Reflections of a National Award Winner
Interview with Gregory Lum, 2003 National School Library Media Specialist of the Year
Carol A. BrownIn a recent interview with the 2003 National School Library Media Specialist of the Year, Gregory Lum expressed a very clear vision for service and commitment to the students at his large metropolitan high school in Portland, Oregon. Gregory was recognized at the Awards Breakfast for the Division of School Media and Technology at AECT in Anaheim.
Carol: Gregory, Congratulations on being named the 2003 National School Library Media Specialist of the Year at AECT Anaheim. I am sure the teachers and students at Jesuit High School are very proud to know you have received this award. I’d like your response to a few questions related to current topics on school libraries and technology. We hear a lot about "shared vision" in education these days. What are some things you do that represent a shared vision with teachers, administrators, and your local community?
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| Gregory Lum accepts his award from Neal Bachman of AECT |
At our school, we have a common goal in seeking what is best for students, and we try to instill these values in our students. Our vision statement here at Jesuit High School is "Men and women for others".
Carol: What if consensus can’t be reached for what is best, educationally speaking, for students? What do you recommend to help achieve a shared vision for meeting the needs of students?
Gregory: Long term planning needs to be the focus, not the band-aid approach. Our vision should include helping students gain the skills needed for their lives after graduation from high school. Quick fixes often interfere with a vision for what will result in the best outcomes for students. Of course, there has to be a lot of give and take.
Carol: The school library media specialist is an instructional leader, teacher, and information specialist. What kinds of collaborative projects have you been involved in that reflect these professional roles?
Gregory: Collaboration is such a strong aspect in the life of a school library media specialist; I think we must be proactive in nurturing relationships. Some teachers and others in the building have had very positive experiences with collaborative projects, others may not have this perception. These are the ones that must be approached proactively. Not only that, but students see the value in the joint projects. This is why I often include presentations in faculty meetings that describe our most successful collaborative projects. The one that comes to mind is a health-related project that we planned just before Drug Awareness Week. In working with the teacher, we assigned a particular drug for each student to research and learn about. They reported their findings with a poster session. It was a very productive project. Currently, I am collaborating with a teacher on a study of world religions.
Carol: What do you do that ensures a safe, secure, environment that meets the needs of individual differences among your students?
Gregory: I think it is important to look beyond the face of the student and get to know him or her as a person with unique passions, talents, and personal challenges. Recently I joined other teachers in a three-day retreat called Junior Encounter. We had 46 boys participate. We were able to see their needs for academic and personal growth. We learned of problems they are facing and got to know them as individuals. I make it a habit of attending soccer games, drama plays, and other school-wide events. This helps me get to know students beyond a face in the library.
I also think it is important for the library to be known as a safe haven for students. I keep the library open for student use before and after school and during lunch and break. I want to make sure that that I can provide a place where a student can come where he or she knows she is safe and welcome. Often, I talk with students and encourage them during hard times they may be having. Teachers have special and unique relationships with students in their classroom, but I have opportunity to build friendships with the entire 1,100 students here at this high school. I consider myself as a potential role model for every student here. I think it is important to be honest and be who you are.
Carol: Let’s redirect our conversation from students to teachers. How do you plan for staff development?
Gregory: Actually, I am preparing for a faculty meeting that’s scheduled in the next few weeks. I plan to report on one of the sessions I attended at AECT in Anaheim. I think our teachers will learn a lot from the session Finding Information on the Invisible Web. We have over 100 faculty members at our school and I would like for them to learn more about hidden resources that are out there on the web. I’d also like to learn more about weblogs and wikis.
Carol: This leads us into my next question. How do you plan for your own professional development, and how has AECT or similar professional organizations contributed to this?
Gregory: I’ve attended two national conferences and I must confess the information available at AECT and also ALA has been staggering for me. Because the ALA meeting was a joint meeting with the Canadian Library Association, this made it very memorable. Anaheim also was a very valuable experience for me. I am very active with our state organization, the Oregon Educational Media Association. I’m on the state planning committee for next year’s conference and I’ve served as treasurer. After I became an officer, I learned how the organization promotes school libraries to legislators and other important groups. I think education is in trouble because of the constant funding cuts and I’m in favor of activities that promote school libraries. So, I tend to focus on the state level.
Carol: I think this is great. Actually, this is where many people begin their professional activities. I began at the state level in Arkansas before becoming more active with AECT at the national level.
Carol: I have one more very important topic. I’m interested in your comments related to technology in education. For example, how do you use technology to promote information literacy and reading?
Gregory: With the use of technology, information is so much more dynamic. Here is an example. In the past, when I received a shipment of new reference books for the library collection, I would photocopy the cover and the table of contents and put this in everyone’s mailbox. Now I send an email to the entire faculty with an image of the book cover taken from the author’s or publisher’s website. This has a much stronger impact on the teachers. Of course having usable technology is very important. If we lack this, then “No Child Left Behind” will become Every Child Left Behind. I think the school media specialist must make it a priority to keep current with changes in technology. Like weblogging and wickis, I know this is a very new technology and I want to learn how this can be used in our school. I want to make sure I can provide the latest in resources and teach teachers about these resources. Our school is wireless. I can go anywhere to check my email and it does add to efficiency in communication. Of course, I try not to forget the importance of face-to-face human contact. I try to determine which is going to be more effective, a personal conversation, or the use of email. This is one of the considerations when working on a collaborative project. We use our network for ongoing communication between students and teachers, and teachers and parents. Students can access homework assignments from their home, even assigned readings from Edline. In this way, parents have first hand access to what their children are learning. Keeping current, being willing to learn new things, this is the key.
More: http://www.soe.ecu.edu/aect/dsmt/Default.htm
