Emily Hannah

librarian and teacher in Grain Valley, Missouri

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Once I graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia, I started my first job as an English teacher at Blue Springs High School. I taught a variety of classes and grade levels during my time there including British Literature, AP Lang & Comp, World Literature, and English II. While I enjoyed being an English teacher, I really struggled with the amount of grading I had each evening and didn’t appreciate the constant classroom management that it entailed. While I was working at Blue Springs, the school hired an amazing librarian who I grew close with. She told me about the joys of being a library media specialist and what the master’s program entailed. I started UCM’s master’s program during my third year of teaching and soon saw a posting for a librarian position at Grain Valley High School. Much to my surprise, I was hired in March and started working here in August of 2015.

I work at a school that serves grades 9-12 and has approximately 1,300 students. I’m pretty limited in space right now (you would probably think I was in an elementary library) but do my best to work with what I have. My favorite parts of my job are co-teaching to instruct in new technology tools, and buying/recommending new YA books. There is no better feeling than a student coming back to me to tell me how much they loved a book that I recommended—especially if they are a reluctant reader. I was thrown into my job without much knowledge or preparation since I had only taken two library science classes when I was hired. I appreciate the new knowledge I gain through these classes to help me succeed in my job.

As far as my personal life, I grew up in Liberty, Missouri and moved to the Blue Springs area after college. In my free time, I love to do crossfit and watch stupid reality television shows. I also enjoying cooking and trying new cuisines (Indian in my favorite). I have a 6-pound morkie named Scout who is the best dog in the world. My mom recently built house in Brookside so I love going downtown to visit her and explore the city.

  • Education
    • University of Missouri