Assignment+3+Dispositions

Disposition: Caring Brief description of disposition: It is important to create a welcoming atmosphere, a safe place to go to learn. Students respond to someone better if they feel like you have something invested in them. Make sure that all students have equal access to resources and that each interaction with a student is a positive one. She is a school librarian who WANTS to learn and share that knowledge with students. You see her taking time to ask about their day, inquire about the book they just finished, and a willingness to stay late to make sure they have the materials they need.

Disposition: Fairness Brief description of disposition: Listen to our students and be open to new ideas. Treat each student as an individual and be flexible as you deal with situations. Try to understand their viewpoint or issue and reassure them. Make judgments with a minimum of personal bias. Be creative and adaptable. Today's librarian needs to be prepared to keep on top of learning and the new technology that is out there. Being flexible and open will help to reach all types of learners.

Disposition: Initiative Brief description of disposition: Initiative is doing things because you feel like it needs to be done. It is not being afraid to try new things or finding ways to improve upon what you’ve already accomplished. A librarian who demonstrates initiative would be one who undertakes grant writing to fund a new technology endeavor or that takes the lead in collaborating with others in order to better serve the students and teachers.

Disposition: Flexibility Brief description of disposition: Flexibililty not only applies to scheduling classes, but also conveying a willingness to modify instruction for struggling students when needed. Students may have trouble finding information while completing a research task, so the Media Coordinator should be ready to adapt instruction to fit individual needs. Therefore, the Media Coordinator could pull together that small group and teach an impromptu mini-lesson on how to drill down through a website or database to find relevant information .

Disposition: Belief that all students can learn

Brief description of disposition: Treat students as smart and capable of challenging work. Give them the guidance they need but set high expectations for them so they can stretch and grow. Understand the diversity of our students – not one method of teaching will work for all students. Students learn in different ways and we need to use various teaching methods so that we are reaching each student in the way that they learn best. Be enthusiastic about the material that we are teaching. If we are excited, that excitement will spread to our students and help them to reach their potential.


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I think the disposition I have tried the hardest to model is caring. I stay very late after school to tutor athletes and work out with their teams when they put forth extra effort in their studies. If I know that a student is struggling I have them sent to the media center for extra help during some of their classes to catch them up. We have very low income students and I try my best to see their side of things especially those that do not have internet at home and need extra time with the media center tools and technology. Christie Canter

The disposition I need the most help with is flexibility during lessons. I have a hard time grasping which kids are behind during the actual lesson and need to find a way to adapt my lessons so that the ones getting it aren't held back and the ones that aren't have a chance to catch up during the lesson rather than after it is over. Christie Canter

The dispostion that is my strongest is caring. I go out of my way for the students and the teachers. I take on students who are struggling with their senior projects and help them complete it. I work hard to create an atmosphere where the students and teachers feel welcomed and want to return. I ask for input from students and teachers concerning materials and such. I feel that it is important for them to invest in the media center and realize its importance in the learning process. Tabitha Long

The disposition I feel that I need to work on is initiative. I am working harder this year on the collaboration piece. This disposition is out of my comfort zone. I am trying to work on new ways to do things and really need to try the grant writing process. I have noticed that as my confidence grows so does my desire to try new things. Tabitha Long

I feel like the area I need improvement in is flexibility because of school scheduling which is beyond my control. Normally, I feel that I am a very flexible person but this year, due to a district-wide remedial program that has been implemented, I feel there is limited time in which we can be flexible! The remedial program takes place 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon all year long, 5 days a week. As a result, we have been left with very little flexibility for classes to schedule research time. Ways in which I have tried to adapt is that I try to work around whatever time they can spare as well as condensing what I say in a class to allow the bulk of their time to be research time. Melissa Mills I feel like the area that I am strongest in is caring. I try to make every student feel comfortable in the media center and genuinely try to find things to keep them reading! Some days it is a challenge but it is so rewarding when they come in to say “you always find the best books” or tell me that they made a passing grade on their AR tests. Lots of high fives are seen not only in the library but in the halls, the lunch room, etc. I find that I look forward to their input on a book and I am disappointed for them when they don’t do well. Melissa Mills

Kate Lewis: I feel that my strongest area is a combination: caring initiative. I am truly concerned that so many of our high school students do not like to read, or they have significant difficulty reading and therefore reisist picking up a good book. My big push this year has been to try and change their attitudes by showing them all our cool stuff and proving the reading is fundamental. I am trying new programs - like the magazine swap, paperback swap, and faculty READ posters. I have also done approximately 15 book talks this semester in individual classrooms. Kate Lewis: Even though I feel we have accomplished great things this semester, I know I have to work on the "belief that all students can learn." This year I feel like I have been tainted by a lot of the negativity circulating in my school. I hear things that teachers say about students and sometimes I let it cloud my judgement. I need to see each kid as a clean slate, ready and willing to learn and give them a little more of my time and patience.

Cindy Wood: The disposition that I feel is my strongest is flexibility. Not only do I try to adjust my lessons to meet all students realizing that they respond to learning and information differently, but I also try to be flexible with scheduling, having the media center open to students whenever we are not having a class and trying to respond to teacher requests even when they need the resources at the last minute. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Cindy Wood: The disposition that I need to work on is initiative. I find the administrative work that needs to be done in the media center can be overwhelming at times and it is necessary to prioritize what needs to be done first with some things having to wait until later. Because I never feel like I am caught up, I find it hard to schedule the time to try new things or reach out to offer assistance to others but I know this is an important part of being an exemplary media specialist.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Kimberly Kovach: The dispositions I feel are my strongest is caring //and// flexibility. I believe that those 2 dispositions go hand-in-hand. One of my favorite parts of the job is matching kids and books. I strive to help students find books that they are really interested in and teach lessons that are relevant. I have established an open door policy and students and teachers constantly stop in with questions and needs. I try to plan my time to be structured around being in classrooms and the lab as much as possible, working directly with students and collaborating with teachers. I truly want students to feel comfortable asking for assistance, using resources and checking out any book they want. I work hard to accommodate teachers' requests, even the last-minute ones, and if I cannot, I offer an alternative. I feel that the most important part of my job is supporting instruction by helping teachers and students locate, access, and use all the learning materials we have available.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Kimberly Kovach: The disposition I need to work on is initiative. I struggle with time management. In a way this goes back my strongest disposition of caring. I find that I spend so much time helping folks with all the needs they bring to me that I get behind on the administrative parts of the job. The "tyranny of the urgent" takes hold and I often feel that I never get caught up on the daily tasks that keep the program running. It is a struggle to get some of the big projects I desire to start up and running. My tendency is to be both a procrastinator and a perfectionist and I often feel that if I can't do something really excellently, why try it? I realize that I need to accept that "good enough" is good enough and that taking small steps to begin a new program or project can lead to bigger and better things in the future.

** Disposition: Belief that all students can learn **

Brief description of disposition: Treat students as smart and capable of challenging work. Give them the guidance they need but set high expectations for them so they can stretch and grow. Understand the diversity of our students – not one method of teaching will work for all students. Students learn in different ways and we need to use various teaching methods so that we are reaching each student in the way that they learn best. Be enthusiastic about the material that we are teaching. If we are excited, that excitement will spread to our students and help them to reach their potential.

** Disposition: Caring **

Brief description of disposition: Show our students that we care by showing sincere concern and compassion. By showing that we respect them and others, we demonstrate that we care about others. Be responsive to our students. If a student ask for help even after you have already explained to them what to do, guide them and help them to find answers to their questions. Make sure that all students have equal access to the resources they need. Make sure that each interaction with a student is a positive one.

** Disposition: Fairness **

Brief description of disposition: Listen to our students and be open to new ideas. Treat each student as an individual and be flexible as you deal with situations. Try to understand their viewpoint or issue and reassure them. Make judgments with a minimum of personal bias. Be creative and adaptable.

Disposition: Suspending Judgement The disposition to suspend judgment about children's behavior, to consider alternative interpretations of it. Many times behavior is a symptom of underlying problems either with the course work or problems at home. We should hold judgment without investigation.

librari <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Melissa's top 3 choices :)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">You are asked to identify five key professional dispositions of school librarians. Please support each identified disposition with a brief description (fewer than 100 words) __of what an administrator would observe in an exemplary school librarian demonstrating that disposition in action__. **//__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Disposition __//****//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">:Caring //**

**//__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Brief description of disposition __//****//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">: //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Instead of dreading training, she is in fact a school librarian who WANTS to learn all that there is to learn in order to model it and share that knowledge with students. A librarian that cares what students and teachers think and what they like. She makes every effort, every day, to do the best job she can do for her patrons. You see her taking time to ask about their day, inquire about the book they just finished, and a willingness to stay a few minutes late to make sure they have the materials they need before the library closes. **//__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Disposition __//****//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">: //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Initiative **//__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Brief description of disposition __//****//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">: //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Initiative is doing things because you feel like it needs to be done. It is not being afraid to try new things or finding ways to improve upon what you’ve already accomplished. A librarian who demonstrates initiative would be one who undertakes grant writing to fund a new technology endeavor or that takes the lead in collaborating with others in order to better serve the students and teachers. **//__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Disposition __//****//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">: //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Service **//__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Brief description of disposition __//****//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">: //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">A librarian who goes the extra mile to make sure that students and teachers get the best resources in a timely manner. This librarian would take the time to look up something right away or promise to have it for you by a certain time. She would be seen delivering the product to your class so that you wouldn’t have to wait even though you had offered to pick it up when it was ready.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">**Disposition:** Willingness to modify instruction for struggling students when needed. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">**Brief description of disposition:** Students are having trouble finding information while completing a research task. The Media Coordinator pulls together that small group and teaches an impromptu mini-lesson on how to drill down through a website or database to find relevant information.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">**Disposition:** Promoting positive social interaction between children and youth. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">**Brief description of disposition:** The Media Coordinator starts a series of “Lunch Bunch” book clubs for students, grouped by reading interests: fantasy, manga, dystopian fiction, scary romances, chick lit, etc. Students are welcome to share about the books and encouraged to develop friendships within the group.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Disposition:** Display intellectual curiosity <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**Brief description of disposition:** The Media Coordinator collaborates with a language arts teacher for a unit on Historical Fiction. Students read self-selected books and under guidance from the media coordinator, chooses an aspect of the time period of the book to research. The media coordinator uses Big 6 research strategies as a framework to teach this inquiry study and research skills. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">-- Kimberly (I love the dispositions y'all have already added!)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Disposition: Belief all students can learn <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Description: The librarian should maintain the belief that all students can learn but keep in mind they do it differently and different speeds. This means he/she should be prepared to approach learning in more than one way to enable the student to get it.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Disposition: Openness to new ideas <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Description: Todays librarian needs to be prepared to keep on top of learning and the new technology that is out there. Being flexible and open will help to reach all types of learners.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Dispostion: Caring <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Description: As a teacher the first thing I learned is that if they know I care, I could get them to respond better. It is important for the librarian to create a welcoming atmosphere, a safe place to go to learn and it is okay if you don't know the answers. Students respond to someone better if they feel like you have something invested in them.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Tabitha