I recently had the pleasure of returning to the school where I had served as K-12 teacher/librarian - not to read stories, but to speak to a photography class.The art teacher, Leslie Gould, and I have remained in contact via Facebook, so she knew of my passion for capturing images. After a few postponements, I was finally able to participate in the first of what I hope will be a series of onsite classroom experiences.
Our planning was done via an exchange of messages and emails. After the students left, Leslie and I discussed how we might collaborate in the future. I've begun utilizing Pinterest to archive project suggestions and to display my own collection of photography- and creativity-themed books, so that she can match my resources to her curriculum.
I've interacted, via Skype, with students in a number of states, even another country, but there is something very satisfying about being physically present during a lesson. I would love to expand this aspect of my professional involvement, becoming a "blended" visitor.
As many of you know, I'm nominally retired, but still active as a writer, consultant, and collaborator. After years of learning about, and reflecting on, libraries and librarianship, I just couldn't walk away from the profession. For anyone in a similar situation, I've created a short SlideShare that offers some suggestions for reshaping your career after retirement. If you have additional pointers, please share your insights!
The self embedded librarian
View more presentations from Diane Cordell
"Welcome Mrs. Cordell" by dmcordell
2 comments:
Awesome slideshow!! Great points about being retired. I can't imagine ever retiring, but I can imagine doing as you're suggesting to stay involved. Great ideas!
Thank you, Pamela. I think retirees are a vastly under-utilized resource.
That said, the same techniques apply when you're still working in the profession but want to broaden your influence. Students benefit, teachers benefit, the librarian benefits...what's not to like?
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