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  1. Let me start off by saying that I am a high school librarian, so my first thought is how does that affect the school library (assuming there is one). My second thought is that it is a wonderful thing to have a classroom teacher willing to bring in the variety of books into her classroom so the students can have the instantaneous response to get a book to read for pleasure. It looks warm and welcoming and really quite lovely. I have colleagues who would say that she is sabotaging our jobs, because I have had discussions where classroom libraries are discussed. I for one think anything that gets a student excited to read is an excellent idea.

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    1. Steve, thank you very much for your thoughts. Your concern is an important one: If more and more teachers are building classroom libraries, what does that mean for school libraries? Furthermore, what does that mean for teacher librarians, who have specialized training? After all, a teacher’s expertise is different from a librarian’s.

      But your colleagues needn’t worry. Unfortunately, Nancy Jo’s school does not yet have a school library. Even if it did, though, Nancy Jo and her classroom library, in my view, would be encouraging students toward the school library, not away from it. Many of her students haven’t finished a book in several years, and libraries (and sometimes, librarians) scare them. Nancy Jo’s classroom library is a ticket back to reading and to libraries.

      As a library school dropout myself, I totally agree with you when you write, “I for one think anything that gets a student excited to read is an excellent idea.” Thank you again for sharing your ideas. I’d love to hear more of your and your colleagues’ thoughts.

  2. This is great Nancy Jo and Mark! (And I am so excited that you are hosting a Mills student teacher in this beautiful room this fall, Nancy Jo!)

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