Teacher Librarians – The Heart of a School

Last week Teacher Librarians at the HDSB were told that their positions are being eliminated. Each school in Halton has a small library allocation that has been chipped away at for the past number of years, but this latest announcement is still a devastating blow to our schools and our kids.

Teacher Librarians wear many hats; they are our experts in STEM, they instill a love of books and reading into our students, they collaborate with classroom teachers to deliver high quality lessons and units. They run book clubs and book fairs and they make the school library the heart and soul of a school. They know what resources we have and what we need and ensure that our libraries are kept current. They are what makes the library the hub of a school. The library is often a safe space for our most vulnerable students and the Teacher Librarian becomes an invaluable support for them. We frequently hear about the importance of kids’ mental health as we move through the pandemic; why remove a role that makes a difference? The loss of the Teacher Librarian role will have an irreparably negative impact on our schools.

Let’s make noise about this before it’s too late. Want to help? Write to your Trustee. Write to your Superintendent. You can make a difference for our students and for our school communities.

Lisa Klimkowski
President
Halton Elementary Teachers