This summer time, 1000’s of educators and distributors who serve schooling descended on New Orleans and braved 110% humidity for the primary “again to regular” convention for the Worldwide Society of Expertise in Training, or ISTE. After two digital conferences, of us have been excited to be again in individual, and regardless of continued COVID protocols, hugs abounded as pals and colleagues reunited on the tradeshow flooring and through periods all through the New Orleans conference heart.
My convention expertise started on the Future Prepared Library Summit on Collaboration the place 150 librarians from throughout the nation—and even abroad—gathered to brainstorm methods during which they might higher collaborate with academics, principals, district management, and one another. I had the chance to welcome the group and felt compelled to share a narrative about one among my earlier visits to New Orleans in 2005, a few week after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.
Again then, I labored as a tv journalist in Oklahoma Metropolis. I traveled with the Military to New Orleans to cowl the search, rescue, and restoration missions. Whereas there, we slept within the Walmart car parking zone within the Ninth Ward. I needed to put on a masks (a few years earlier than masks have been the norm) and put Vicks VapoRub underneath my nostril to fight the odor of the flood water and waste. My videographer smoked cigarettes on the time, and I discovered myself standing subsequent to him as a result of the cigarettes smelled higher than the air (and I’ve by no means had a cigarette in my life)!
Whereas canvassing the neighborhood, we discovered many properties that had been efficiently evacuated. Heartbreakingly, we discovered some properties during which the resident didn’t make it out. However I’ve by no means forgotten after we knocked on the door of a house and Paulette answered. She was wading by a foot of water in her lounge. She defined that she didn’t wish to evacuate as a result of her pal Sylvia brings her meals each two weeks and didn’t understand how she would survive with out Sylvia’s supply. What Paulette didn’t perceive was that Sylvia wouldn’t be bringing her meals. We satisfied her to go together with us to the Superdome, the place she can be transported to one among 5 cities taking evacuees.
I’ve by no means forgotten Paulette. I don’t know what occurred to her however can solely hope she discovered herself in a metropolis with the type of assist companies she wanted.
I shared Paulette’s story with the Future Prepared group at ISTE that day as a result of she had no management over the hurricane headed for her dwelling; she had no management over the following supply of her groceries; and she or he had no management over the place the Military transported her for her subsequent dwelling. Not having management is horrifying.
And there’s my level. There are lots of esoteric challenges going through schooling at present. Librarians can’t management the pandemic… or dad and mom arguing about masks, vaccines, or books. However librarians can management how and in the event that they collaborate.
