Oreta Taylor

When I entered this program my goal was to take those courses that I needed in order to obtain clear and renewable certification as a library media specialist in the state of Georgia. I also wanted to be the best media specialist that I could be and I hoped that this program could help me. After a few class sessions I realized that while I had a wealth of practical knowledge in the field of media services I did not have the theoretical background to fit all those pieces together. I focused on working with one teacher at a time, one need at a time rather than looking at the broader picture and seeing how I could make changes that would affect the entire school.

The AASL standards gave me a framework to evaluate myself by. I found I was weakest in Standard 2: Teaching and Learning and Standard 3: Learning and Collaboration. I was better in Standard 1: Use of Information and Ideas and strongest in Standard 4: Program Administration. These strengths and weaknesses are not unexpected since my education focused on Public and Academic Librarianship and my work experience focused on Retail and Office Management. Before I entered this program I had never taken a class on teaching. My goal became to learn more about Standards 2 and 3 so that I could better serve my school.

Initial Goal One: Take the classes that will allow me clear and renewable certification - I hope that I will have accomplished this after today. :-)

Initial Goal Two: Become the best Library Media Specialist I can be. While I can't say I am the best media specialist I can be, I honestly believe that I am a much better media specialist. The teachers at my school seem to agree: They nominated me for "Teacher of the Year." (I had to decline because I do not have clear and renewable certification.)

Additional Goals: Standards 2 and 3. This is where most of my professional growth has taken place. Classes such as EDIT 6400 and EDIT 6360 have improved my teaching skills. Classes such as EDIT 6170 have increased both my desire to collaborate and my knowledge of what to collaborate about.