One for the books: Red Rock Elementary library media specialist sees role for printed page

ROYAL CITY — Debra Rees says people who think books are on the way out and kids won’t read them are mistaken.

“Oh, no. I would not say that at all,” she said.

Rees is the library media specialist at Red Rock Elementary School in Royal City. In her opinion, a book is the perfect companion on a rainy afternoon.

In an age of technology, with cellphones, tablets and other computers, and increasingly elaborate televisions, there’s still room for books, she said. Not that technology and paper are in competition. It’s more like they complement each other, Rees said.

“I think there is a place for everything,” she said. “I think they each have a role. And I think as a media specialist I can help children understand that role.”

Rees is a veteran of the classroom.

“I’ve been doing this since 1977,” with some time off to raise her children, she said. “I taught fourth grade for 20 years. I taught kindergarten, first grade.”

After retiring from her teaching job in Utah, she moved to Royal City to be closer to family. She spent two years as the library media specialist in Othello before getting the job at Red Rock Elementary.

Becoming a library media specialist required two additional years of training, she said.

She puts her teaching experience to work in the library job, teaching a class of second-grade reading along with running the library. Rees has been at Red Rock for three years, and plans to retire after the 2020-21 school year.

“I teach, and I run a library,” she said. “So I really have two jobs. I teach library skills and the love of learning using media sources, library sources, books and media.”

Her goal is to teach children skills they can use their whole lives.

“Everything that I do and present with the kids uses technology and books,” she said.

Mixing technology with the books on the shelves starts when kids walk in the door, especially with the precautions required to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

“We play a little game with them for a couple minutes, to kind of get them talking. Remember, they’re coming off of online school. And so they hadn’t had the interaction, or a lot of interaction, with each other,” she said. “And then we talk about our topic for the day.”

The topic of the day can be anything from insects to outer space, and can be presented through videos or slideshows. Then there’s a reading lesson, using a computer projector.

The library also has access to online books, and kids use those to research the daily topic. While some kids are studying, others are browsing the bookshelves.

When they’re doing research for the daily topic, or doing a report on the books they’ve read, kids are also learning about research and how to evaluate what they’re reading, she said.

“We teach them how to analyze information and write down facts from the books that they’re reading. Are their sources valid?” she said.

Kids learn about different genres, and whether a book is fiction or nonfiction.

“I teach them story elements, like character, setting, plot, problems, solution. They can analyze the books that we read,” she said.

The kindergartners and first-graders might not be reading yet, so Rees has lots of picture books for them. Before the coronavirus outbreak, she displayed them on tables. Now they are laid out on the floor.

“We call them ‘everybody books,’ because everybody loves them. Everybody can enjoy them,” Rees said.

The coronavirus outbreak has added an extra layer of complexity, requiring books to be sanitized or quarantined.

“I just say, it’s not a job for sissies. And it’s not,” she said. “You have to be on top of things.”

She said she would encourage any district to hire a library media specialist. It’s an investment for a district, but in her opinion it’s a good investment.

“It makes a big difference in what happens with the kids,” she said.

Rees said she always wanted to work with kids, although she originally intended a career in medicine. Her professors suggested a teaching degree as part of the medical training, but once she got the degree she went right into the classroom, she said.

Teaching required her to use her creativity to inspire her students and not only teach them what they need to know, but also show them how to fulfill their potential.

“I think that’s the goal of education. It’s not just to pour facts into their brains, but help them to become their best selves and to see their potential. And love learning. And love life. It’s a gift we only get once,” she said.

Rees and her husband moved to Royal City to be closer to their children and grandchildren, and she said she was impressed by what she saw in Royal schools.

“I have seen the awesome way that the teachers here are vested in these children. I mean, they give their hearts and souls to these kids. And I just felt, rather than just retire, I would do my part and help build this community. And now it’s time to retire again,” she said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.