When thinking about the makeup of K-12 schools, teachers, students, and principals might come to mind first. Too often, the forgotten soldiers of education are librarians. These unsung, multiskilled individuals are sometimes the backbone of a school. During COVID-19 these specialized educators faced tremendous adversity as they were forced to advocate for literacy via video conferences or socially distanced library visits. 

This week I reached out to three extraordinary librarians who did amazing things for their campuses during the pandemic. Melanie Hodges has been a librarian for 17 years and shares a professional learning network (PLN) with Anne Arnold, a librarian of 13 years, and Tiffany Achiu, a librarian of four years. I have known these educators for some time and their ability to support their campuses during this past year was nothing short of outstanding. All three of these educators were nominated for Teacher of the Year for 2021 on their respective campuses and two of them won. If you know anything about K-12 education, you know a big deal is a librarian winning Teacher of the Year. 

In this episode, we speak with these remarkable librarians about obstacles they faced and figured out, virtual support for remote learning, virtual maker spaces, and curbside library book check-out. We also discuss the challenges and triumphs that COVID-19 has presented in the library as well as their profession. Lastly, we talk about the power of a PLN and how it has strengthened our guests’ effectiveness in their schools. 

—William Jeffery is curating Flipboard EDU Podcast

“Coach Jeffery” is an award-winning digital learning educator and assistant principal at Columbia High School in Texas. His tech pedagogy continues to drive him to curate educational content on Flipboard that highlights teaching strategies, edtech, and ways to improve student success. He hosts the “Flipboard EDU Podcast” as yet another way to share resources with peers.