Mrs. Lofthouse
Profile
I am an accredited librarian as well as a certified teacher. I graduated from the University of Chicago with a master`s degree in library science. I obtained my bachelor`s degree from Mundelein College where I majored in English and education. I taught library at an elementary school in Chicago with our third grade teacher, Mrs. Devine, in the years following our graduation from Mundelein. I then directed special business libraries in advertising and television where I conducted research, development and planning for several tv shows. I always missed teaching, however, so when Mrs. Devine alerted me to the opening of Churchill Elementary in the fall of 2005, I eagerly met with Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Harmon and here I am! I love teaching access to information for all 700+ students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade at Churchill.
I married Mr. Lofthouse during college and we have three children -- Amy, Andrew and Alyson -- as well as our foster son, Karl Peterson. Amy & her husband Dan blessed us with Emerson, our first grandchild, and he is a lot of fun at two and 3/4 years. I spent the summer taking care of him and I am tired!
There is much more information available in the world today and in many more formats than when I started teaching library. We did not have computers then, or I-pods, or DVDs or Blackberries, and most especially, we didn`t have access to the Internet! But some of the things that haven`t changed are that we still have to learn how to find the information, make sure that we have permission to use it, and then we have to learn how to evaluate it to make sure that it is good. There is a lot of junk out there. And now there are many more ways to present all of the information we have gathered. Instead of simply writing a report, for example, where we added our hand-sketched drawings and charts, we can create a production using digital still photographs, or video with music, or perhaps a PowerPoint presentation with computer-generated images and graphs. Sometimes all of this technology seems complicated so we try to break down all of the instructions into little steps and then practice each task. That`s how we learn.
We have a lot more great books available now and we are so fortunate to have many of them in the LRC. I love to introduce students to an important book that has great ideas!
Student Help Availability
LRC Room A243
You are welcome to come to the LRC at anytime when the two little lamps on the desk are turned on. When they are off, this means that I am teaching while Mrs. Hillesland is downstairs doing lunch duties between 11:30 and 1:30. Please try not to come during that time unless it is an emergency.
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