Behind the Voices
In every corner of education, there are people quietly re-engineering the system from within — connecting creativity, technology, and compassion to make learning more human.
Through our Thinkering Voices series, we’re going behind the scenes to understand each part of the education impact engine — and to amplify the people powering it.
Our goal: to listen deeply, learn their challenges, and empower them to design what’s next.
As we head into NYSCATE 2025, Team Thinkering will be on site with a media booth and presenting a special spotlighting of the remarkable work of Thinkering Fellows and their capstone projects. But before Syracuse, we sat down with someone who bridges our AASL25 conversations to what’s coming next: Shannon McClintock Miller, district teacher librarian at Van Meter Community School (Iowa) and national leader of the Future Ready Librarians movement — in conversation with Thinkering Founder Evin Schwartz.
“We’re More Needed Than Ever.” — Shannon McClintock Miller
“Librarians are more important than ever,” Shannon shared.
“In the world we live in — around technology, AI, and all the literacies — our expertise is needed to support kids, teachers, and families.”
After nearly two decades in the same district, Shannon has watched the role of the teacher-librarian expand from gatekeeper of resources to architect of learning culture.
Her Future Ready Librarians framework connects curriculum, leadership, space design, and community partnerships into a single vision of what modern libraries can be.
“Teacher librarians are the heart of the school,” she said.
“We build the communities our kids and teachers need.”
From AASL to NYSCATE: A Shared Mission
Evin described how Thinkering Collective grew from his earlier work with Belouga, connecting learners in more than 100 countries through global project-based learning.
“Everyone got into education to make an impact,” he said.
“Thinkering brings together the outliers — the people not asking for permission — to humanize learning for kids, teachers, and communities.”
Through its 10-week Fellowship, Thinkering asks educators one catalytic question:
If there were no red tape, what would you build to humanize learning?
The results span the globe — from STEM buses in Nigeria to school gardens tackling food deserts in the U.S. Each Fellow receives mentorship, funding guidance, and a global peer network to turn vision into practice.
“By surrounding educators with innovators and removing barriers,” Evin explained,
“we’re seeing authentic transformation — not policy shifts, but people shifts.”
What Future-Ready Looks Like
When asked what defines a future-ready librarian, Shannon lit up.
“We connect curriculum, leadership, and community,” she said.
“We empower students as creators — bringing creativity and innovation through technology, literacy, and real-world experiences.”
She calls herself the “cruise director of learning,” orchestrating experiences that merge books, makerspaces, and authors into living curriculum.
From kindergarten to seniors, every student passes through the library’s orbit — and leaves changed by it.
Her guiding belief: students shouldn’t just consume knowledge; they should create it.
The Expanding Meaning of “Literacy”
In the updated Future Ready Librarians framework, one word became plural — literacies.
“It’s not just reading anymore,” Shannon said.
“It’s media, digital, AI, financial, news — all of it. And librarians must support not only students, but teachers in mastering these literacies.”
That perspective aligns perfectly with Thinkering’s Fellowship ethos: building capacity from the inside out, so educators can guide both learners and peers through rapid change.
If There Were No Red Tape…
When Evin asked what she’d implement first if she were starting a school tomorrow, Shannon didn’t hesitate.
“A fully staffed library,” she said.
“A certified teacher-librarian, supported by trained associates.
Because that’s the heart — a creative, collaborative, safe space where everything connects.”
Her answer mirrors what we heard at AASL25 and what we’ll carry into NYSCATE: when schools invest in libraries, they invest in the entire ecosystem of learning.
Looking Ahead to NYSCATE
Both Shannon and Evin will present spotlight sessions at NYSCATE — showcasing the momentum of Thinkering Fellows and exploring how teacher-librarian leadership can scale system-wide impact.
Thinkering’s booth will serve as both media hub and conversation space, inviting educators to record their own “no-red-tape” ideas for future features in Thinkering Voices.
“One classroom inspires another,” Evin said.
“And before long, it’s a global shift.”
A Fellowship for Teacher Librarians
Teacher Librarians are quietly shaping the future of learning.
And they deserve systems that recognize — and amplify — that power.
Each Teacher Librarian Fellow forms a dream team inside their school — five educators they choose to collaborate with. Together, they design humanizing learning projects that connect classroom innovation directly to library programming.
The librarian becomes the bridge.
The team becomes the movement.
And the library becomes what it was always meant to be — the beating heart of the school.
💡 Apply or Nominate a Rockstar Teacher Librarian
If Shannon’s story or Evin’s vision sparks something in you, we’d love to hear it.
Join the Fellowship — or nominate an educator whose ideas deserve to take flight.
👉 Apply or Nominate a Teacher Librarian Fellow Here →
Because the future of learning won’t be built by systems alone.
It will be built by people like you.
