Sunday, February 7, 2010

Do educators need a tea party?

Read my comment to Joyce Valenza's posting.

Do educators need a tea party?: "I can feel the grass roots growing. But they need a little water, or perhaps, some tea. Daily, my email box and my Twitter stream fill with..."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Maybe you'd like to join my armband wearing to mourn the loss of school librarians and school libraries across the state, including Marin County where there are only a handful of school librarians left in elementary school and a few at middle and high schools.

What do think? Do you think the loss of school library programs is just the price we pay for recession. What do you know about your local school library? What have you done to support school libraries in your community and elsewhere?

February is Love Your Library Month but we need to do a lot more than loving our libraries--we need to get out there and fight for our libraries!

Did you know that in President Obama's proposed budget, he does away with separate funding for the Increasing Literacy through School Libraries program. This after declaring last October Information Literacy Month for the first time ever! Where does he think kids are going to learn info lit skills except with the help of their school librarian? He has also did not mention public libraries in his jobs creation program even though public libraries are the place many people go to find information about jobs and job training when time get tough like they currently are.

Shame on you, President Obama. We're waiting for leadership in specific and measurable ways and you, instead, take away or gut proven programs.

Yes, I am in mourning and yes, I still love my library.

I certainly hope you do, too.

How can you help? Write policy makers, including the President, our Congresswoman (Woolsey), our Senators (Boxer | Feinstein) on the Jobs for Main Street Act, and state politicians (Leno | Huffman) to demand support for school and public libraries.

No comments: