Author Archives

After 24 years as a classroom English Language Arts teacher, Steve became a school librarian in January 2022. He has earned an M.Ed. (2006) and an Ed.D. (2014) in Educational Administration and Supervision, and completed an M.I. degree in Library and Information Science (2019). He is certified as a teacher, school library media specialist, supervisor, and administrator. He is an old dog constantly learning new tricks!

• Form Versus Function: Learning to Appreciate Beauty

  By Steve Tetreault on 05/15/2023 • ( 2 )

  

  “Get a Haircut!” Let me start with a short story:  When I graduated college, I had hair down to my shoulders. It drove my conservative dad nuts (which was some of the point). At one point, after several interviews with… Read More ›

• “Choosing ‘Right’ over ‘Easy’” – An Archeological Find

  By Steve Tetreault on 04/17/2023 • ( 0 )

  

  Time Hasn’t Healed All Wounds While going through some old not-quite-done pieces of writing, I came across something that threw me for a loop. It seemed extremely topical, but it was in my discarded drafts folder, and I didn’t remember… Read More ›

• Holding Out for a Hero Who Can Bring The Noise

  By Steve Tetreault on 03/14/2023 • ( 4 )

  

  “Welcome to the Jungle” We all know that school librarianship has come into some dark times. Small but vocal national groups are making a lot of noise about titles they have personal objections to. Their playbook includes personal attacks vilifying… Read More ›

• Recognize Student Voice And Build Student Self-Confidence

  By Steve Tetreault on 01/27/2023 • ( 4 )

  

  A Frightening Conclusion A long time ago, a parent gave me a copy of the quote above. His daughter was having some difficulties in my class. It was a simple but effective reminder that as an educator, my job is… Read More ›

• “Turn It Up!” Helping the Message Escape the Echo-Chamber

  By Steve Tetreault on 12/16/2022 • ( 2 )

  

  “Oh, No; Not Again!” I saw the above Tweet, and it hit me all over again. We are all tired of hearing about the ongoing onslaught of book challenges across the nation. School librarians have been talking about this for… Read More ›

• The Power And Importance of Admitting Ignorance

  By Steve Tetreault on 11/04/2022 • ( 4 )

  

  “Intelligence is learning from your mistakes…” Recently, I joined a group of professionals chatting with a class of graduate students about our experiences in the world of school librarianship. We asked if they had questions several times, and everyone seemed… Read More ›

• Hallway Conversations as Book Challenge Repellent, Part 2

  By Steve Tetreault on 10/10/2022 • ( 0 )

  

  Previously on “Hallway Conversations as Book Challenge Repellent”… Last month, I shared some topics that school librarians might want to discuss with colleagues, supervisors, administrators, and members of the school community ahead of any book challenges that might come their… Read More ›

• Hallway Conversations as Book Challenge Repellent, Part 1

  By Steve Tetreault on 08/29/2022 • ( 0 )

  

  Laying the Groundwork Ahead of Book Challenges There is a lot of information about book challenges out there. I’m just one of several folks who have written about this in Knowledge Quest previously. Out in the wider world, there are… Read More ›

• Getting SMART with PDPs, SGOs, ETCs

  By Steve Tetreault on 07/29/2022 • ( 2 )

  

  “I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean…” -Homer Simpson This September will be my first as a school librarian, after a mid-year switch early in 2022. After 23 years of writing professional development plans (PDPs) and student growth objectives (SGOs)… Read More ›

• How to “Cheat” at Professional Development

  By Steve Tetreault on 07/01/2022 • ( 0 )

  

  Wait, What? Let’s be clear right up front: I’m talking about things that might seem like cheating because they make PD easier. But they’re better described as “productivity hacks” – ways to increase your efficiency.  And pretty much all the… Read More ›