@image /content/dam/pebblegodev/blog/ratio-test.png PebbleGo Community member spotlight graphic. We’re so excited to shine this month’s PebbleGo Community Member Spotlight on Carrie Wuensch-Harden, a passionate school librarian, creative educator, and dedicated advocate for student learning. Her journey reminds us just how powerful relationships, resourcefulness, and resilience can be in shaping a school community. [b]From Licensing Hurdles to Lifelong Learning [/b] Carrie’s path to becoming a school librarian wasn’t without challenges — navigating licensing requirements when moving from Florida to Wisconsin pushed her to pursue a master’s degree in library science, helping her grow into the educator and librarian she is today. Through it all, she remained grounded in her “why”- supporting students, empowering teachers, and building a wonderful and welcoming library community. On the topic of hurdles, navigating tough days, and staying grounded — Carrie shared a touching moment from an instructor during grad school for her Master’s in Instruction, who gave her a box and said, “You're going to have bad days, and you're going to have good days... and when you have those bad days I want you to open this box, and I want you to put every little trinket and every little note you get into this box, so that when you have those bad days, you open the box and you remember why you're here.” Carrie shared, “I haven’t had to open it yet” — a reflection of how fulfilled she feels in her role as a librarian. [b]Relationships First: The Heart of Her Work [/b] Carrie credits her bond with a close-knit group of colleagues as a major source of strength. These relationships are the heart of her work. Whether it’s sharing ideas, solving challenges, or simply lifting one another up, collaboration is at the core of what keeps her going. “It's all about relationships, right? We talk about relationships in education with our students... but relationships with our colleagues are just as important,” she says. [b]Librarians Do So Much More Than Just Read Books[/b] Carrie is quick to bust the myth that librarians spend their days just reading quietly in a corner — “In a school, you're always having to do something. There's very rarely a time I get to sit down and just read a book.” Carrie’s days are filled with building and taking care of her collections to make sure they are the best resources for her students, leading lessons, helping students navigate technology, and jumping in wherever her school needs her. “Every day is different,” she says... and that’s exactly what she loves about it. @image /content/dam/pebblegodev/community/GettyImages-654095132.jpg [b]Innovative Ideas with PebbleGo[/b] Carrie has been helping educators in her district explore PebbleGo in new ways through an asynchronous training course she created using Google Classroom. Teachers are diving into features like lesson planning and choice boards, and many are discovering tools they didn’t even know existed. She’s also gathering feedback from teachers on their experiences with PebbleGo where even the smallest comments can create meaningful improvement and could make a significant difference for young learners. Carrie also uses PebbleGo to support students of varying reading levels, especially through the read aloud feature. “Everyone loves to be read to. So I always love pushing the little play button and talking about that. So that right there is a differentiation that I never thought of as a differentiation. But it is, right?! It's allowing those kids that maybe can't read as well to be able to access that same information and make their brains grow,” Carrie shares. @image /content/dam/pebblegodev/community/GettyImages-1298305688.jpg [b]Empowering Students as Digital Citizens [/b] One of her favorite projects brought digital literacy to life in a creative way! Students explored PebbleGo’s “Being a Good Digital Citizen” category to research responsible technology use. Then, they used PebbleGo Create to showcase what they learned. They personalized their projects by changing the background, adding stickers, and including three tips on how to be a good digital citizen. Once complete, they saved their work to their iPads and AirDropped it to Carrie, who compiled each one into a video to share back with the class. What a fun and impactful way to celebrate their learning! @image /content/dam/pebblegodev/community/GettyImages-1373258176.jpg [b]Comparing Tools for Today’s Classrooms [/b] Carrie is currently preparing for a major milestone — presenting at the American Association of School Librarians conference in October, a bucket list moment in her career. Her session will consist of a “technology smackdown” to share and compare different technology resources similar to PebbleGo, and dive into what today’s students need in a research tool. This smackdown will highlight the importance of accessible, engaging, and easy-to-use tools. [b]Leading With Heart and Purpose [/b] The passion, creativity, and leadership that Carrie exhibits are a reminder of the superhuman impact librarians have every day. Thank you, Carrie, for all you do, and for inspiring us with your story! @image /content/dam/pebblegodev/blog/CarrieFooter.png [b]The PebbleGo Community [/b] Our community is at the heart of what we do! We couldn’t do it without you – and we wouldn’t want to. We’re always hoping to connect with fellow PebbleGo lovers, elementary educators and admins, and educators in general who want to shape the future of digital learning. Whether you want to connect with like-minded folks, learn about the latest Capstone and PebbleGo news, or contribute to making our products the best they can be, we invite you to join us! @button #8DF1FF https://www.pebblego.com/resources/community Join the Community