Include

Dr. Denise McDougal has demonstrated an understanding of and commitment to inclusiveness and respect for diversity in the learning community. 

Implementation and Collaboration

Due to Covid restrictions and restrictive leadership at Dr. McDougal's current school library until recently, Dr. McDougal and I discussed how she was inclusive at her current, Berkeley High School, and her previous, Stratford High School, library media center.  

Dr. McDougal invites the special education classes into the library to work and find resources. In the past, she has coordinated a buddy program. This gives each student in the special education class a buddy. This helps promote community and inclusion throughout the school. Students working closely in this program often have a sense of fulfillment and understanding they did not have before. Dr. McDougal collaborates with the ESOL teacher. She ensures the students have the materials they need in their first language. She also gives the teacher materials, ideas, and other resources to ensure she can teach to her best ability, differentiating for all her students. Dr. McDougal works with the children's lit class to make sure that they have what they need to work with elementary-aged students. She also works with the English teachers helping choose novels to best fit each of their classes and from multiple perspectives. 

Dr. McDougal had a very open and inviting environment at Stratford where all students felt welcome. She had a sewing machine in the library and she often found herself helping students in unconventional ways for a library, but she found this to have a huge impact. She had students come into the library that typically would not enter. Because they were assisted in a way that was significant to them, they often returned to the library for other programs and materials. She had book clubs highlighting minority cultures and people of all abilities. She also hosted other clubs for student organizations. Dr. McDougal had a teaching area within the library where she could teach lessons in small groups or to whole classes. She often taught inclusion and diversity practices.

Resources

There are resources that are required to have an inclusive and diverse library. Dr. McDougal offers books at all levels from picture books to adult leveled books, including graphic novels. There are print, audio, and electronic books. A resource like Tumblebooks is important because it allows students to choose the language and level they need, and there are included quizzes the teacher can use. She offers Spanish books for her Spanish-speaking population. She has books written by and about diverse perspectives, cultures, and abilities. At Stratford, Dr. McDougal had creation materials, robotics, and coding supplies. These materials invite a variety of students, allowing students to work in a diverse and inclusive environment.

Challenges

There are challenges that Berkeley High School faces. One challenge is the location of the library. The library is outside of the school building in its own building. The library is not as easily accessible. The students have to travel farther to get there and there is a security system to get through the door that can be cumbersome. Another challenge is since Covid the restrictions have heavily limited library usage. Students have not been able to enter the library as they would like and that has transformed the library environment. Coupled with the reluctance of high school students to enter the library, the inclusive and diverse practices in the Berkeley High School library have almost been halted entirely. Dr. McDougal has plans to repair this beginning next year with library orientation. 

Reflection 

I think it is important to make sure all types of students are included and feel welcome in the library. I loved that Dr. McDougal talked about having varying types of books and all levels of books. It is also important to have books that teach about diversity. Using library time to have lessons on inclusion and diversity is a great way to ensure we are promoting inclusion. In my future library, inclusion will happen daily through direct lessons, materials, and interactions with the students.