Librarian profiles
Meet Betty Jordan
For Betty Jordan, her job at Sullivan Middle School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, provides variety, fulfillment, and the opportunity to play to her strengths.
"I am one of the lucky ones," says Jordan, the 2006 Media Specialist of the Year in South Carolina. "My job requires me to delve into all of the things I enjoy best: providing service to others, working with young people, learning new technologies, managing, and creating."
Every day is an adventure for Jordan. "Typical is not a word that describes the day of a media specialist, but there are many activities that can occur throughout a day," she says. "One day I may be instructing a class on Internet search strategies or how to use the OPAC (online public access catalog) and the next I may be planning a literacy festival, assisting students as they create digital movie projects, or giving a book talk."
Once the school day is over, she says, she may, for example, attend a staff meeting such as the language arts department. "I love to collaborate with other teachers to plan units of instruction and implement them."
Jordan's greatest reward, she says, is knowing she is helping students do well. "My favorite feeling is when students share a personal success story after I have assisted them in a research project or encouraged them to set a reading goal and it is accomplished! There are many intrinsic rewards in the field."
"Even among the myriad of changes experienced in our society and educational methods, I find that students still have the same needsl. They all need encouragement, challenge, expectations, and a feeling of ownership in whatever they do. It is a great feeling of accomplishment when these needs are met and students are engaged learners."
