Objective 2.1: Literature
Indicator: Candidates are familiar with a wide range of children's, young adult, and
professional literature in multiple formats and languages to support
reading for information, reading for pleasure, and reading for lifelong
learning.
Francis Bacon once wrote, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few are to be chewed and digested.” I have a deep appreciation for this quote. Not only was it the focus of my college application essay, but it is something that I discuss with my students every year. As an English teacher, it is my job to expose students to various forms of literature. With this, it is my goal to transform their reading skills so that they feel comfortable reading in any aspect of their life. As a future librarian, my goal remains the same—to help students become capable and enthusiastic readers.
Throughout my graduate career, I have been exposed to a wide range of literature. I have dipped my toes in pools into which I hadn’t ventured before, specifically the world of children’s literature. My annotated bibliography required me to sift through various sources of children’s literature and select 91 items that were of outstanding literary quality. I scoured books, DVDs, and audiotapes to generate a list that contained numerous genres (Fairy Tales, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Biography) as well as sources that have received high honors (Newbery and Caldecott winners). Ultimately, my bibliography is a diverse collection of literature that would not only help students in the classroom, but also to develop a love of reading in their personal lives. This bibliography is one of the products that I am most proud to have created. I truly stepped out of my comfort zone in order to immerse myself in the world of children’s literature. I have learned that even though librarians are often assigned to one level of education, we must be an advocate for literature at all age levels. I realize that even though I may work at a high school library, I need to be knowledgeable in children’s literature as well. It is my duty to know quality literature across the grade levels because I must be considered as someone who has expert knowledge in literature. By knowing a variety of sources (age level, subject matter, format), I am positioning myself to have a greater impact on my school. I would love to be able to recommend books not only to students, but perhaps to their family members as well. In order to further bolster my ties with staff members, it would be ideal if I could make recommendations to them. I would want them to be able to come to me for literature suggestions for their own family members. A reputation as someone who knows and values a variety of literature would only help me to build and strengthen my relationship with the entire school community. By developing a diverse collection that contains resources of high literary quality, I am sending the message that reading is a valuable and essential skill for life. It is my hope that my school community will see my commitment to reading, both academic and for pleasure, and recognize that the library is a center for intellect, imagination, and the creation of new knowledge. |
Artifact:
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