Michelle Raczkowski

Educator/Teacher

I am the librarian at Mt Everett Regional School in Sheffield, MA and I am passionate about inquiry-based learning. I strive to fulfill the academic and personal needs of my students through individual and group support, curating resources and facilitating educational opportunities.

Teaching: Working with children, and specifically adolescents in a school setting, presents a unique opportunity to support and nurture the individual personal and academic goals and ambitions that lie in the hearts and minds of the next generation. I wholeheartedly believe in inquiry-based learning and I believe that one of my more important roles as a librarian and teacher is to support and implement student-driven ideas and initiatives. Between teaching research classes, creating multiple book clubs with students (realistic fiction, fantasy, graphic novels), engaging student interns, and involvement in school wide initiatives (Global Ed, Wellness) among other undertakings, I feel proud and gratified to work as the librarian at Mount Everett. Community: Our homes are where our understandings of our place in the world and each other develop and grow. I grew up in a small house in Queens where my dad would relay family stories, almost always followed with a hefty guffaw. I often went to friends’ houses, experiencing the smells, sounds and tastes of cultures different from my own humble American upbringing. Korean, Chinese, Greek, my friends and their families enabled me to better experience the greater world and to understand that my own perspective was just one of many. My culturally immersed upbringing was a lesson in curiosity and connection, in empathy and humility, and ultimately in community and love. I came to librarianship from a love of stories and information and learning, and a desire to positively affect my community. Building strong communities takes time and effort, and I find that working within the public library, both as a librarian and as a volunteer through the Friends group, has allowed me to provide services, events, programs as opportunities for all people, regardless of age, race, gender and socioeconomic status to come together for the betterment of all. The Environment: “Live simply so that others may simply live.” -- Mahatma Gandhi I try to live by this wisdom. Living mindfully and sustainably with humanity, animals and the planet in mind is fundamentally integral to my system of values. Being in nature provides me with an overall sense of well being and connectedness, and I hike and engage in outdoor recreation regularly. In the near future, I would like to further develop this passion by participating in and implementing initiatives that foster an appreciation, respect and awe of nature in young people. Creative Expression: I believe strongly in the value of creative expression and the creation of culture. My mom taught me to sew as a very young child, and as an older kid and teen I could often be found drawing, painting, sculpting, building my own furniture, experimenting in the kitchen, and solving creative problems (which one time ended with a smoking blender after I tried to make my own DIY pottery wheel). Creative pursuits inherently nurture curiosities and incite experimentation. They foster a development of an understanding of how things work on both a scientific level and within the context of art, music, comedy, and the performing arts. Ultimately, much of creativity is trial and error, practice and patience, and requires the determination and desire to step up to the drawing board again and again. And this process is how culture and society not only progress, but allow us to view life from a plethora of perspectives.

As a librarian, I am avid reader, bibliophile and lover of ideas. As such, I have ordered books written by just about all of the speakers that we have included in our TED Talk Tuesdays program. Yesterday, I was chatting with a student about books that she likes and it led to a plan for her to create her own collection in the library, “The Audrey Collection,” a collection of books that feature LGBTQ characters. I suggested to Audrey that we work with the art teacher to design and carve a linoleum block stamp, a monogram or insignia that would identify each book as part of this collection. We will use this block to stamp the end pages of each book, and in doing so secure Audrey’s legacy in the library at Mount Everett. I mentioned this to Marya in casual conversation, and she jumped on the idea, stating that she would love to create a display and bibliography of all of the books in the library collection that have been written by TED speakers. I think that these are ideas worth spreading and ideas worth growing.

Fine art, Librarianship

In the fall of 2016 my student Marya approached me about her library internship goals. Marya was extremely excited about the idea of hosting a lunchtime series of TED talks in the library during lunch. This became our TED Talk Tuesdays event, which each week draws students from grades 7-12. Students are invited to find an open spot on one of our picnic blankets and eat their lunch while watching John Green or Dixon Chibanda or one of the many (30+!) presenters that we’ve screened. Following the talk we have an informal discussion about the ideas that were presented. Additionally, a short clip of each talk is broadcast on the in-house created Morning Show each day, reaching the entire school community. Through these initiatives, the platform of TED has become a positive part of our school culture. Marya approached me with the goal of hosting a TEDx event at Mount Everett in the beginning of the school year. Together, we worked through the process of forming a TED Ed club, which was received by the regulars at TED Talk Tuesdays with great enthusiasm. Since December we’ve implemented the curriculum, recruited community members, faculty, and alumni to present, have written a financial grant to fund the event, and have been working out logistics such as venue, refreshments, and promotional materials. Additionally, we have been in contact with our local public access television station CTSB, which has opened its doors with open arms, inviting students to use the facilities and equipment, and to work with staff and volunteers to learn video production and editing.