About me

Hi!

My name is Trish and I am a Teacher Librarian in an Australian high school where my role is to promote literacy, learning and literature across the curriculum.

Whilst this blog arose as part of my Masters in Education, I found that I enjoyed writing down my thoughts and reflections about my practice as a teacher librarian. This ‘writing for knowledge construction’ has helped my understanding about pedagogy and curriculum grow. I now write for me, to share what I am doing in my practice and in turn have created a space for me to continue my own life long learning experience. So, if you have read this far, and wish to read more, please subscribe to my blog.

Thank you

Trish

  • Book review: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
    Yesteryear made me ragey, and I mean that as a compliment. At the centre of the novel is Nattie, a self-proclaimed “trad wife” influencer whose social media presence is built on an idyllic vision of domesticity. Online, she presents herself as a woman living naturally on her organic farm, homeschooling her children, cooking wholesome meals, and embracing traditional family values. She sells custom homewares, champions organic living, and suggests that modern society has lost its way. Nattie’s social media posts glorify the past, or as she calls it, yesteryear. The reality is rather different. Nattie lives on a farm owned … Continue reading “Book review: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke”
  • Book Review – John of John by Douglas Stuart
    Douglas Stuart’s John of John is not an easy novel to love, but it is impossible to ignore. Set amid the wind-scoured isolation of the Outer Hebrides, Stuart delivers a bleak and unflinching portrait of a father and son trapped not only by poverty and place, but by faith, shame and silence. The novel follows John-Calum MacLeod, known as Cal, an unemployed university graduate summoned home by his father to farewell his dying grandmother. Cal returns reluctantly to an island he had hoped to escape, only to find that the tensions, resentments and secrets that drove him away remain as … Continue reading “Book Review – John of John by Douglas Stuart”
  • Beyond “Boy Books”: Reflections from a Teacher Librarian in a Boys’ School
    As a teacher librarian in a boys’ school, I read The Conversation article Luke Bateman says boys need books “written for boys” to become readers. But it’s not that simple with mixed emotions. On one hand, I welcomed the discussion about boys, reading and masculinity. On the other, I found myself increasingly frustrated by the persistent notion that boys need “boy books” in order to become readers. After nearly a decade working with boys and books, I have become wary of explanations that position boys as somehow fundamentally different readers, requiring a separate literary diet from their female peers. The … Continue reading “Beyond “Boy Books”: Reflections from a Teacher Librarian in a Boys’ School”
  • Mentoring Forward: Sustaining Practice and Growing Creativity
    As teacher librarians, our professional practice is shaped not only by the resources we curate or the programs we design, but by the relationships that sustain and challenge us. Mentoring is one of the most powerful of these relationships, influencing professional identity, confidence, and the ongoing development of practice. I am deeply grateful to the Australian School Library Association for the opportunity to participate in their mentorship program this year. It is a privilege that feels both significant and personal. When I began my journey as a teacher librarian, I was fortunate to learn from two exceptional mentors, Bronwyn and … Continue reading “Mentoring Forward: Sustaining Practice and Growing Creativity”
  • The Work Behind the Welcome: Readers Cup, Reading Communities and the Unseen Labour of School Libraries
    Last week, my school was privileged to host the Brisbane South Readers Cup competition, welcoming more than 100 students and 23 teams from schools across the region. The evening was a celebration of reading, literature and intellectual curiosity, bringing together young people united by a shared love of books. Readers Cup is far more than a quiz competition. At its heart, it is about creating a community of readers. In an age where young people are often characterised by what they are not doing, events such as Readers Cup remind us of what they are doing. They are reading deeply, … Continue reading “The Work Behind the Welcome: Readers Cup, Reading Communities and the Unseen Labour of School Libraries”