An Interview with Betsy Long

INTRODUCING..........

                        Mrs. Betsy Long 

                     

Mrs. Long has been a librarian for 25 years. She is a master of her profession. She was the Teacher of the Year for Doby's Mill Elementary school in 2004-2005, NBPTS certified in 2008, and she won South Carolina Media Specialist of the Year in 2008. I was honored to have the privilege of studying under her during this semester. 

INQUIRE

During my time with Betsy Long, I was able to ask her a few questions about how she incorporates the Inquire Shared Foundation into her library program. She immediately started telling me how she gets the students to "Think" about things they want to know more about and how she teaches them to find information. Mrs. Long starts teaching her students how to research in kindergarten! She finds that scaffolding the research process with students is essential in creating learners who are comfortable seeking information. She collaborates with classroom teachers and selects a book to read with the students that will spark interest in a researchable topic. Due to the limited amount of nonfiction books in the library, Mrs. Long often checks out books from local public libraries to use for her lessons. Technology is also a big part of engaging learners' curiosity. 

The most recent 5k research lesson centered around a book about animals. She pointed out the animals in the book and asked the students to pick one of the animals they wanted to know more about. She pulled resources on the different animals and had the students find facts about the animals and write them on sticky notes to use later. 

Mrs. Long tells me that students often come to the library and strike up a conversation about current events. Like most kids, they will ask her questions about a topic that she has no idea about; such as, who was the first person to climb Mt. Everest, or when did the biggest earthquake happen? Because she has taught them the skills to find answers to questions, she can direct them to the section of books or computers where the students can find their answers. Little do these kids know, Mrs. Long has "enabled them to seek knowledge, and make real-world connections"(National School Library Standards, 2018).

During this interview, a group of fifth-grade students filed into the library with their notebooks to research their Black History Month person. I watched as they went straight to the biography section, grabbed their book, and headed back to a table to work. Her story of the kindergarten research had come full circle during our interview. Mrs. Long is creating lifelong learners with each lesson she teaches. 

Resources

National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries (2018).

            American Library Association, Chicago, IL.