Sharon Flowers- Clay District 2
1. Please share your thoughts related to the importance of the school library/media center and the role of a certified, trained librarian/media specialist in schools.
Media centers are important because they provide a space for students to learn in their own time, children can have more control over their extra-curricular activities, social lives, and even part-time jobs. The space offers a quiet area to decompress and focus on their work between classes, or even to work outside of their education. school library media specialist promotes access to a wide variety of resources, including materials in the school library media center, as well as nearby schools, public libraries, academic libraries, and networks. The role of librarian/library media specialist works closely with classroom teachers to make school library media center (LMC) resources an integral part of daily instruction. In so doing, intellectual freedom is promoted for students. The school library media specialist promotes access to a wide variety of resources, including materials in the school library media center, as well as nearby schools, public libraries, academic libraries, and networks.
2. Florida school libraries/media centers have always supported parents' rights to direct their students' education. How would you balance parental rights and student access to library materials, especially given that some books trigger different reactions among parents, all of whom deserve rights?
I believe no sexually explicit books should be in any school library. However, parents should have the right to say what their child reads. If there are books that may trigger different reactions among parents, those books should be put in a section that must have a parent/guardian signature to check out a book.
3. Students have access to reading material through captive classroom instruction, read-alouds and novel studies, as well as through self-selection in libraries where they choose their own book. How would you differentiate between the appropriateness of reading material in a captive classroom vs. self-selection in the school library?
In Clay County 43% of the students are reading below grade level. Students tend to read more, understand more, and will continue reading when they have the opportunity to choose what they want to read. Self-selected reading is twice as powerful as teacher-selected reading in developing motivation and comprehension. Of course, the books must be appropriate and parents must agree.
4. As written in Florida House Bill 1069, “Parents shall have the right to read passages from any material that is subject to an objection. If the school board denies a parent the right to read passages due to content" deemed unsuitable as defined in the bill, the school district must discontinue use of the material. If a reader is denied, explain why you would interpret the law by supporting or opposing a fair and public review of the book, as outlined in each district's objection policy.
I do not think a reader should not be denied the right to read a passage in which they deem inappropriate, but discontinue use of the material from one persons stance seems to be a bit hasty. There should a fair and public review of the book. Also, our school libraries should have sections in which parental consent must be obtained before they can be signed out. However, as stated before I do not believe any sexually explicit material should be in our school’s libraries.
Media centers are important because they provide a space for students to learn in their own time, children can have more control over their extra-curricular activities, social lives, and even part-time jobs. The space offers a quiet area to decompress and focus on their work between classes, or even to work outside of their education. school library media specialist promotes access to a wide variety of resources, including materials in the school library media center, as well as nearby schools, public libraries, academic libraries, and networks. The role of librarian/library media specialist works closely with classroom teachers to make school library media center (LMC) resources an integral part of daily instruction. In so doing, intellectual freedom is promoted for students. The school library media specialist promotes access to a wide variety of resources, including materials in the school library media center, as well as nearby schools, public libraries, academic libraries, and networks.
2. Florida school libraries/media centers have always supported parents' rights to direct their students' education. How would you balance parental rights and student access to library materials, especially given that some books trigger different reactions among parents, all of whom deserve rights?
I believe no sexually explicit books should be in any school library. However, parents should have the right to say what their child reads. If there are books that may trigger different reactions among parents, those books should be put in a section that must have a parent/guardian signature to check out a book.
3. Students have access to reading material through captive classroom instruction, read-alouds and novel studies, as well as through self-selection in libraries where they choose their own book. How would you differentiate between the appropriateness of reading material in a captive classroom vs. self-selection in the school library?
In Clay County 43% of the students are reading below grade level. Students tend to read more, understand more, and will continue reading when they have the opportunity to choose what they want to read. Self-selected reading is twice as powerful as teacher-selected reading in developing motivation and comprehension. Of course, the books must be appropriate and parents must agree.
4. As written in Florida House Bill 1069, “Parents shall have the right to read passages from any material that is subject to an objection. If the school board denies a parent the right to read passages due to content" deemed unsuitable as defined in the bill, the school district must discontinue use of the material. If a reader is denied, explain why you would interpret the law by supporting or opposing a fair and public review of the book, as outlined in each district's objection policy.
I do not think a reader should not be denied the right to read a passage in which they deem inappropriate, but discontinue use of the material from one persons stance seems to be a bit hasty. There should a fair and public review of the book. Also, our school libraries should have sections in which parental consent must be obtained before they can be signed out. However, as stated before I do not believe any sexually explicit material should be in our school’s libraries.