Valerie Mui

April is School Library Month, the perfect opportunity to catch up with Valerie Mui, the Tuxedo UFSD Library Media Specialist. Mui, who teaches at George Grant Mason Elementary School and George F. Baker High School, plays a significant role in the education of every student as she prepares them for their role in the digital world. 

Google, Safari, Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok: the moment an app or browser is opened on a computer, tablet, or smart phone the user takes on the role of “digital citizen.” And just like in society, they are expected to adhere to a set of standards and rules designed to empower and protect everyone who logs on. That is where Mui comes in. 

“Even the younger students have to figure (it) out,” said Mui, who has been with TUFSD for three years. “Online safety, strong passwords, cyberbullying, and interpreting information. (It is about) creating a space where it is safe to ask questions and then figuring out how to reliably answer them.” “Safety” in a “technology dominated world,” is one aspect of the new statewide “Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards” currently being introduced in the TUFSD Elementary and High School Libraries and classrooms. 

“We’re already doing a lot of these things because I see them so often,” says Mui about the standards, which were adopted by the NYS Board of Regents in 2020 and required to be taught in every school by September 2024. 

The five concepts being emphasized by the state are the “Impacts of Computing, Computational Thinking, Network and System Design, Cybersecurity and Digital Literacy.” Baked in are lessons about social media, which allow students to “explore a positive online presence and identify behaviors and information that could potentially affect them now and in the future.” 

Because Mui sees students engaging with social media at an earlier age, she has begun the conversation about internet safety and privacy at the elementary level. 

"Especially TikTok, since you don't need an account and can just scroll through the videos,” says Mui. “With the older grades we talk about cookies and how your information is shared willingly by using your location.” 

These social media discussions provide Mui the opportunity to challenge students and pull back the curtain on the platforms. “What does it mean if you're getting an app for free or using a website for free? How are they paying their employees? How are people making their money? Because that's why they're creating it, not necessarily out of the goodness of their hearts. So how does this affect you?” 

Mui encourages the same style of reflective thinking when teaching Internet research methods. 

“For Black History Month, sixth and seventh grade students would Google someone's name and say, 'okay, that's them.’ And I would ask, ‘is that really them? Does that match what other websites are showing you or other sources of information?’ You have to think, ‘why is this person's picture showing up when you use those keywords,’ and how do I search effectively for information?’” 

Working simultaneously in both schools gives Mui a unique perspective on the progress of her students and she says she enjoys seeing the growth and development of each learner. “I know if I'm in a seventh grade class and I am talking about this topic, we are building on that for eighth grade. As they experience more, they can relate to me about those conversations. And I think for me, that is the greatest thing.” 

After wrapping up the discussion on digital fluency, Mui, who was sitting among the stacks and shelves of the GGM library, shifted the conversation to reading and the role of books in our schools. 

“Books are still very important, because it is the idea of windows and mirrors. If you see yourself, you're able to feel understood, that you have a place, and your identity is important. Or being able to look through a window of someone else's experience; that helps build empathy.” 

“Books” is a word with many meanings, however. Graphic novels, e-books, audiobooks: to Mui, the most important thing is that students are reading and connecting with others. “Families influence their children and model that habit of reading for us,” says Mui.  

This belief was the basis of February’s Literary Potato Contest, which over 40% of GGM families took part in. For an entire week, the shelves of the library were lined with potatoes decorated and costumed as literary characters or scenes. 

In addition to ‘School Library Month,’ National School Librarian Day was April 4, and “National Library Week” will take place April 23-29. This year’s theme is “There’s More to the Story.”