Last year,
Chaffee Trail Elementary was one of 26 schools in the state named a Florida Power Library School for excellence in 21st-century learning through collaboration and instruction in the school library. They have a model school library, and recently the Education Counselor of France, Mr. Farid Khelifi, visited their school to analyze and discuss their library program.
Principal Beverly Walker, Media Specialist Lucretia Miller, Duval County’s 2008 Teacher of the Year, and Dr. Amy Lingren, DCPS’ Chief Officer of K-8 Education, spent time with Khelifi explaining the best practices of their school and library.
Khelifi was most interested in learning about creative ways of engaging students to read, as well as digital resources and collection development. Some of his questions included how to get children to read and how to make them better readers.
“Get children to love the library and make it an intricate part of the learning process,” Walker told him. “We need to make our students love school and love taking out a book to read.”
Miller went on to discuss making reading a fun experience for the students.
“We constantly emphasize the joy of reading. Also, reading aloud is critical. Read to children a little bit to get them hooked on the story, and then they will want to read it themselves.”
Khelifi had the opportunity to talk to several students about why they loved to read and how they picked out their reading materials. He also visited a classroom to watch as children were taught to read through guided reading activities.
After his tour of the school and library, Khelifi attended the Poetry Slam, an assembly-type event that provided the third-graders with the opportunity to share the poems they wrote with their entire school.
Khelifi's visit to Jacksonville was through participation in the International Visitor Leadership Program.
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