The St. Albert Public Library downtown is making sure students can see what their teachers look like behind the mask with the press of a button.
The province announced on Aug. 4 that all staff and Grade 4 to 12 students would be required to wear masks in school whenever physical distancing wasn't possible.
Face masks are a tool for protecting against COVID-19 transmission, but it can be hard for teachers to connect with their students when most of their face is covered up.
Library staff saw other social media posts about healthcare workers using "smile buttons" as a way to connect with their patients, said Emily Brady, community outreach librarian. So why not bring smile buttons to St. Albert?
"We have the button maker, which we're currently using, and we thought it would be a great way to relieve some anxiety around back to school," said Emily Brady, community outreach librarian.
On Thursday, the library announced their new smile button program through social media. The post was shared more than 100 times within the course of a day.
Hey St. Albert educators. Let us put your smiling face on a button đŸ˜€ All you need to do is fill out this form below and we'll get it ready for you to pick up at the Downtown library:https://t.co/hLNckWkhTc@StAlbertPublic @StAlbertSchools pic.twitter.com/3t4i5366v4
— St. Albert Library (@StAlbertLibrary) August 26, 2020
All teachers need to do is fill out a form online and send in a picture of their flashy smile, and the library staff take it from there. When they're pressed and ready, staff will let you know when they can be picked up at their downtown location in St. Albert.
"It's always been important for the library to support our educators so we're always happy to find ways to connect with them, and share our resources with the schools," Brady said.
Since its launch, the library has made 88 buttons for teachers from almost every school in St. Albert, including those who work in Edmonton, she said.
The buttons are reserved for teachers, and they've currently got about 200 more to give out. Staff will keep making smile buttons "while supplies last."
"Everyone's thanked us for offering this and they're really appreciative of it," she said.
One parent told Brady she had met with her child's kindergarten teacher and realized she was a bit sad about not being able to see their face, she said. Once she saw the library's post about the smile buttons, she made sure to let the teacher know about it.
"I think people want to connect with the kids that they're working with, and smiles are important."
Louisa Jans, Grade 3 teacher at Wild Rose Elementary School, will be wearing a button to help connect with a new classroom of students this year.
She saw the library’s posting about the smile buttons on social media and thought it looked like just the tool she needed, she said. Jans has been teaching for 37 years and transitioned to Wild Rose from Robert Rundle Elementary School this fall.
“It’s a fresh new year, so this button is going to be great. Not just for the students, but for the parents and for the staff, they don't know me yet,” Jans said.
Connection with students is so important when it comes to education, she said. Now she wears her smile button on her jacket all the time, even outside of class.
“I'll be behind an array of different looking masks, but they won't be seeing my whole face or my smile. And on the first day of school and every day, you just want them to see your smiling face.”
The smile button program is just one way the local library is helping with back to school amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The library will be offering programs for school come the fall, along with online resources for students and teachers as well.
Check out their recorded online programs for children, teens and adults, including storytimes, crafts, STEAM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), tech talks, book clubs, a virtual escape room, and more.
