Florida State’s No. 1 ranked School Library Media Program at the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) is among 56 such programs accredited by the American Library Association around the country. Its master’s degree program is completely online, with students closely monitored and supported through technology, including employing Skype to observe interns in the field.
Graduate of the program Jodi Hooks was a Project Lead recipient and a master’s student at Florida State University studying Library and Information Studies. She was a educator for 16 years in Tarpon Springs, Florida as an ESE Teacher certified in K-12. Jodi notes, “My favorite way to expose students to literature is through Teacher Read Alouds. I thoroughly enjoy reading aloud, changing my pitch & tone in character voices and watching the children’s faces as the story unfolds.” The use of books and stories in the classroom was based on student needs–core subject curriculum, holidays, emotional, just for fun, etc. and varied depending on the time of the year.
While at FSU, Jodi was accepted into the honor society Phi Kappa Phi and also attended 2 graduate classes at the London Study Centre during the summer of 2008 – something she remembers as a truly eye-opening and spectacular time. Says Jodi of her time at SLIS, “I am thankful for FSU for creating a climate of connectivity and support. During the program, I was teaching full-time and a single mom. I never felt alone and still rely on my cohorts from my time at FSU. It was validating to go through the program with my peers while having a high level of support from the caring professors.”
After receiving her graduate degree from FSU, Jodi accepted a position as a Library Media Specialist at Dunedin HIghland Middle School in Dunedin, Florida. During this first year running her own library, she led a group of students to win Pinellas County district’s Battle of The Books competition. In August 2011, Jodi accepted a position as a Library Media Specialist with DoDEA at Misawa Air Force Base in Misawa, Japan, and has never looked back. Reflecting on her latest adventure in Japan, Jodi says, “As an educator, we all need to feel like we are making a difference in the lives of children and others in our community. The strong sense of community at Misawa AFB is unlike anything I have ever experienced. I am humbled by the sacrifices of military families that I observe on a daily basis.”
Florida State University’s School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) was ranked 13th in the nation, 5th in Youth Services and 11th in Digital Libraries in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 edition of “Best Graduate Schools” published in March, 2013. Read more about SLIS’s top-ranked programs at FSU News.