DOKER: Task 5 Interview Summary

Task 5 Interview: Middle School Level

The middle school media specialist I interviewed was Jim Ramey from Lanier Middle
School (LMS) in Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS). This is his 19th year as media specialist;
although his time in the media center has been on and off within those 19 years. I chose to
interview Jim because LMS is the stepping stone from Sugar Hill Elementary when they leave
our school. Jim has currently been the media specialist at LMS for five years. His story of how he
earned a media certification was interesting! At the time he was getting his Master’s Degree, he
lived in Alabama and was a third grade classroom teacher. He was doing a technology add-on,
and it was highly encouraged because there was no technology for the school system he
worked in at that time. Technology was really gearing up in education then. Those were the
days of dial up.  Jim had an opportunity to do a lot of technology work with the college. He
could do four extra classes and earn his Master’s with a certification in media and technology
all at the same time. In order to do get the technology certification, he also had to get his media
degree/certification as part of the requirements. He became the Information Technology (IT)
person inside of his building and then within the system. That was about 20 years ago, and
things have changed a lot since then.

He moved to Georgia after being in the Alabama education system for about six years.
Georgia paid about $20,000 more a year in the classroom, so he moved. In Georgia, he first held
a true media specialist position after being a 4th grade teacher. Then he was asked to do work
with technology, but he realized he did not love the intricacies of technology or the behind the
scenes stuff. Being in technology seemed too far removed from the students and what he loved
to do. However, having both the curriculum aspect and technology experienced helped Jim
because he was able to teach others about how and where to go with technology. He learned
that teachers were passionate about technology and by having the background, he was able to
assist them.

At the time he was taking classes for his media certification, Jim did not know anything
about how to be a media specialist. He had never even been an avid reader. The college had a
DOKER: Task 5 Interview Summary

great program, but as Jim put it, “He didn’t know what he didn’t know.” Those were the days of
card catalogs, learning how to work a projector, splicing microfilm, and using microfiche. What
we have today in terms of media and technology, a media specialist 20 years ago would not
have been able to envision or conceive. Jim went from a nonreader to a media specialist!

The cooperative program planning and collaborative teaching he definitely saw earlier in
his career in Conyers, GA. However, today’s focus appears so much more on the academic
realm that it is often difficult to get to a teacher to help them with anything. All of his teachers
are in Collaborative Learning Teams (CLTs) within their grade level, and even if he drops in and
offers suggestions or ways he can help, he feels that he gets the look like, “OK, and when will
we do that?” He can relate to their feelings of academic and classroom pressure from his
experience teaching middle school math. He knows what it is like when the media specialist
would ask how she could help or when he wanted to bring the kids into the media center. Even
then there was so much pressure on teachers to raise test scores. Harboring these early
feelings he had as a teacher and knowing his role as a media specialist, Jim’s rhetorical question
to me was, “How do I respect that and still do my job as a media specialist?” For now, Jim
makes it a point to let teachers know he is available and that he will do anything and everything
teachers desire. At times, he gives some suggestions with units the teachers are working on. He
does not want to step onto anyone’s toes but will happily help them enhance or coordinate
lessons.

LMS does not have a developed reading program, per se. In the school Jim taught at
before LMS, he had established a school-wide reading program. In his opinion, reading (in the
sense of a program) seems to take a back seat to academics. Each morning students begin with
review in academics called CQI, and this is an opportunity where Jim steps in to prioritize book
checkout in the classroom. When he first began at LMS, there were mandated times that each
teacher visited the media center to assure students were able to get books from the media
center. Now the schedule is flexible and students come whenever they want to or are able. By
fixating on content area instruction and allowing flexible use of the media center, Jim has seen
the utilization of the media center significantly decrease.
DOKER: Task 5 Interview Summary

One way Jim has given back to the teachers is by providing them the chance to have the
books he has weeded out of the media center. He saw this as a way to make classroom libraries
more extensive and build relationships with teachers. Honestly, speaking with Jim makes me
think he feels somewhat defeated at times. He knows he has a duty to take the media program
to his teachers, but I get the sense he does not always feel needed. One example he mentioned
is the use of resources. He knows that so many of our current resources can be created into
widgets. Once he is able to help teachers upload the widget, his job feels complete. He also
mentioned that in elementary school it is easier to get students excited and teachers on board
with storytelling and ideas such as that, while in middle school it is harder to do. On the flipside,
Jim does some cool video productions with students and even runs a robotic club. Maybe it is
the time we are in- most educators feel stressed that they are not able to do their jobs as they
have in the past. Jim is not able to offer his club this year or bring students together in groups
for video production. This lack of normal causes frustration and anxiety.

Jim’s personal professional development typically includes school led sessions or those
offered by our county media services department. He wants to stay on top of new ideas so that
he can incorporate them into future lessons or in the work he does with teachers.

One way Jim and his clerk invite a community environment is by having monthly
window displays at the front of the media center. The focus may be on topics such as Banned
Books Week or cultural events like Hispanic Heritage Month. Nonfiction books, biographies,
whimsical/artsy items are displayed that pertain to the topic. He tries to meet the diversity of
all genres for all students. He also thinks this helps with the development of the media
collection, too. Students can make recommendations or requests to get books placed in the
media center by seeing what is ( or is not) displayed. Jim attempts to purchase appropriate
resources for all learners that represent multiple perspectives. He has tried to move away from
print resources but keeps coming back to it because that is the material students continuously
request.