Influence

The Boys of Baraka

I watched The Boys of Baraka a couple evenings ago. The film focuses on the education of a handful of pre-teen (or "tween") boys who were raised and educated in the inner-city ghetto in Baltimore, Maryland and then follows the boys' attitudes and educational performance during and after one year of special schooling in Kenya, East Africa. In the end, some boys appear to have escaped Baltimore's staggering black, teen male statistics of early death or jail time, while others struggle to complete their high school education.

What is the answer? How can we improve such negative inner-city statistics?

As with many problems, the solution is multi-faceted. As the film suggests, a large portion of the problem is environmental. Family, neighborhood, and school system are all at fault.

These children have "incomplete" families. They are raised by one parent or grandparent while should-be parents are in jail or on drugs. In some cases, these single caregivers do not have the education themselves to know the most positive and effective ways to encourage the child to set educational goals.

Neighborhoods are filled with drugs and violence.

The school system is not succeeding in positively motivating the students to think beyond what they've learned at home or on the streets.

The idea of the Baraka school is to take the children away from this negative environment while adding adults who demand student responsibility.

At the end of the film, an extra interview with Bill Cosby sums up the solution. Cosby says, "Put a body [or person] on them." In other words, I am again referencing in this blog the need for a one-on-one knowledageble caregiver with a growing child.

As a public library employee in the inner city, I again wonder ... How can we reach the child's home caregivers?

I hope to discover some answers to this entire issue as well as appropriate actions to this particular question while working on my assigned Emerging Leader project.

Participation

The New Year grows nearer and nearer and yet, I have received only two comments on my blog. I have asked for participation from various professional contacts and past professors as well as notified both of my alma maters via alumni news. I even made an annoucement on one of the listservs today. I am not quite sure if there is any other appropriate place for me to market this blog.

While I find value (and pleasure) in documenting my experience in this program, I really think it would be interesting to collect ideas on leadership from various professionals throughout the online community.

I can only hope that my contribution will someday also be valuable to others.

Balance

It's that time of year again.

The Holiday Season is in full bloom, and normal responsibilities are compounded by extra, special preparations for celebrations with loved ones. We are busy with things, things, things.

It is also a natural time of the year to reflect on one's life.
This past week, I was home sick for a few days, and I realized that my mind was too busy ... too scattered ... too hurried. The laying around, waiting for my body to feel better, also put me in low spirits. What was I accomplishing?
Rose-colored as it seems, I did affirm that I find meaning and pleasure in my work as a Children's Librarian. However, it is when I am away from the work environment that I feel I am not reaching my full potential.

In addition to my professional aspirations, I need to devote time to my physical and mental health. I need to become more committed to exercise and healthy eating as well as meditation and spiritual study. I need engage all dimensions of my humanity.


Upon my return to work, I retracted a previous commitment to another volunteer project.


During this season of my professional career, I am excited to start preparing for my EL project by reading and listening to some Coretta Scott King Award books. As an individual, I am working on my wellness.

What Makes Some People Leaders and Others Not?

About two weeks ago, the Public Relations department here at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County sent out a press release about my acceptance in the ALA EL program. To my knowledge, the story has been printed in three township papers and our own library newsletter.

Initially, this publicity made me feel strange. While excited and happy that my (positive) news had been publicized, I also wondered what others might now expect or believe about me. I wondered, "What do I expect and believe about myself?"

On one hand, I feel knowledgable and confident as a new Children's Librarian, and I have always liked to immerse myself in activities that I enjoy.

On the other hand, I am still learning and perfecting my practice, and outside of Children's Librarianship, there are subjects where I have yet to understand the basics. Additionally, I label myself as an introvert. To me, part of this label means that occasionally I have to push myself to socialize.

For a moment (while considering the publicity), I had created this picture of a Leader who was extremely out-going and social ... someone who always knew the most efficient, clear, and appropriate response ... someone who was ... not me.

While it is not strange to me that I have participated and do participate in leadership roles, it seems bold to refer to myself as a Leader. The term "Emerging Leader" is more manageable, since it gives me some space to grow.


When I think of historical or present day Leaders, attaining the eventual title "Leader" seems presumptuous. There's so much that goes into the creation of a Leader ... so many kinds of Leaders ... so many motivations for individuals to become Leaders ... It is interesting to wonder about the individuals who are recognized as Leaders as well as the group of individuals who have recognized him or her.

To comfortably attain the title of "Leader," I would need to decide what kind of Leader I want to be, truthfully determine my motivation for being a Leader, choose who I would want to lead and work with, and then be accepted and recognized by this chosen group.

I've just started reading Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins, and I think it will help me address these professional questions in addition to other personal issues and goals.

Info Connection (Task A)

The Emerging Leaders team would be expected to:

a. Be familiar with the history of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards,

as well as reading several of the winning titles

While randomly picking up the children's area tonight, I happened to come across The Coretta Scott King Awards, 1970-2004.

I have seen this title before as an undergraduate while working at the Curriculum Resource Center at Youngstown State University. I even saw it more recently in early October while weeding the beginning of the children's nonfiction section.

It wasn't until tonight that the information became relevant and necessary.

I sent my first email to my team members to share the discovery!

My Emerging Leader Project: Introduction

Now that I have laid the foundation for this library leadership blog, it is time to detail my involvement in the Emerging Leader's program.

Toward the end of October, EL participants were given a list of possible projects/assignments and their descriptions. We were asked to distribute "points" or "votes" to the ones we most wanted to undertake. Based on our interests, individual participants were placed into teams.

At the beginning of November, I was thrilled to be assigned to my first choice -- Project A: Lift Every Voice and Read: A Personal Library for Every Child.

Why This Project Interests Me:

Since my first children's literature class at Youngstown State University and Mock Caldecott experiences with NEO-RLS, I have studied and researched awards given to children's literature.

During my time at Kent State University, I became intellectually interested in marketing. However, I can trace my attention to visual, organizational, and usability techniques throughout my education. (This awareness probably began with my mother's practical use of marketing in our annual, family garage sales.)

Today I work at an urban location in my library's system where I encounter many African American youth. Therefore, I can understand the need for "positive images of African American history, lifestyles and issues of concern to African American culture." This understanding is also grounded in my undergraduate experience as a sociology major.

From my formal education, work-related, and familial experiences (especially in interacting with my 22 month old nephew), I understand the importance of home libraries (in conjunction with adult interaction) as a block in building vocabulary skills.

The Challenge:

So far, the only part about this project that makes me uneasy is the deadline: "Deliver examples of the completed marketing campaign products by June 1, 2009 considering a $10,000 campaign budget for possible implementation in 2010."

... It helps to remember that I am part of a team ...