By KAYLEE BECKER-GEORGE – Everyone can remember the days of elementary school, when everything was easier and fewer responsibilities were being thrust upon the students.
Now, even while students are in high school, some are still returning to their academic roots to help out at elementary school libraries through the Library Club.
This program has been going on for about four years, ever since Mrs. Sandbothe came to be the librarian here at the high school. She contacted the librarians of the elementary schools and organized the students’ visits.
A student from the high school chooses a day and goes to an elementary school. They can go for half days or full days and have a choice of any of the elementary schools in the Indiana Area School District.
Mrs. Sandbothe says, “Volunteering at the elementary libraries is a great opportunity for Library Club students to see what it is like to teach information literacy skills to Pre-K through grade 5 students.”
Some of the activities are reading to the kids, helping out with crafts, checking out books, shelving books, and helping with anything else that needs to be done. Not only is it beneficial for the high school students to get experience by shadowing a librarian, but the elementary students love it too.
Mrs. Nath, the librarian at East Pike Elementary said, “My elementary students love having visitors from our high school. They enjoy the extra attention they are given during class and are eager to have the high school student’s help.”
Besides, for the high school students, it can be a nice change of pace. After all the stress that comes from attending the senior high and having all the homework and tests, it can be nice to take a day to go and do something for the school and help out the little kids.
Not only do some people get to see their relatives, but they get a chance to see what teachers do on a day to day basis and potentially return to the school where their education started.
Overall it is a really cool experience, and can really help a student wishing to pursue a job as a teacher in the future.
[Photo by Geri Nath]
Photo Caption: “Freshman Kaylee Becker-George helps East Pike Elementary students check out books during her visit to the elementary school library.”
