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Employees across many industries are being asked to do more with less.
In some cases, they're even doing the job of two people.
Teaching is no different.
Teachers today face many challenges.
Classrooms are getting more crowded, resources are scarce,
and teacher certification requirements are tougher than ever before.
At St. John Fisher College’s Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education,
we are constantly striving to find ways to help teachers,
and we work hard to offer options for those in the teaching field
who are looking to expand their skill set.
Our Master of Science in Library Media
entitles certified teachers to obtain initial certification in Library Media -
a vibrant new career specialization
for teachers who wish to engage in literacy education as library media specialists.
This is a role that is swiftly becoming recognized as the “teacher librarian.”
Fisher’s program is unique in the greater Rochester area,
the only one of its kind in a college of education between Buffalo and Syracuse.
Its focus is on preparing energetic and visionary library media specialists,
with the skills that are vitally important to promoting both traditional literacy
and the fast-emerging information and media literacies
that have transformed libraries and school librarians.
I was a science teacher for 10 years,
and a computer coordinator before becoming a high school librarian.
As a science teacher, I collaborated closely with my high school librarians
where we integrated a lot of technology.
I realized school librarians worked in the ever-changing world of new media
and emerging technologies and I decided that I wanted to join them!
Technology and the way our children use that technology has revolutionized libraries.
The role of a librarian has changed.
And in order to keep up with the minds we are teaching,
it’s important for teachers to constantly evolve
and stay abreast of today’s trends.
With a heavy focus on literacy,
new media, and library media centers in all of the coursework,
graduates of the Library Media program
will walk away with a firm grasp
on what being a “teacher librarian” truly means in today’s world.
As a science teacher, I wrote a grant with my school librarian
which focused on research to determine water quality
while integrating school library resources.
Our grant was funded for $30,000 and before I knew it
all of my students were conducting water quality research!
My school librarian was a critical partner in this initiative,
not only by assisting students with the library research portion,
but by offering hands-on work alongside us.
That project opened my eyes to all that librarians do for a school and its students,
and sparked my return to college to become a teacher librarian.
It was the best move I could have made.
My degree has made me more marketable to potential employers,
and ultimately made me a better teacher.
Today’s teachers need 21st century skills,
and the Library Media program will provide them with those skills.
Students will work in cohorts,
traveling through the curriculum together from start to finish.
The program consists of 21 credit hours of coursework,
six credit hours of practicum,
and three graduate credit hours in literacy for a total of 30 hours,
as well as 100 hours of supervised fieldwork.
And because we know how busy our graduate students can be
with their professional and personal lives,
we’ve spread the courses out over a three-semester time period,
including online coursework, making it accessible and achievable.
In the end, our graduates
will be well-equipped teacher librarians.
Now that I have my teacher librarian certification,
I've expanded my skill set to become more versatile in my profession,
and this degree has opened doors for me.
I can do more for my students, and more for my school.
To find out more about St. John Fisher College’s
new Master of Science in Library Media program,
contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.