blogging challenge, day 20: struggling yet grateful

Day 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.

       Something I'm struggling with right now is that while I just graduated with my master's in library science, there are no jobs and it's back to the classroom next year. There are many things that I enjoy about being a classroom teacher, but it's still frustrating for me to not have my dream job. I know in previous years every graduate who already had their teaching license landed a school library job after graduation, but I think the field has reached its saturation point. 

       During the 2008-2009 school year, I had the amazing opportunity of subbing for an elementary school librarian for almost the entire year, and I still consider that one of the happiest years of my life.  Connecting children with the wonders of books and information is my passion, and I believe it's something I could be skilled at one day, with enough experience. 

       It's also frustrating to me that the school I used to work at has chosen to have someone without a library sciences degree run the library. There are exponentially fewer library jobs than teaching jobs, and this situation makes clear to me that some administrators do not see the importance of having a trained librarian. Some schools have even eliminated the position. One school I know of has two part-time teachers (both with no library training) running the library. A librarian is more than a person who checks out and reshelves books and reads stories; a librarian is a teacher, collaborator, leader, and resource. Going through the library program helped me realize how important it is that librarians advocate for both the library and the unique skills and understandings librarians bring to a school.

          While I'm disappointed, I am focusing on my blessings. I'm thankful that I am a tenured teacher and have a job. I am laying the groundwork for improvement - I made a number of improvements from my first year of teaching to my second, and am excited about further working on my weak points. I know this experience, ultimately, will only make me a  better librarian. I know that many of the skills I learned in the library program can help me be a better classroom teacher, particularly one professor's emphasis on assessment.