Sandra Davis, Ed.S.

When I was a kid, I loved playing outside; if I was going to spend time indoors, my favorite places were school and the public library. At school, I loved learning new things and I found security in my elementary classrooms. On the weekends, I would ride my bike to the library seeking the same safety and comfort my teachers offered during the week. I can remember sitting on the floor in the stacks, devouring books in both the children and adult collections. It took me a while to find my path in life, but a few things have remained constant: my love for school, learning, and books.  In my early adult life, I was trying to figure out what to do with my passion. Initially I thought I would go into the publishing industry, but that plan was cut short after 9/11 when the small magazine that finally took a chance on me as a copy editor closed its doors so the owners could move back to New York to be with family. I was living with my grandmother at the time, a well-respected educator in Broward County. She helped me get a job as a substitute to supplement my income while I looked for a new job in publishing, but on my third day at Nova High School, the principal asked me if I was familiar with debate. Their assistant coach had just walked off the job, and if I was willing, I could start in the position the following Monday. I figured why not, and my career in education began. I was working on a provisional license those first two years, and while I look back and cringe at some of my teacher-practices during my untrained time in the classroom, I will never forget those early groups of students. I didn't know what I was getting into, but those first students were incredibly diverse and passionate about their community and the world around them. I quickly learned that the Nova High School Debate Team was a national powerhouse, and within my first month, I found myself traveling with a group to the Berkeley Debate Tournament while our head coach took our varsity team to Harvard. Talk about trial by fire. I have never been afraid of a challenge, and while I didn’t know it yet, my career as an educator truly began on that trip; however, I would still ignore my destined calling for several years.  I was in the process of completing teacher certification classes at the local community college my second year at Nova when I was offered the opportunity to work as a personal chef. Throughout college and my early adult life, I supplemented my income waiting tables and bartending. One of my regulars was a professional baseball player, who would often come in with his wife. They knew I was working as a teacher and paying my way through college and would always ask questions when they came in, but one night in February 2003, they offered to pay for culinary school if I would come work as the wife's personal assistant and cook dinner most nights. Much like my introduction to teaching, I said why not, and after finishing the school year, I started a new adventure that was full of travel and luxury. But through it all, I missed being in the classroom. Initially, I thought I would work my way up to being a corporate trainer in the hospitality industry, but in 2006 I was presented with the opportunity to teach culinary arts at North Cobb High School in Cobb County.  I loved teaching culinary, but I soon learned I would need additional certifications to maintain that position, so when I was offered an opportunity to teach English and create a debate team for the school, I quickly enrolled in a graduate program that included certification and finally settled into a career in education. Since 2006, I have worked with all levels of students in various schools, and I have truly loved serving each community. But I knew pretty early in my career that my favorite place in the whole school was the library, and I was inspired by the potential of those spaces. Eventually, I went back to school again, and in 2018, I accepted the position as Smitha Middle School's Library Media Specialist. Since being at Smitha, I have continued to learn about and lean into what school libraries should look like in the twenty-first century. I have implemented a Creative Corner, a Recording Studio, a Calming Corner, and a Bluetooth security system that allows us to monitor multiple spaces with minimal staff. I have also developed a Library Science connections class, and every year I monitor about a dozen students while guiding them through independent projects and regular tasks that elevate and support our library media program. I believe strongly in meeting students where they are; I also believe that student voice and choice is a crucial component of any school library program. School libraries should serve their communities, and student input is the most important part of serving communities successfully.