Redefining the School Librarian

Josh Stumpenhorst is the Learning Commons Director for Naperville Community School District 203 in Illinois. In a time when many districts are cutting back and eliminating librarian roles, Stumpenhorst’s district decided to double down, concentrating instead on developing “Learning Commons” instead of traditional libraries. The results were transformative. Not only did the roles of librarians change, but the entire learning space transitioned through a shift in mindset.

Adding Layers of Fun

Stumpenhorst truly feels he has the best job going in education. His expanded role as Learning Commons Director allows him to interact with a variety of creative tools, including 3D printers, laser cutters, woodcutting, drone flying, and of course, the traditional book-oriented activities.

There is a pride that Stumpenhorst embodies in promoting student ownership of learning while threading in elements of fun. As he adds, “Learning is natural at a young age. Yet, when [students] go to school, you slowly see it start to erode and be replaced by questions, not their own. We tell them what to learn, when to learn, and how to learn it. I’m trying to push back on that in my space. Everything we [bring] into our space, everything that we do, all of our programs ─ most of them are brought up by the kids.”

He is looking forward to his first time presenting at this year’s FETC, sharing with fellow teachers the breakthroughs occurring in his district. He is proud of the support of the community at large in providing the foundations and funding to help students creatively learn.

Identifying What Works

When presenting at conferences, Stumpenhorst is acutely aware that every community has its nuance. He realizes that his particular narrative may not adapt perfectly to other teachers’ environments. As a result, he likes to provide a disclaimer, “When you listen to anybody or read anybody’s book or blog, you have to take the pieces that fit your community. Sometimes, we try to bring things to scale and, by doing that, we lose the quality of what we’re actually trying to do. It’s always about our kids, the ones that we have in our school. What can we do, and what can we pull?”

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