A high school is not complete without a library. Despite all of the changes in education, libraries continue to be a valuable resource for all students. The Logan library serves as a space for students to study, read, and even hang out. Go to libraries! In this exclusive interview with The Courier, Librarian Ms. Chakrabarti describes her career in public education and her thoughts on the current state of public education.
The James Logan Library has been in the hands of Ms. Chakrabarti since 2015. Ms. Chakrabarti has been working in education for over 25 years and started her career as an English teacher. When asked about the current state of education,
“I’ve been teaching, oh gosh, since last century, I started in 1999,” Chakrabarti said, “And I grew up at a time, I’m a public product of public education. I went to public education all my life, including university, UCs, Cal States, child of a retired Cal State professor. So, yeah, I believe very strongly in public education. …the job’s becoming more and more impossible. And I think overall in America, we’re just kind of caught in this real cultural war, which is not about teaching content or truth, but it’s more about this polarized, like, political agenda in schools and that has no business in schools. It’s about teaching you guys skills, content, truth, history, math, English, all that gives you the tools to be productive, critical citizens of this country…”
Since Ms. Chakrabarti talked about a cultural shift in education, we asked what the biggest change for her was.
“Oh, 100% technology,” Chakrabarti said, “I mean, I started when it was paper and chalkboards and chalk, no computers, no devices, no internet. I mean, the internet existed, but we didn’t use it in schools. And that’s why I love email, because we were so excited. We didn’t have to go to our mailbox and check email. I think technology should be a tool, but now it’s become more of like a substitute for actual learning. I know when I first started teaching, I just literally, the kids just needed their books, their brains, a piece of paper, and a pen or pencil. I think technology has become very distracting…”
Ms. Chakrabarti continued by talking about technology’s impact in the classroom and said,
“It’s kind of that part to me is really the most sad because what was always really exciting about teaching was just how vibrant the classroom was and the energy of your students, and like each day being like, all right, this group of kids is ready to go? Or no, they’re not so ready to go. What are we going to do? How are we going to pivot and like get us interested in the topics that I want to cover?”
As educators often struggle with many challenges that are a part of the job, Ms. Chakrabarti was asked about the challenges of education.
“Yeah, so I was an English teacher first and then became a librarian about 10 years ago,” Chakrabarti said, “Honestly, it’s the funding, and that has, I have nothing to do with that. It has to do with our, you know, our board members, our school district. I think when people in the offices… the district office, don’t listen to the real actual practical applications here. … So I think I feel they often devalue our opinions, but they’re not here on the job and they don’t know it. So I get really frustrated. It stinks when you have these top down decisions and they’re not listening to the people for whom it’s practical. Like, I’ve asked for extra Chromebook chargers. Our kids need them. We need charging stations. I’ve had to buy them at a library budget. So I don’t like that decisions are made without teacher input. That’s the most frustrating.”
Ms. Chakrabarti related the challenges of her job back to technology.
Chakrabarti said, “So going back to technology, they gave all the teachers MacBooks and I said, well, I work in a library, which is a very collaborative space. I work with lots of different teachers. I can’t use this MacBook because other people can’t use it. And they’re like, well, it’s for your privacy and it has a great battery. I said, that doesn’t matter because that doesn’t apply to my job. So I find I butt heads a lot with people who don’t know the nature of my job. So my chromebook, my staff chromebook, they made me turn it in, get the MacBook. I wrote them immediately. It’s not working. I have other teachers come in, they need to borrow. They took all my stickers off my old Chromebook and then returned it to me when they find their own like, oh, okay, you have a point.”
On a positive note, the best part of education, according to Ms. Chakrabarti, is…
“Oh, gosh, it’s you guys… It’s the kids. Always. First and foremost, Logan has the best students. And I’ve had friends come visit, you know, my child goes to school in Oakland. She’s come to visit. They love being here, the energy. I think we got a lot of really interesting, um students here doing great stuff. And I think that’s what keeps us all going.”
To close off the interview, The Courier asked if Ms. Chakarbarti wanted to highlight any staff member that she admires or respects.
“I mean, there are a bunch here, but the one who stands out the most to me is Brenda Moreno,” Chakrabarti said.
“She’s actually retiring this year. And she’s just like one of those old school teachers who’s been around for a long time, who just, she just gets it. She gets everything. And she’s very, she’s like, she’s like everyone’s big sister. So you go to her for advice, she always knows the right thing to say. She’s really good at helping you have perspective on things, take a step back, not be emotional or volatile, but really good, okay. In the end, what is it that you need? What does everybody else need? How do you get that? She’s very thoughtful, very diplomatic, and she’s hella funny. She’s got the best sense of humor. So I just enjoy her company all the time, and I’m going to miss her a lot when she retires. So the whole school went, Logan will kind of fall apart for a bit while she’s gone, but I think we have to just, you know, move on.”
While public education’s future may seem uncertain with political, cultural, and technological changes, such as A.I., during the interview, Ms. Chakrabarti spoke about the best part of her job.
“You can push aside all the frustrations and the things that don’t work and you’re annoyed with, and realize at the end of the day, it’s about you and the students, and that’s what the teachers love,” Chakrabarti said.
Ms. Chakrabarti’s:
Top 5 Books to read in high school
- Romeo & Juliet – it is the perfect Shakespearean play with something for everyone – romance, revenge, drama, tragedy, betrayal, love. (But I do love MacBeth as well for many of the same reasons)
- The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri- Pulitzer prize winning South Asian author chronicles the immigrant experience in a profoundly moving way. And the movie adaptation is actually good!
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston – epitomizes the claim that Resistance is Joy. Janie’s journey to womanhood and finding her voice is inspiring.
- 1984 by George Orwell – not sure what I can say since we are living in what he predicted back in 1948.
- Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert — and incredibly sweet book about Asian American kids navigating life in the Bay Area. It was recommended by Emily Hoang when she first started at Logan & we read it for staff book club. We all loved it.
This was hard! There are so many more!
