My name is Linda Hall and I am a Media Specialist in the Birmingham City Schools System. I have been the media Specialist at my school for the last three years. I am currently finishing the last course required for certification in Library Media. My total teaching employment has been in the same school. I have been teaching for 15 years and in that time I have taught grades 3rd, 4th, and 5th. I have been the Title 1 teacher, technology teacher, and now the Technology Coordinator and Media Specialist. I love my job and my school. I have had the opportunity of gaining a lot of experience by being flexible in jobs. Being the Librarian allows me the opportunity to touch every child in the school. It is a wonderful feeling to see 5 year olds coming to school as kindergarteners and then seeing them blossom into mature 11 year old 5th graders on the road to becoming successful productive citizens.

Teaching is a second career for me. I spent 24 and half years in the medical profession.  At that time I was working with children, however it was in a hospital for sick children. Working in that facility helped prepare me with a lot of technology advances. After all the business world has always been ahead with technology. When I got to the academic world of public education, the computers were outdated and teachers could care less about using the computers.  Schools had a few computers which were mainly found in labs. I think the education world has come a long way with technology, but not nearly far enough. Students gaining access, not enough technical support for the computers that schools do have, and some teachers unwillingness to incorporate technology in the delivery of instruction is causing the integration to be slower. Being the media specialist gives me a greater opportunity to make available to students and teachers information that is available in print, and electronic format, opportunities to train patrons in the acceptable use of technology, electronic research, computer training on filing, storing, and receiving, etc.

I am a born again Christian and love my work in the church.  I am a widow with an adult daughter and son. I have 4 grandchildren that I love dearly and that take a considerable amount of my time, which I don't mind; Christopher 17,  graduates this May and has been accepted at UA Tuscaloosa; Caitlin, is a 9th grader at Alabama School of Fine Arts; Jaden 3rd grade and goes to school with me each morning, and Joshua 21mos. spoiled by family and friends alke.

My hobbies include traveling of which I just returned from Washington, DC and the presidential Inaguaration, reading, and singing in the choir.