Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/969549
"I see myself as a bridge builder who can help teachers with all the little things they don't have time to do." —Jennifer Zimny, El Dorado UHSD Faculty Association Libraries help students succeed More than 60 studies have produced evi- dence that school library programs staffed by teacher librarians have a positive impact on student achievement. Public schools with strong library programs staffed by creden- tialed librarians outperform schools without such programs, regardless of a community's parent education, poverty level or percent- age of English learners. Among other benefits, school libraries: • Present programs that foster critical thinking, providing students with the skills they need to analyze, form and communicate ideas. • A r e l e a r n i n g h u b s a n d h o m e w o r k h e l p c e n t e r s w h e r e s t u d e n t s u s e technology and the latest information resources, preparing them for college and the workplace. • C a n h a v e s t r o n g p r o g r a m s t h a t in sti l l c onf i d en c e in rea din g, w hi ch promot es l earnin g, p ers onal grow th and enjoym ent. • Foster a safe, caring climate — they are often the one place in school that is open to all students, where teacher librarians can support students across grade levels and subject matter. 37 A P R I L / M AY 2 018 JENNIFER ZIMNY, Ponderosa High School, El Dorado UHSD Faculty Association Before she was a teacher librarian at Ponderosa High, Jennifer Zimny was a drama teacher for nine years there. The switch was a success. Last year she won the Good Ideas Award from the Califor- nia School Library Association (CSLA) for a two-week project called " The Health of the Planet." It was designed to teach ninth-graders how to conduct research using Science In Context, an online data- base that provides contextual information on hundreds of science topics ranging from bacteria to obesity and weather. "I wanted students not just to Google topics, but learn how to do research, use Cornell note-taking, make citations, and synthesize all the information into a presentation, which will help them throughout high school and college," says Zimny. "Students also created Google Slide presentations." She conducts makerspace workshops and origami workshops, and uses Ozobot Coding Robots to introduce students to computer programming. By using different color combinations on the bots, students can make them follow different instructions. "I love how school libraries are becoming livelier," she says. " The school library is the heart of a school. It's a place where kids can wonder about the world. Hopefully, school libraries also stim- ulate students to love reading so much that they become lifelong learners."