Comments on: Media Specialists’ Role Endangered in Florida http://www.slj.com/2013/07/schools/media-specialists-role-endangered-in-florida/ The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens Wed, 18 Sep 2013 08:27:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Bookworm51485 http://www.slj.com/2013/07/schools/media-specialists-role-endangered-in-florida/#comment-61022 Bookworm51485 Mon, 15 Jul 2013 02:44:26 +0000 http://www.slj.com/?p=52091#comment-61022 You should mention Miami-Dade county too. They're not being as overt about what they're doing, but true Media Specialists are being an endangered species. They've decided that the position is not a given one (meaning funded by the county) and instead will be tossed into a pool with several other positions, all non-instructional unlike the Media Specialists (things like custodians and CAP counselors and the Assistant principal) and giving principals the discretion on whether or not they want to fund the position. Most are choosing to remove their degreed Media Specialists and replacing them with clerks or teachers who aren't degreed (so they can do two jobs at once), and in the case of one school, using a parent volunteer. Of course, they are all still called Media Specialists, so people have the illusion of still having a Media Specialist, but more schools than most realize are staffed by clerks. Some schools, unfortunately, are choosing to just close their libraries down completely. One of the other things they're favoring is making the Media Specialist do double duty, where the library is seen as secondary. So they're forced back into the classroom, but also expected to run the Media Center on the side, when they have time. Understandably, most are just choosing to go back into the classroom 100% of the time. It doesn't pay to work two jobs at once. Miami-Dade has a serious problem on it's hands and fighting it is a dangerous thing because they can and will mess your life up. The Media Specialist at one of the high schools actually offered to take up the cause because she was retiring and knew they couldn't touch her, but she wanted bodies to show that there was support for the issue, but people were afraid to even do that much. It's that dangerous here. You should mention Miami-Dade county too. They’re not being as overt about what they’re doing, but true Media Specialists are being an endangered species. They’ve decided that the position is not a given one (meaning funded by the county) and instead will be tossed into a pool with several other positions, all non-instructional unlike the Media Specialists (things like custodians and CAP counselors and the Assistant principal) and giving principals the discretion on whether or not they want to fund the position. Most are choosing to remove their degreed Media Specialists and replacing them with clerks or teachers who aren’t degreed (so they can do two jobs at once), and in the case of one school, using a parent volunteer. Of course, they are all still called Media Specialists, so people have the illusion of still having a Media Specialist, but more schools than most realize are staffed by clerks. Some schools, unfortunately, are choosing to just close their libraries down completely. One of the other things they’re favoring is making the Media Specialist do double duty, where the library is seen as secondary. So they’re forced back into the classroom, but also expected to run the Media Center on the side, when they have time. Understandably, most are just choosing to go back into the classroom 100% of the time. It doesn’t pay to work two jobs at once.

Miami-Dade has a serious problem on it’s hands and fighting it is a dangerous thing because they can and will mess your life up. The Media Specialist at one of the high schools actually offered to take up the cause because she was retiring and knew they couldn’t touch her, but she wanted bodies to show that there was support for the issue, but people were afraid to even do that much. It’s that dangerous here.

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