She works daily to change the stereotype that a media specialist’s job is handled quietly and from behind a circulation desk. In addition to her role as media specialist of one of the state’s largest public high schools, Wilson is the sponsor of Brookwood’s Reading Club and its Readers Rally team, a team that has won three county championships since 2012.
“This is an active profession; teaching students to locate and evaluate information is only part of what I do,” Wilson said. “As a media specialist, I also design instruction with teachers so that students work collaboratively and present their work in formats well beyond a traditional research paper, like videos and infographics.”
Mary Barbee, Gwinnett County Public Schools’ (GCPS) director of Media Services and Technology Training, said Wilson is an example of the best GCPS has to offer. “Jan Wilson is an exemplary media specialist. Her dynamic program emphasizes supporting instruction while providing spaces that promote reading and facilitate inquiry and project-based learning,” Mary Barbee said.
Wilson will compete for the Metro Atlanta District Media Specialist of the Year title in May.
