I was recently asked what my goals are for the upcoming school year. No, I’m not talking about those goal you write during an evaluation year which have little to no bearing on your actual work with students. I’m talking about those personal goals we set for ourselves to guide our work. For me, my goal is to be more intentional in the work I do in the library this year. There are really two parts to this goal as it pertains to my work with literacy and in our spaces for making.
For literacy, I found myself reading a lot of books this summer…a lot. The ones that stuck with me the most were those with plots, characters, and setting which were foreign or new to me. (I will be doing a full summer reading blog post later) I found myself uncomfortable at times and the very fabric of what I considered “normal” was stretched. It was stretched in the best possible way. As I look towards planning my literacy work with students I want to be intentional with the books I share, talk about, and give to students. No, I’m not going to push students to read books just because the content is diverse or will challenge the students. However, my goal will be for each student to read at least one book where characters look, love, act, live, or experience life differently from themselves. I’m a firm believer in the power of literature to open a readers mind to perspectives unlike their own as a pathway to understanding of and compassion for others.
In my makerspace activities, I too want to be intentional in the work we are doing. Last year I was flying by the seat of my pants with whatever came to mind at that given moment. While I still want to have that spontaneity, I want to be more direct and controlled in some of the activities I work on with students. I also want to be more intentional in the activities I’m doing to make sure all students have something they connect with or at interested in. In order to do this, I will be planning out activities during times to increase access to all students. By bringing in more student focus groups and having more discussions with students I can intentionally plan activities for students driven by their interests and curiosities.
While these may seem like simple goals to others, they will guide my work this year in the library. I hope more students will read from a variety of books to broaden their understanding of world around them. I am also hoping students of all interests and abilities will be able to develop or rediscover a love of creating and making. What are your goals for this coming school year?