Edis Knoop

GMS Library Learning Center Coordinator

“The most effective tool in my teacher toolbox is my ability to forge strong, positive relationships with students. When my students feel supported, they will go the extra mile to work hard in my classes. I get to know my students not only in the classroom but outside as well. When they know I care about their growth as people, they are motivated to achieve even more than they thought possible.”

— Edis Knoop

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My name is Edis Knoop, the inaugural teacher-librarian at Grand Mountain School, the only K-8 building in Widefield School District 3. I’m a reformed classroom teacher where I taught English for nearly 20 years. I began my teaching career as a middle school teacher, and I currently teach a media class to 7th and 8th graders, so I guess it’s true that what goes around, comes around.

My journey into the land of teacher-librarianship is not typical. On the last day of Thanksgiving Break in 2018, I received an email from our District Media Specialist inviting me to apply for a librarian position at the new school our district would be opening in 2019. The first of it’s kind, this new school would have a computer science flavor, and she felt I would be a strong asset given my background in technology and English. I applied and was hired to join the staff in January of 2019. That final semester of teaching English, I spent my Saturdays learning about robots and robotics and preparing my grad school application. I began my Master’s at UCD that June while I attended a two week code.org course. Summer fun!  

Despite already holding a Master’s in Instructional Technology, I opted to take the full battery of coursework at the University of Colorado in Learning and Design Technology (LDT) to strengthen my teacher and upcoming librarian toolbox, a move that has taken a bit longer to complete but has proven to be immediately beneficial. 

In an introductory video for one of my early classes, I mentioned my goal of not wanting to lose my mind, and gladly, I have not done that. What I have done is expanded my toolbox so much so that it now overflows with resources and knowledge, which I regularly share with the staff and my colleagues at school. 

In my role as a teacher-librarian, thus far, I have experienced opening a brand new library in a brand new school, and by our second semester, I experienced closing it all down for a global pandemic called Covid-19. I have experienced teaching classes and providing library services in virtual/distance models as well as in hybrid and in-person modes, all with strict health restrictions and cleaning protocols. This year, I have experienced the world of computer technicians, first hand, as we went to a one-on-one district, leaving most of my librarian duties on the side. I have experienced teaching and providing library services while in quarantine status and scrambling to ensure all our students had/have devices in their hands for eLearning. I am currently in the midst of cataloguing devices to ensure our supply can meet our demands, as we continue to add new students to our growing community of learners. All this, to turn around and collect them all for our end of year closure. Whew! What a strange trip this has been. 

While I was familiar with distance learning, none of the classes I took prepared me for teaching AND taking virtual classes at this level. I’m uncertain of how to record those skills on my renewed resume. Not all my virtual experiences have been positive, but the lessons I have learned are priceless. I continue to embrace all the new experiences I have encountered as well as the challenges put before me.

In my spare time – not that there is much of it this year, I enjoy reading, sewing, taking photos, and loving on my amazing husband of over 32 years and my very entitled dog, Jose. I do have one son, who is my favorite student of all time.