Starting the next chapter
Chelsea Watson is an educator at Florey Primary School who is passionate about inspiring a love for reading in her students.
This year, Chelsea was one of six teachers to receive an ACT Government Master of Teacher Librarianship scholarship to support her studies as she upskills to become a qualified teacher librarian.
Chelsea was inspired to upskill after seeing the positive impact that a dedicated teacher librarian and a well-resourced, well supported library collection can have on young people.
What inspired you to take on teaching originally?
I’m dyslexic and had a number of teachers work very hard to support me during primary school, so I now have enough coping strategies that I don’t test as dyslexic. My sister is also dyslexic and didn’t get the same support that I received. Early on, in just year 5 or 6, I could already see the difference that the teachers were having on us. I had learned to love stories and reading and experienced how good teachers of literature could open the world of books to people who might otherwise be shut out.
Can you describe the role of a teacher librarian in 2021?
It’s not only about igniting a passion for reading in students but giving them with the tools to survive in our world and make sense of the huge amount of information, and misinformation that’s presented to them. They need to learn to take control of their own digital presence and that's a big part of the librarianship. There’s this idea that young people are “digital natives” and while they know how to do amazing things with a tablet, they still need to be taught skills like naming and storing files effectively and how to use the online system to borrow eBooks.
What are you looking forward to most about being a teacher librarian?
One of the things I love about working in the library is putting the right books into the hands of the right kids. A well-stocked library should have books that every kid can get engaged in.
I’m also looking forward to supporting teachers to bring their classes into the library and use the resources effectively. If we aren’t supporting teachers to take their classes to libraries, they won’t be properly utilised the way they should.