Promoting Literature in Schools Portfolio

Mid Term Reflection

Tara Degelmann
Bear Creek K-8
Jeffco Public Schools

School Demographics

Enrollment by Gender
Female 47%
Male 53%

57.7%
Minority Enrollment
42.3%
White
43.9%
Hispanic/Latino
6.9%
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander
3.9%
Two or more races
1.6%
Black or African American
1.3%
American Indian or Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

46%
economically disadvantaged students at Bear Creek K-8 School

Full-time teachers
56
Percentage of full-time teachers who are certified
100%
Student-teacher ratio
18:1
Percentage of teachers with 3 or more years experience
87.5%
Number of full-time school counselors
2

Implementation

As I move forward from this course, there are many things I'd like to implement as I begin my DTL role this year. I'd like to embrace comics and graphic novels and share the benefits of this writing style with my colleagues.
I enjoyed reading in a discussion post about another teacher in my district using pictures as a way to prompt book discussions. I feel this would be a powerful way to encourage my students to elaborate in book talks whether they are in the elementary or middle school setting. I enjoy reading what other DTL's are doing with students so that I can also strengthen my own practice.
In reviewing Chapter 2 in the book, “Cultivating Genius”, I gravitated towards the section around understanding students’ experiences and personal histories. I believe there are so many ways for us to truly know our students, involve ourselves in our communities, and connect with families on a more personal level. This way, we will feel a sense of belonging in knowing their personal histories (Muhammad, 2020).

Book Club

I would definitely say that our book club was very successful. Everyone shared books they had read that were in next years' Battle of the Books selection. I read "Root Magic" by Eden Royce and I loved it. The story had many personal connections for me, but I had to reflect on this initial response and realize that most students may connect to the book in other ways. The story centered around a family from the 1960's during challenging times for a black community. The family's roots are revealed as the children begin to learn root magic for the first time.
Many of my group members shared how their books were either written or how themes interconnected with other book shares. There were some skeptics on how students would respond to books in verse. This was a great opportunity to discuss books like "Love That Dog" and "Hate That Cat".
Our group also shared a variety of ways on how to run the Battle of the Books club within our schools and we were able to gain some new knowledge around successful book club discussion.

Cultivating Genius

I would say that when I was young, I grew up in a Christian home in which we learned that we accepted all people, no matter the color of their skin. I still model that same philosophy today and have had to work to put myself in others' shoes to truly understand what happens to them, when they encounter a society that may not be as accepting. I've tried to learn, grow, and seek to understand others' bias.
Culture is a beautiful life experience. What makes public education so special to me, are all the different people who bring culture into our community. This makes for a unified classroom. Muhammad speaks to us about how to self reflect and to truly know our students through their personal histories. As I continue to grow as an educator and human being, I want to ensure that I tap into others' histories in order to fully know them.
The first book my mother read aloud to me was "The Boxcar Children". It was the first book that I could visualize based on how my mother read the story to me. It was a time when I realized that I loved literature. I just needed to bring it to life, whether through a read aloud or a visual/sensory tool. Audio books have saved me as an adult. I reflect on my own literacy journey and I know that I have not been well versed in classics. I truly did not read much as a kid.

Ways to Improve

As I grow in my profession, I carefully select my read alouds. I work hard to ensure that the stories I choose to read are thought provoking, accepting, and support unity in my classroom.
I've referenced much of Mohammad's work in this reflection, but I'd like to share my thoughts on equity from Wilfong. She mentions in the article "A Mirror, a Window: Assisting Teachers in Selecting Appropriate Multicultural Young Adult Literature", how important it is in our own book selection process to ensure that we attend to the authors of books. We should analyze what they are writing and connect the authenticity of their literature from a personal or lived perspective. This was an important moment for me, and I feel I will definitely utilize this method for choosing good books, based off this recommendation.

Muhammad, G. (2020). Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. Scholastic Teaching Resources (Teaching Strategies).

Wilfong, L. G. (2007). A Mirror, a Window: Assisting Teachers in Selecting Appropriate Multicultural Young Adult Literature. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 9(1), 8–13. https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v9i1.7

Conclusion

My current reality is that I have some wonderful systems in place from what I can see. I have learned from some mistakes last year and based on those errors, I'm setting new goals to ensure that I offer improved learning opportunities. I'm grateful for the new role as a DTL in my new setting and appreciate the professional development opportunities that I will continue to have in order to further support my students and families next year.

Final Reflection Project
"Addressing the Standards"

Tara Degelmann
Bear Creek K-8
Jeffco Public Schools

My Current Role

Demographics

This is my 3rd year as a DTL and my first year at my new location in Jeffco Public Schools. I will not only have a DTL role for K-8 students, but will also teach a robotics elective for 7th/8th graders. My Master's program specifically integrated curriculum and instruction with the four STEM disciplines, so I'm thrilled to see DTL's have the opportunity to not only relish in literacy with reading in our library, but also integrate technology as well as maker space opportunities for kids.

As always, when I first enter a new school, my relationship with the staff and my community is very important to me. I enjoy working to build that connection so that I become a person who is trusted to improve programs within the building. The DTL role truly is unique and goes above and beyond just running a library.

Then my focus will turn primarily on my students and making authentic connections with them, through either STEM, tech, or literacy. I'm thrilled that I get the chance to work with such a vast range of kids this year and I find it to be quite challenging! This is the first year that Bear Creek K-8 will have a full time DTL.

I'm thrilled to be partnering with Jeffco and their DTL program as Heidi Floyd is an amazing mentor and support system for being the best at our craft. I'm lucky to meet with other DTL's throughout the school year so that I can learn from them as the year progresses.