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!
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Recognize Student Voice And Build Student Self-Confidence
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 ›
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“Turn It Up!” Helping the Message Escape the Echo-Chamber
“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 ›
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The Power And Importance of Admitting Ignorance
“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 ›
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Hallway Conversations as Book Challenge Repellent, Part 2
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 ›
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Hallway Conversations as Book Challenge Repellent, Part 1
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 ›
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Getting SMART with PDPs, SGOs, ETCs
“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 ›
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How to “Cheat” at Professional Development
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 ›
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Book Challenges: Lessons from a Panel Discussion
Sharing Ideas As we all know, school librarians are facing what may be some of the most challenging conditions to ever confront the profession (pun intended). It seems like most practitioners have either faced a challenge already, or are preparing… Read More ›
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(Re)Building A School Library, Part 1: The Website
Raising My School Library’s Profile During a renovation a couple years back, my middle school’s library closed, and it never reopened. Students and teachers were told they could access the high school library, which is literally on the opposite end… Read More ›