Books, tech, what is next? Cameron James is Greenwood High School’s (GHS) one and only librarian. You might see this kind soul around the school or in her happy place: the library. When asking around, all people said she was a bright light of a character, a positive influence, and a help for all. Ms. James gave insight on her perspective whilst Aaliyah Sejmenovic and Savannah Vaughn spoke from a students’ perspective on GHS’s librarian. This is Ms. James in the spotlight for this Teacher Feature.
Cameron James has been at GHS for almost 20 years. She has transitioned from a teacher (11 years at GHS) to a librarian (8 years at GHS). Her favorite book is The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah; she likes it because it is a historical fiction title that focuses on the Vietnam War — which she is also interested in. Ms. James states, “…it reads like an autobiography, so I would put it up there in my favorites.” She enjoys reading suspense and physiological thrillers. Ms. James read a lot in elementary school, yet she stopped reading throughout middle school, high school, and college. She started reading more as an adult and furthermore a teacher. When dealing with technology, she likes using it in the classroom; although, she doesn’t really enjoy having to deal with it. Being at Greenwood is her “dream job” because it is such a great environment and the students have always been great. She elaborated, “Obviously, I didn’t dream of working here as a little girl, but now that I do work here there is no place I would rather work. I can’t think of a job that I would rather have that would amount to what it is like working here.” The reason Ms. James first got into reading was because of her third grade teacher, Ms. Crow, who encouraged them to read. Her favorite memory that she shared was, “One Christmas, she bought me a book and snuck it to me without giving the other students one. Although, I don’t believe it was fair, she was just trying to make me feel special and encourage my love for reading. I am glad she did because it just increased that love I had.” Ms. James’ favorite part of her job is getting to work with kids in a positive way. She believes that when you are a teacher, you have to deal with the good and bad/negative and positive while she (as a librarian) gets to see them at their best behavior and doing something they love.
Savannah Vaughn, a senior, says Ms. James is always kind and helpful when she gets a book or needs help with her Chromebook. Vaughn explains that she is always ready to help anytime and is sweet most of the time. One story she told was, “One year, I forgot my Chromebook password so I was able to go to her and get some help fixing it and was really nice about it.” She feels like a positive characteristic of Ms. James is the fact that she is always ready to make sure you succeed in whatever you are doing. She elaborated that she hasn’t changed and is always on top of things.
Aaliyah Sejmenovic, a sophomore, explained that Ms. James helped her find the book genre she wanted to read and now enjoys reading. Sejmenovic said, “I like going into the library to be greeted by her and to be asked if I need help because she’s really nice and helpful.” She says Ms. James is also very polite and helpful. She likes talking with her because she is very fun to talk to. Sejmenovic elaborated, “She is very good at her job.”
Ultimately, Ms. James is a beloved librarian that does so much for GHS. Students along with teachers and administrators can agree that she has a major role in the school. Go see her in her makeshift library; this was Ms. James – Teacher Feature.
