My name is Elizabeth Wagner. I am from Atlanta, Georgia and am a proud alumnus of Dekalb County School District. I have been at the same school, Pleasantdale Elementary School in Dekalb County, for the past 16 years. My educational background includes a bachelor's and master's degree in early childhood education and specialist Degree in Teacher Leadership, along with three endorsements (reading, gifted and ESOL). Over the years, I have been a kindergarten teacher, kindergarten - fifth grade gifted teacher, and a kindergarten, second, fourth and fifth grade ESOL teacher. This is my first year as a teacher librarian. I am extremely excited that I was able to begin my chapter as a teacher librarian at Pleasantdale. It has been exactly what I dreamed of and more. I am very happy with my decision to go back to Georgia Southern University to pursue a different role within my school.   

During these sixteen years of experience, I have gained many different skills that have contributed to enhancing my teaching ability. Over my career, I have been consistently rewarded for hard work with encouragement and increased responsibilities such as heading the ESOL department, creating our school website, and being chair of committees, just to name a few. These rewards are a direct result of my work ethic, dedication to my work, and my commitment to personal and professional excellence. My ultimate goal with this learning opportunity is for my current skills and knowledge in education to successfully be enriched by “bridging the gap between theory and practice through the use of applied learning strategies” which will best serve my future career in education.  

Over my teaching career, it has become increasingly evident that reading is such a vital part of becoming a lifelong learner. Reading is beneficial in a plethora of ways, including building vocabulary, improving creativity and imagination, mentally stimulating students, improving writing skills, etc. Seeing all these benefits come to light over the years has pushed me to want to become a media specialist so that I can encourage a love of reading for students which will farthermost prepare them to become productive members of society.  

As an educator it is my duty to enhance students’ lives for the better and encourage their love of learning. As a teacher librarian, I will continue to guide students through quality education that promotes creativity and critical thinking when giving my lessons.  With this position I want to instill a love and passion for reading by making reading fun.