Environmental Scan

To be an effective school librarian, it is imperative to understand your community and the diverse make-up of the school around you. My goal is for the library to truly be the heart of the school, a place where students can find resources for academics, such as research projects, and for their own enjoyment and interest. 

I work in a large and diverse school district, with people from many parts of the world. In my school district, many families work in management or other office jobs. The most common languages spoken across the district are English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin, and Urdu. Every campus has a diverse population and students are able to learn about various cultures from a young age. Many schools celebrate this cultural diversity by hosting International Days where students can bring in items, food, clothing, or even put on performances that represent their culture. The elementary school that I work at is a bilingual campus, with students who speak Spanish and English. All hallway posters or signs are in English and Spanish, and the school library has English and Spanish books available for all students. Additionally, the school newsletters and morning announcements are shared in both languages. 

The weather in my city is typically hot and humid throughout the year. Students are used to bringing their water bottles every day and sometimes are unable to go outside for outdoor recess when the temperatures are extremely high. Most students in the area go to their local public school, and the majority of families have access to broadband internet. When students were learning from home during the pandemic, access to internet hotspots were provided by the district for families who needed it, and with the current 1:1 technology program across the district, more families have access to technology and resources to help them connect. 

As mentioned before, the district has a 1:1 technology program, meaning all students in the district, in grades 3-12, are provided a Chromebook that they bring back and forth from home to school. Therefore, technology has become increasingly more present and utilized in almost all grades. At my campus, most teachers are using technology at different times throughout the day, with some required computer programs that provide practice/assess reading fluency and some programs that provide practice with math spiral skills. We no longer use iPads in the classroom, although the primary grades may have a few per class. Students are able to bring their Chromebooks home each day, so if any test reviews or practice assignments require technology, they are able to use their Chromebook rather than an iPad or phone. There is also a technology teacher who comes to campus a few times a week and is able to come to planning sessions with teachers and share ideas for ways to integrate engaging technology tools into our lessons. This has been valuable in learning the different ways to not only incorporate technology in the classroom, but ways that are effective and valuable to student learning. I have learned to ask questions of any technology tool that is introduced in the classroom: is it used for students to research information? communicate information and ideas? create? With students using devices more and more, it is imperative that we thoughtfully and carefully plan how we are integrating technology in our lessons.