Playing favorites

I know it is probably wrong to admit I have favorite professors, but it is the unvarnished truth. I have mentioned before how great it is to have a viable working relationship with faculty in the College of Education and my most enduring relationships continue to be with children's literature professors. From the semester annual Mock Caldecott sessions (coming soon - the Mock session and the actual announcement) to simple resource center visits, anything that gets students into the library works in my favor. I do, however, have a soft spot for a particular faculty member. When I was hired he was department chair and the best faculty resource I could hope to have. Now, he's back in the classroom working his magic.

Last spring he called and asked my opinion of a new assignment he was proposing to use with his students (I know I have discussed this before, but it is worth repeating). I looked through his syllabus, added a few comments, and offered to put together pathfinders for his students to use. I incorporated the information into his beginning of the term semester tour and often worked individually with his students when they came into to library. One of the reasons this faculty member stands out is easily illustrated with his visit today. He brought to me three portfolio's of completed assignments to view, apologized for not bringing more because he did not feel they were up to par with work they could accomplish, and asked me to look them over and tell him what I thought.

Quite exceptional.

It is not all that unusual to have an instructor solicit your assistance, even expertise, for a class project. It is unusual to have them share the results. This afternoon, acutaly momentarily, I have three completed assignments to view. One of them was written by a student who works for me in the resource center.

Tags: Academic library, Instructional resource centers, Curriculum materials centers, childrens literature