University of Georgia

Mission/Purpose:

The mission/purpose of the media center:

Philosophy:

The philosophy of the media specialist:

Program Goals:

The goals of the Masters of Education in Instructional Technology program:

Working experience:

Practical experience in School Library Media program:

Autobiography:

Looking back on my education, I guess I always wanted to preview my professional choices before actually diving into the course work necessary to qualify for the position. My first career aspiration growing up was to become a toy designer for Fisher Price. I didn't get very much encouragement on this pursuit from my parents, so I chose to go to work in an engineering department for a desiccant manufacturer. The job provided me my first hands-on experience in cataloging, purchasing, and receiving, inventory control, handbook procedures, and team collaboration. Ultimately, I returned to college to get a 2-year degree A.A.S. in Industrial Management Technology. During this time, I married my husband, Bill, and purchased a home in Western New York state.

In 1984, our lives changed direction. We moved from Buffalo, NY to New Orleans, LA. New family additions, David and Bob, added dimension to our lives. I worked part time at the YMCA, where I began a preschool program in a racquetball court room with only a conference table and six chairs. Again, I completely submerged myself in my mission to develop a comprehensive center-based program by scouring the local library shelves for lesson plans, teaching strategies, and student assessment tools. The preschool program grew to include three teachers, extended day activities, and center-based learning, rich in language, reading, and hands-on math lesson plans.

Realizing that the public school system in Louisiana was sub-par, we chose to transfer to Georgia for a better education for our boys. We moved to Lawrenceville, GA just before David started kindergarten. While enrolling David in school, I learned about a preschool program for Bob at the high school vocational center next door. The program was center-based and it had a 1 preschooler to 2 student-teacher ratio. It fit our needs, so we enrolled Bob into the program. Through my volunteer activities and substitute work for the school system, I became employed at Maxwell High School in 1996.

Maxwell High School of Technology didn't have a media center prior to me working there. It made no sense to me that the vocational center did not have media resources available to the students. I worked with the teachers and administration to develop a supplemental resource collection and selecting instructional technology equipment. The county media services department was supportive by including me in media specialist in-service and staff development.

The challenges of developing a media program were immense and the knowledge gained was very rewarding. I wanted the best for the students and staff, which led me to the decision of returning to college to obtain media specialist certification through the Master’s in Education program. It has been a six year process, since I needed to finish my bachelor’s degree first, but well worth the hard work and sacrifice. Now that I'm nearing the end of my present educational journey, I look forward to get a media specialist position the county. My experience, knowledge gained at UGA, and tenacity to excel should help in my pursuit to becoming a media specialist.