Being heard, building confidence, and becoming a beacon for kids: Thank you, Mr. Bosse and Ms. Sparks!

By Tara Shiman

Trying to describe my job to others can be a challenge some days. Saying I work in a public library doesn’t seem to really capture it. I have the special task of working with tweens and teens every day after school. I see it all: who’s texted whom, who said what at lunch and the salacious who’s-dating-whom. Most people, somewhat politely, ask me why I do it. It is really simple: I am there to be a steady presence for these teens and support them, guide them and listen to them because once upon a time, two very special teachers did that for me.

Like many teens trying to navigate peers, parents and hormones, I struggled to find my voice.

Flashback to many years ago, or a century ago as the teens will tell me, I sat in my 11th-grade English teacher’s room at Pickerington North High School, feeling so uncomfortable in my own skin. Like many teens trying to navigate peers, parents and hormones, I struggled to find my voice.

My school offered a unique two-year English program called Thematics. Taught by Mr. Bosse and Ms. Sparks, these classes would explore the English curriculum in different ways and work collaboratively together over the course of two years. However, it is not the curriculum I remember most. It is the deep empathy, compassion and understanding Mr. Bosse and Ms. Sparks gave to me.

Any junior in high school can tell you, it is not an easy time. I struggled with self-esteem and finding my own way. I felt an intense pressure to be like my friends, but also felt like I should be more like my super-smart older sister. I often felt like I had no one to talk to, especially because my mother and I fought constantly. All I had was the journal assignments I was given by Mr. Bosse. I told that journal my secrets, and it was bewildering to me that Mr. Bosse actually wrote back. Because he took the time to listen to my challenges and never belittled me, I began to see my self-confidence really started to build. Having an adult — who isn’t your parent — take you seriously can be a powerful thing, and it’s something I strive to do every day.

Skip to senior year — I had Ms. Sparks. She introduced me to new ways to express myself that I never knew before. The “altered book journal” was this concept of buying a used book to creatively express ourselves and our assignments. The altered book journal literally changed my life. Once I got over my hesitation to write and draw over the pages (I know, I wrote in a book — please don’t tell my co-workers!), I discovered I could write poetry and actually enjoy it. I was still writing in that journal in college. I emailed Ms. Sparks, who had since left my high school, and we emailed back and forth for a few years. It was truly wonderful! To date, I have written many poems because of that journal, which I still have to this day.

I don’t know for sure if Mr. Bosse and Ms. Sparks will ever know what they did for me. They saved me and inspired me to want to work with teens.

I don’t know for sure if Mr. Bosse and Ms. Sparks will ever know what they did for me. They saved me and inspired me to want to work with teens. I am the librarian I am today because of them. If I am half the role model to the teens who enter my library that they were for me, it will be enough. Happy Teacher Appreciation week to Mr. Bosse and Ms. Sparks, and to all the dedicated educators who often feel their love goes unnoticed or unappreciated. Your students see you, remember you and thank you!

Tara Shiman is a youth services librarian at Worthington Libraries who loves working with her teens. She is vice president of Worthington Public Libraries United, Local 6606, in Worthington, Ohio.

Want to read more stories about our inspiring AFT members? Sign up for our e-newsletters.