Look at the elementary school schedule the district has put out.
It says one day a week that kids will get media, hey that sounds great to me, a weekly visit to the library, a media specialist doing a read aloud or putting on some other program. GREAT!
Um except a reader pointed out to me, that their school only has media every other week.
Another pointed out that in the bigger elementary schools there are more classes than could be seen in a week unless they doubled up classes .
So I wondered what happened when their was no media specialist available and was told schools are supposed to come up with a plan.
Why am I skeptical that this is working well for anybody?
But you know what I could be wrong and if I am please let me know.
Finally I would like to say, the way the district has treated its media specialists since Vitti arrived has been criminal. Librarians are some of the last people that should go in a district that has a reading problem. I wonder why they weren't financed by the QEA or why instead of dropping our budget 40 million dollars nobody said, hmm you know what, lets get some librarians in there.
It says one day a week that kids will get media, hey that sounds great to me, a weekly visit to the library, a media specialist doing a read aloud or putting on some other program. GREAT!
Um except a reader pointed out to me, that their school only has media every other week.
Another pointed out that in the bigger elementary schools there are more classes than could be seen in a week unless they doubled up classes .
So I wondered what happened when their was no media specialist available and was told schools are supposed to come up with a plan.
Why am I skeptical that this is working well for anybody?
But you know what I could be wrong and if I am please let me know.
Finally I would like to say, the way the district has treated its media specialists since Vitti arrived has been criminal. Librarians are some of the last people that should go in a district that has a reading problem. I wonder why they weren't financed by the QEA or why instead of dropping our budget 40 million dollars nobody said, hmm you know what, lets get some librarians in there.
From a reader via Facebook: Media is a joke. At a school of 1100 plus we have a 1/2 funded position which is vacant. If filled we would have media once every 5-6 weeks. Right now a para is available for classes to check out books every other week. Sad! But not surprising. Doesn't seem like books are very valued in Duval right now as we use a listening comprehension curriculum that doesn't include using real books!! Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a few schools that only have resource (art, music, PE) once every 8 days. At my son's school art, music, media and PE is once every 8 days.
ReplyDeleteYou are not wrong. We have media once every two weeks and we have physical education with the coach once every two weeks. So it seems that neither a sound mind Nor a sound body are valued in this district.
ReplyDeleteMy high school students actually asked today, "How can the district have a book challenge when the school libraries are never open and we have no media specialist???"
ReplyDeleteThe irony should not be lost on those downtown.
The sad thing is how few schools even have full-time Library Media Specialists! Middle and High dont have them at all. Most Elementary have "itinerant" positions!
ReplyDeleteTo top everything off Bryant Frazier is no longer in his position. ???? Why? Who did Mason Davis or Vitti want to give a job to? Bryant was a huge help with media issues! He was always there when we needed his support and cared about reading in our schools.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how the media specialist is not so special anymore. They should have someone in the position at every school who sits on a throne with a gold crown on his or her head with the reading levels the way they are! On top of that Ed White just packed up the last of its library books, to make way for all the testing that will be done for all of the over tested kids. And let's not forget how we are screwing over our kids who are sent to the "smarter charter" schools where a kid doesn't stand a chance. Nevertheless, since we are on the road to hell, let's just take out the reading coaches too. If this district insists on half ass doing things why not just go all out. Who knows, the reading coaches may really be next to get screwed since this district stop being about the children a long time ago. I will close by saying that those of you who can run for the hills!
ReplyDelete