Statement of Career Goals

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I’ve always loved words.  I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t surrounded by books or telling stories to people.  My mother was a pre-school teacher and made it a priority to raise me in a house full of books.  The librarians at my local library knew my name, I participated in all of their summer reading programs, and when I was old enough to get a job at the library, I did. There was nothing I wanted more than to be surrounded by books and loose myself in a story.

 

This same enthusiasm for reading followed me to college.I earned a BS English Education at Ohio University and a MEd in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Integrated Language Arts from Boston University. Reading and writing was my passion, so what better profession was there than teaching, where I could share my love of both with students?

 

I am now in my eleventh year as a high school Language Arts teacher (American Literature) and constantly seek out opportunities to better both my students and myself. I am a Nationally Board Certified teacher, have taught internationally in Costa Rica, traveled to Japan on a Fulbright, and taken numerous classes at Cleveland State University in Creative Writing. I believe education is a never-ending process and see myself as a life-long learner. 

 

I don’t just love reading books, I also write them. I am also a Young Adult and Middle Grade writer. My debut YA novel, CANARY (published under my maiden name, Rachele Alpine), came out in August 2013, and my agent currently has my next YA novel and a MG novel on submission with editors. I devour YA and MG literature and can’t get enough of it.  While I have encountered people who do not see the literary merit in MG and YA literature, I know they are wrong.  Some of the most powerful and beautifully written books come from authors who write for children and teens, and these stories are so important to this generation of students.

 

My background in writing and education has prompted me to pursue a School Library Media licensure.  I work side by side with my school librarian helping my students select engaging books, discover things through research, and plan events at our school to promote reading.  I believe this licensure will allow me to increase my skills and reach my students in new and different ways.  Libraries are an integral part of a school system, and students can benefit immensely from teachers and librarians working together.

 

I see the completion of this program as a way to strengthen my own teaching and the work I do with my school librarian.  Together, we have worked to instill a love of reading among our students.  The first thing I do at the start of each semester is make a promise to my students. I tell them that they will learn to love reading by the time they leave my classroom.  I work hard to set up a climate that supports reading in my classroom; helping students find books they love and make it a priority to start class each day with a minimum of fifteen minutes of reading.  I facilitate book talks and author events with my students, and I think it’s so important to supplement the literary cannon with contemporary books so students are reading both the classics and books that are of high interest and with characters that they can see themselves in.

 

I plan to use the knowledge I gain from the program to reach my students in new ways.  Reading and research are very important in my classroom and this program will allow me to learn new techniques and be current in the important topics in Library and Information Science.  Ultimately, I hope to take over our school media specialist’s job when she retires, continuing the tradition we created together to help encourage and foster a love of reading in students.

 

One of the most important issues in the field of Library and Information Science is that of censorship.  It’s not a topic that is newor one that will go away any time soon. However, as a classroom teacher, it’s so important to me.  The ability for teens to have access to titles is something I am passionate about.  Part of the reason why I feel in love with YA literature is because it dares to tackle issues that are important to teenagers today.  It gives a voice to what people often won’t discuss, and it is so important for teens to have access to these novels.

 

As a teenager, YA literature saved me.  It showed me worlds where I learned that I wasn’t alone in my fears or confusion.  There were other people going through the same things that I was going through and they survived, so I believed I would too. YA literature was a solace to me, my safe haven, and I understand the power it can have in a teenager’s life.  I also understand how important it is to make these books available to teenagers, despite those who feel otherwise.

 

When people censor books, they are promoting ignorance.  The silencing of someone’s words or ability to have access to these words is something I feel very passionate about.  It is through stories that people find understanding, strength and inspiration. 

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What the library means to me:

(posted on the Geauga Library System blog)

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The Fairview Park library has been one of my favorite places in the world since I was young and was a part of my life throughout every stage and transition.  

 

We lived close enough to the library that I could ride my bike to it (which I did pretty much every day and maybe even two times on some days!).  My mom had punched a hole in my library card and put it on a string, so I could wear it like a necklace.  I remember entering the library and feeling like a rock star; all the librarians knew my name and I had decided that I was going to read all of the books on the shelves in the children’s room.  I remember putting a tiny dot next to the title on the title page as a way to keep track of what books I read.  I knew I shouldn’t write in a library book, but I reasoned with myself that it was okay. The dot was so small that no one would notice.  It’s been 30+ years since I did that, but I wonder if any of those books with dots on them still exist somewhere.  

 

As soon as I was old enough, I got a job as a page at the library.  I felt so grown up and important being able to go into the special librarians’ lounge! The library kept most of its non-fiction on the top floor and to get there, you’d have to put the cart of books into an elevator especially made for transporting books between floors.  I’d put the books in, climb the steps, and have to wait for the books to get there!  That was how slow the elevator was!  I was good at shelving books.  Too good, maybe, because I’d get my job done very fast.  And then I may have gotten lost in a book or two on that empty top floor of the library.  

 

I moved away and discovered new libraries, but none were as important as the one that I grew up going to.  That’s why it was an easy choice when I was trying to decide where I’d have the launch party for my first book.  I had to at the Fairview Park library.  The entire event was incredible.  It was full of people who had been important to me during my writing journey, and I was able to celebrate my first published book in the place where I fell in love with books.  

 

My young son and I are now discovering the library near our house, making many visits, and I’m hoping that he’ll find the same magic among those shelves that I once did when I was young.