A conversation with Mrs. Mandrell

 Collaborate Key Commitment: Work effectively with others to broaden perspectives and work toward common goals.

Jennifer Mandrell is a fellow middle school librarian in Dorchester District Two who has worked extensively with the teachers at her school to build a strong partnership between the classrooms and the school library. When I spoke to her about the collaboration domain of the AASL standards, she expressed that she was often surprised when classroom teachers did not know all the resources available to them that she could help them use. 

Mrs. Mandrell shared that often sits down with teachers when they are planning out units, especially any units that require research, to see how she can work with them. She shared that one strategy she used during collaboration meeting was to ask the teacher for the specific assignment details and list of possible options for students. This way she can do her own research ahead of time to know what specific databases and text would work best for that lesson. I personally thought that was a great way to ensure that the librarian and teacher are on the same page before heading into the lesson, and provided an opportunity to make any needed adjustments before presenting the lesson to students. I will be using this strategy in all my collaborative lessons with teachers for sure!

Additionally, Mrs. Mandrell described how she addressed the AASL indicator of broadening and deepening student understanding. She said she encourages students to participate in small groups where they discuss their research and must actively listen to other student's viewpoints. One of her favorite lessons involved teaching students about their digital footprint and she had students write down their opinions before the lesson and share them out without judgement so they could address misconceptions. 

One of my big takeaways from my conversation with Mrs. Mandrell was her attempts to create digital links and resources for as many of her collaborations as possible. She shared that then other teachers who can't make it to the library can also use the resources she curates for them. When she shared this with me, I knew it would be another great strategy to implement in my role as a middle school librarian since I have a very large staff that is mostly new teachers who do not always know all the available resources to them or even how their librarian can help support their lessons.

At the end of our conversation, Mrs. Mandrell shared how frustrating it was to want to collaborate more with teachers but was limited by time constraints and the strict academic pacing schedule that teachers had to stick to for testing. I agree that time is one of the biggest challenges to successful collaborations since teachers are very focused on what they need to teach in their classrooms that they often don't think beyond what they can do right then and there. I personally like to address the collaboration domain by approaching teachers with ideas for their upcoming units. This takes some of the extra work of the teachers and they are more willing to collaborate if someone has already figured out how an activity will work into their pacing plans. 

Overall, collaboration between the school librarian and classroom teachers will benefit everyone involved and will be a main focus of mine as a middle school librarian.