Tina Hudak, MA, MLS (Class of 1999)
Head Librarian for the Lower School
St. Albans School for Boys Washington , DC

My position at St. Albans School found me using my M.L.S. skills with an added dimension in my second year; moving from the Lower School Library into the Computer Lab, the term Media Specialist, took on new meaning. Now, in my third year, I find it dynamic and challenging as my first day in the lab. Working with students and faculty, the daily schedule revolves entirely around the needs of these two groups. Accessing information is central to my role as teacher, co-teacher, media specialist, support service and troubleshooter. Transferring my online skills to a digital environment, students continue to learn critical thinking skills from web evaluation to online search strategies to annotated bibliographies. Emphasis on teaching the importance and use of databases is high on my priority list for my students as it provides reliable information from solid sources Incorporating the use of technology tools, such as digital filming, Audacity and graphic organizers, not only support differentiated instruction, but give a variety to project based learning. Additionally, offering in-services for faculty on navigating databases, graphic software along with AV support for both Upper and Lower Schools - DVD editing, filming to teacher evaluation, or simply providing the correct bulb for the LCD projector- provides fullness to the year.

Arriving at 7:00 AM., I greet a dark, quiet space for ten minutes. Then, the action begins! My delightful “labmate”, who teaches Form I History and directs our STArtSmart program, arrives full of energy and ideas! He is followed by students waiting to use the lab for last minute print outs of classroom assignments, or accessing Blackboard to check that they are, in fact, on task. Scheduled classes arrive throughout the morning: there is specific instruction on software to projects with detailed lesson plans co-designed and co-taught. Interspersed throughout the day, students will ask if they can drop by to “finish a paper” or needing help to “find an article;” teachers will request “extra time in the lab;” or administrators and IT request short meetings with me. A meditative respite from the demands of academic life is a thrice-weekly chapel service in our Little Sanctuary. Here, we sing, pray and pause together. More classes, and then, the Lower School adjourn for lunch in the Refectory where each teacher shares a family-style lunch with a table of students from all Forms. Afternoons allow one more class, before offering a half-hour monitored, open lab, where students work on an individual basis from research, writing, and using technology before sports. Then, it is my time to hunker down and focus on special projects or requests requiring my full attention before students return to the lab for STArtSmart until PM.

St. Albans is a special place; there is an understated love for its history, and an appreciation for being part of it by all who are there. This is exemplified by the enthusiasm of a Form A teacher, Nicholas Lucas who is collaborating with me on a new and exciting project. Working alongside our resident archivist, Mrs. Marta Dunetz, and adhering to the curricular goals, students will be using primary resources – yearbooks, personal interviews, journals – to research former STA community members (students, Headmasters, family members). Students will share their knowledge in Chapel, as they stand by the individual’s plaque, illuminating a life that was so central to their school and perhaps the world. It all comes full circle as a Media Specialist here – from teacher to student, as I learn from those who I teach.

If you are a College alumni and want to submit a profile of your current position, please contact Cassandra Jones at cbjones (at) umd.edu.