Mae-Lynn Smith

I actually gave myself the “Head Librarian" title. It sounds more important! I find the books the kids want to read and that are relevant to the curriculum and then I take out books that they don't want to read that are battered or torn. I do a lot of literacy instruction whether it be numeracy which is how numbers work, digital literacy, or computer programming, which is also a form of literacy. So we touch on all those as the classes come in. Our main goal is exposure, not mastery, so students get exposed to lots of different topics to find out what they like.

I think one of my one of my personality quirks that is very helpful with my job is that I'm very curious and playful. I am often accused of, "you're just down there playing with toys all day" and I'm like well yes…but I like to learn how to do the different things that we are going to be teaching. I get excited about it so that I can help other people get excited about it. 

The most memorable part about my job is the accumulation of personalities over years and watching the kids grow. I've been here for about 5 years now so the kids who were kindergarteners when I started are now in fourth grade and they are taking care of themselves and trying to pretend that they're grown ups. Just watching these human beings develop and change in such little time is heart moving.

When I am not working, I love to take car trips with my family.  We all hop into the car to find random places and see what we can find. It can be around the corner or we might ride all the way to the beach, which I think is a very fun and memorable moment. I also like to read of course, and so does my family, so most of the time it is pretty quiet in the house. It is very peaceful but cool how we are all doing it together. Family is very important to me, they make me happy. 

Interview by Devyn Pensky and Suhaib Chaudhry, spring 2023