Rachel Heller

Initial Visions/Expectations paper

Internships: Eastern High School (DCPS) March 3-21 and MCPS summer.
I am looking forward to interning in a high school and an elementary school because I
currently work at Tilden Middle School. It will be interesting to experience media centers at all
levels. During college, I student taught in an elementary school and observed at a high school,
but did not get a chance to work with the media specialists. I also am excited to learn how the
school system works in DCPS. Ultimately, I hope to take away information about collaborating
with teachers from elementary schools and high schools. I know that high school will be similar
to middle school, but elementary is going to be quite different.
My vision for an effective program is that the media center is the academic and social
heart of the school. Students and staff will find all their informational needs through digital and
print sources. Students will think of the media center as a haven for schoolwork and social
interactions. The media specialist works collaboratively with teachers and encourages them to
use the media center as an extension of their classrooms. The media program teaches students
effective research, information gathering, and digital literacy skills. Through curricular support,
ethical use of information, technology instruction and a global perspective, the media staff
ensures that the school community has a nurturing and educational place to grow through
knowledge.
I researched the statistics on Eastern High School and found that it is a Title 1 school
with 99% African American and 1% Hispanic students. I also studied the other demographics of
the community and student body. I bring several strengths to this school. One is my experience
with schools and students similar to this one in Baltimore. I led an after school program in
college with middle school students from downtown Baltimore with almost identical
demographics. I also was a leader in a summer camp for several years in Baltimore. It was
classroom management trial by fire. It does not intimidate me to be one of the few white people
in the school. However, it is likely that I will have to contend with the stereotype that I am just
another white person who cannot relate to them and/or is inherently judgmental. I care about
students and they quickly will recognize my attitude. My biggest strength is that I have already
worked in a media center with a flexible schedule. Although I am an assistant, I do almost all the
jobs of the media specialist. I am able to switch quickly from task to task and subject to subject. I
know how to do book talks for recommendations and am confident relating to students in a
library setting. I also know that DCPS uses the Destiny catalog system and I use the same
program in MCPS.
One of my weaknesses at Eastern High School is that I do not know their schedule and
school rhythms. I am unfamiliar with how the media specialist relates to the teachers on a day-to-
day basis. I have been in contact with the media specialist about my collaborative lesson and
have learned how she works with an individual teacher. Another weakness is that I do not know
the students. Many times students will take advantage of new teachers and substitutes because
they are unfamiliar with rules. It means that I will have to learn expectations along with names
and faces quickly. Another weakness is that although I have taught lessons in my current job and
have done student teaching, I have never been a full-time classroom teacher. I am looking
forward to getting more experience.
Since I am unsure about my second placement, I will provide my strengths and
weaknesses in terms of a general elementary school media center. When I started at the
University of Maryland, Mega suggested that I volunteer at some schools to get experience in
media centers. One of the places was Beltsville Academy and I learned about working with
elementary school students in that context. I have stayed in contact with the media specialist and
have visited several times since I began my job at Tilden. This gave me some experience with
the rhythms of a fixed schedule. Another strength is that I student taught first grade students in
college and know how to relate to the students and contain the chaos. In addition, I am familiar
with many of the books since I took Childrens Literature this past semester.
A weakness I bring to the internship is that I have not worked with the fixed schedule for
an extended period of time. I remember it being tiring during my volunteering days and I will
need to gain some stamina. I also know that although I am able to contain chaos in an elementary
school, it is something that I do not enjoy. That is part of the reason I would prefer to be at a
middle or high school. However, elementary school students are really cute and I enjoy getting
hugs periodically. The other weaknesses are the same as Eastern High School in that I am
unfamiliar with the media specialist and how the media program fits into the school culture.
I am looking forward to my internships because they will give me a chance to compare
my current position to other schools. I am particularly interested in the relationships between the
media specialists and administrators and teachers. In some ways I would like to have a placement
where the administrator is not supportive of the media program. It would be helpful to learn how
to approach that type of administrator. In addition, I would like to learn more about starting
collaboration. I often have read that the first year media specialists collaboration goal should be
with one teacher. But how does it begin? At my current job, we collaborate a lot, but these
already had been established by the time I began in my position. I am excited to integrate my
new experiences to those I have at Tilden.