“I was first hired on at Cordova Elementary School as first grade teacher. A position came open at the library and the job really just fell in my lap. It was such a blessing. I’ve been at the elementary school for the last 13 years, so this is my 14^thyear as a librarian and my first year at Cordova High School.”

“When I took the job at Cordova Elementary, I had to sign a contract promising to get my masters within the next 3 years. I completed my masters at the University of West Alabama and did it completely online because I was working full time in the library. It was a learning curve for sure, but the kids helped me a lot.”

“Things are very different at the elementary school than they are at the high school. At the elementary school I taught 23 classes for about 30 minutes a week. I taught a little bit of technology, the basics of research, what sources to trust, things like that. Here at the high school, there’s a lot of co-teaching, working together with teachers to help them incorporate technology into their lesson plans, and making sure everyone has access to the most up-to-date information.”

“Of course, in high school, you have a lot of other activities going on as well. For me, that means being over the yearbook and taking photos for it. I’m so excited to be able to be a part of the student’s lives in that regard. The awesome part is that I’m going to be with kids that I’ve had in elementary school – so I get to see them grow up.”

“This job came open right when my family and I got home from vacation, so I only had three days to apply. I prayed about it, and it was the easiest decision. It just felt right.”

“My hope is that I’ll be able to be here for the kids. When I was in high school, I was a little awkward. I remember how important it was to have those teachers who took you in and made you belong even when you felt like maybe you didn’t belong anywhere. So, I’m hoping that I can do that for these kids.”

-Grace Bice-Williams, Librarian at Cordova High School

Photo + Interview by Blakeney Cox