooky Science with a haunted house, math scavenger hunts, ghost stories, Mock Caldecott awards, a Genre Café, an operating room with text features, and next she is working on a golf/masters theme.

    

    Mrs. Goodfellow creates many activities where students take charge of their learning. For a recent lesson on call numbers, she took subject that each student was interested in and had him/her find the correct call number/section of the library. She also notes that she often uses MackinVia through Clever for students to explore specific topics.

    A way that Mrs. Goodfellow is helping students reflect on their learning is through the news show that she runs. She stated that students are finding out that they have skills they never knew they had. For example, the news anchors learn to read with inflection and fluency. There is a lot of interest in being on the news show. She stated that even shy students are wanting to participate.

    Some resources that Mrs. Goodfellow is using to implement these competencies include: databases like MackinVia, a flip book on the circulation desk where students can find books that they may be interested in or books on topics that they are studying, pictures of characters in areas of the library where their books can be found, dots with numbers on book series if they should be read in order, and manipulatives like Strawbees, Magnatiles, Legos, tinker toys.

    This interview helped me understand the importance of creating experiences that allow students to have time to both discover and reflect. Mrs. Goodfellow has creative ideas regarding how to excite students and make their curriculum content meaningful and exciting. The Transformation Rooms are an idea that I would like to adopt for my elementary library. I recently taught a lesson on text features that could have been much more engaging had it been in an “operating room.” Creating more activities where students take charge of their learning is a goal of mine. Mrs. Goodfellow seems to have great connection with her students and strives to put their interests at heart when creating lessons. Recently, I had students research individuals for Black History month, but I had not thought of having them research someone who they had something in common with. After talking to Mrs. Goodfellow, I will be more mindful of ways that I can connect content with students interests. 

(S. Goodfellow, personal communication, February 26, 2025)