AASL Standards Interview- "Include"

Include

Allison Diaz
Beck Academy (Middle)
Greenville, SC

Include: Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to inclusiveness and respect for diversity in the learning community” (AASL, 2018, p.75).

Mrs. Allison Diaz is the media specialist at Beck Academy, a middle school in Greenville, SC. She discussed the foundation Include with me. She practices this foundation a lot, since there is a large special education population there. She stated, “24% of our 6th graders have IEPs or 504 plans. We have 3 self-contained special education classes, a multi categorical class, and two self contained for orthopedic impairments” (A. Diaz, personal communication, November 21, 2019). These 3 self-contained classes each visit the library once a week for a 20 minute lesson, and then check out books. She tailors the lessons to fit the needs of their cognitive levels, and makes adjustments to fit their needs while in the library. For example, she moves tables so that students in walkers, wheelchairs, and with limited mobility can move around easier. Also, instead of students looking for books on the bookshelves which may be a challenge, she pre-selects a variety of books and puts them on a table for these students to browse with easier access. I think by her taking these steps before they get in the library, it makes them feel more at home in the library. If they had to find books on the shelves, I would imagine that it would be very frustrating for them. If they had trouble moving around, they would not feel welcome, and therefore would not want to come to the library.

A resource that is really effective with including all students are Playaways, which play audio books. These are great for students who cannot read well, and for the large ESL population. Playaways seem like would be a great investment in my future library, so I will keep this in mind. Most ESL students speak Spanish or French as their native language. As a result, Mrs. Diaz has added many popular titles in these languages. Beck Academy also has a maker space area, and so many students enjoy this area, including the special education and ESL population. Magnatiles are often chosen as a favorite.

Mrs. Diaz collaborates with teachers to include all students. Recently, she has collaborated with the art teacher and music teacher. She co-taught a lesson on researching the genres of music, and this music class included special education and ESL students. I think it is great that she collaborates with special area teachers as well.

The number one challenge with collaborating is that teachers do not want to give up the time. They often see library lessons as something “extra” to fit in, although Mrs. Diaz would like to collaborate to integrate into what they are already doing. Another barrier is the lack of space and limits on budget. For example, she would like to expand the Spanish and French books even more, but there will be no place to put these books, and most of the time, there is no money left in the budget to spend because other expenses take priority. Teachers not being willing to collaborate seems to be so common in schools. Librarians really do want to help integrate, but teachers see it as something completely extra. When I am a librarian, I know that I will need to advocate to integrate into their existing lessons.

She offered advice to me as a future librarian: “Seek out the students who need it the most. ESL and Special Education students need it more than anyone else. Go to the teachers because more than likely, they will not come to you” (A. Diaz, personal communication, November 21, 2019). I really enjoyed visiting Beck Academy and am excited to implement some of this librarian's ideas into my future library.

References

American Association of School Librarians, (2018). National school library standards for learners,                  school librarians, and school libraries. Chicago: American Library Association