by Julie Lineback
Linda Johnson ’11 has been named Clayton County Public Schools’ 2014 Library Media Specialist of the Year. She currently works at Riverdale High School in Riverdale, Georgia.
“It is often said that if you do what you love, you never have to work a day in your life,” she says. “I’m here to say that is definitely not true. Being a media specialist is hard work , but it is so rewarding.”
The Georgia Library Media Association and the Georgia Association of Instructional Technology cosponsor the Georgia Media Specialist of the Year award. Each school system selects a candidate, and one of those candidates is chosen for the region. The state winner is then announced at the Georgia Council of Media Organizations conference, which will be held in October of this year.
Linda said her achievement is a win for all library media specialists everywhere.
“We are not just little old ladies with thick glasses pushing dusty old books, but innovators, participators, collaborators and leaders in literacy, technology and research,” Linda shares. “As media specialists, we are co-educators in every facet of the school, community, district and sometimes beyond.”
Prior to receiving her Ed.S. at the University of West Georgia, Linda obtained a B.S. in family and consumer economics from South Carolina State University and an M.Ed. in occupational studies from the University of Georgia.
She says that she is extremely grateful that she received such a personalized and customized education at UWG through the then-Department of Media and Instructional Technology.
“When you have dedicated, caring professors and staff who want you to succeed and inspire you, failure is not an option!” she expounds. “I felt motivated and rejuvenated every time I wanted to quit and sit on the sidelines. Tears often come to my eyes when I think what all the MIT Department and UWG has done for me so I can go make a difference in someone else's life. I will forever be a revolving change agent because of my faith in God, my experiences and my professors at UWG.”
