Improving Relationships Within Organisational Structures
Reading the experiences of my peers in the ETL504 forum, there were a few people who felt that the teacher librarian role was isolated or they didn’t know where the role sat within their school’s organisational structure. These experiences demonstrate that some schools are still in an era where it is dependent upon the teacher librarian to use initiative and work hard to establish themselves as the information expert of the school. Using these viewpoints, coupled with my own experience as a classroom teacher, I reflected upon how I could use a knowledge of organisational structure to improve relationships with my future colleagues. I pinpointed two key relationships and identified ways in which I could improve those relationships as a future teacher librarian.
All of the schools where I have been a classroom teacher have been hierarchical in their structure. With this in mind, the first relationship I see as crucial to a teacher librarian is the one with the executive team of the school. It is crucial to understand who in the hierarchy is above you and take initiative to ensure that they are kept well informed on what is happening in the library. Creating a collection development policy that aligns with the overarching vision of the school would demonstrate to them that you play an integral role in the school achieving the goals and objectives envisioned for the school. Emphasising how the library adds value to the teaching and learning of the school also makes it easier to advocate to the executive team for appropriate funding and resourcing for the library.
Another relationship of importance exists between the teacher librarian and the classroom teachers. I have previously discussed in more detail the ways in which a teacher librarian can cultivate a relationship with teachers in a previous post, entitled Slow and Steady Wins the (Collaborative) race. This relationship is essential to enhance teaching and learning within the school and provides a teacher librarian with tangible data to demonstrate the positive impact collaborating with a teacher librarian can have on learning outcomes.
Although I am not in a teacher librarian role at present, it is clear that I may find myself in a school that does not clearly define where the role sits within the school’s organisational structure. I may need to use initiative to strengthen the relationships that exist with the executive and teaching teams. These relationships are key in ensuring the role is valued and utilised effectively to improve teaching and learning outcomes.
