Thanku to School Librarians

Happy Poetry Friday! As part of our Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving series, today I share a Thanku poem in honor of school librarians. After you're done reading here, be sure to check out this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Katya Czaja's Write. Sketch. Repeat. blog.

As JoAnn mentioned on Friday, we're focusing on education-related thank you notes this year, in part to honor this week's celebration of American Education Week.

One goal of American Education Week is to "honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education." When I read this, I thought immediately of school librarians, whom I consider the unsung heroes of education. I worked as a library aide for several years and saw first-hand the difference librarians can make it students' lives at both the elementary and high school level. Contrary to what some people think, today's school librarians do more than buy books and stock shelves. They educate students in computer skills, research skills, and critical thinking. Many school librarians are on the cutting edge of information technology, and they are the ones educating not only students, but also teachers, on the best use of that technology. You can read specifically how in this document prepared by the International Society for Technology in Education.

Several studies have shown that full-time librarians have a positive impact on student performance, as discussed in this report by Keith Curry Lance that I found on the Laura Bush Foundation website.   Dr. Lance also co-wrote the article, "Latest Study: A Full-Time School Librarian Makes a Critical Difference in Boosting Student Achievement," that appeared in School Library Journal in March 2013. According to that article:

"Consistently, reading and writing scores are better for students who have a full-time certified librarian than those who don’t. Students who are economically disadvantaged, black, Hispanic, and have IEPs (i.e., students with disabilities) benefit proportionally more than students generally. These findings suggest that staffing libraries with certified librarians can help close achievement gaps." 

So today I'd like to honor and celebrate school librarians with a simple Thanku poem. (A Thanku poem is a haiku that expresses gratitude. You can read more about the form in Esther's post.) I'd especially like to pay tribute to four school librarians I've had the privilege of working with: Jennifer Brown, Susan Gibbs, Gayl Smith, and Debbie Turner. I dedicate the following poem to them, and to librarians everywhere:

School librarians,

thank you for helping students

be better thinkers.

Now, I hope some of you will join in our Two Weeks of Thanks-Giving by posting a thank you note on your blog. Comment with a link to your post and we'll include it in a roundup on November 29, the last day of our series.

And don't forget to head on over to Write. Sketch. Repeat. for today's Poetry Friday roundup.

Happy writing!
Carmela