Social Justice and the Teacher-Librarian's Role

Bush, G. (2008). One Indivisible Day: Teaching for Social Justice through Literature. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 24 (8), 23. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=31327824&site=ehost-live

Bush (2008) raises the question: “How do we push toward a more humane and socially just world?” Bush (2008) attended a symposium called “Indivisible” which “was based on the phenomenal challenge that all educators share to create one nation with liberty and justice for all.” Before attending the symposium, participants were required to read recommended resources, examine personal beliefs and professional practices, and think about teaching social justice, children’s literature, and, most of all, their students as both local and global citizens (Bush, 2008). Bush (2008) stated that “the most important thing that [she] took away from the event … was [that] teaching social justice … through children’s literature should be naturally integrated into every lesson, every library collection, every display, every recommended reading list, and read-aloud program.” Dr. Paul C. Gorski’s, Founder of EdChange, message is as follows:

If I had the opportunity to write something for an audience of school librarians, I would stress how important it is to move beyond “celebrating diversity” and “heroes and holidays” orientations toward multiculturalism. These approaches, although they may be fun and easy, have the potential to deepen marginalization. The question for all of us—teachers, librarians, counselors, and so on—is not whether we celebrate diversity, but whether we do our part to ensure that every student, parent, or colleague who passes through our spheres of influence have the opportunity to be who they are and achieve to their fullest (Bush 2008 quoted Gorski, 2007).

Teacher-librarians play a key role in teaching and providing resources concerning social justice issues.

Personally, I find the library a safe place for students to hang out before school, at lunch, and after school. Many students take the opportunity to sign out books or use the computers, especially if they do not have access to resources or the public library at home. When, I choose resources for novel studies or social studies research projects, I include a wide variety of resources that include social justice and equity issues. I choose a wide variety of materials that reflect culture, gender, ability, and socio-economic status. One area where my collection is lacking is in multi-language resources, as we have not had a need for it as far as I know. We have exchange students from various countries; however, they are required to speak and learn in English to develop their skills more fully. This is an area of which I need to look into further.