It is the middle of report writing and you overhear two teacher colleagues complaining about the light teaching and reporting load of the teacher librarian. Pick one to reflect on in your blog that draws on your learning about leadership this session to build productive partnerships.
I chose this scenario because to my shame, I have been guilty of it. This was many years ago, well before I had any understanding of the role of a teacher librarian (TL). As a subject teacher, my thoughts changed when I moved to a new school at the same time a new TL started. She was EVERYWHERE. I had never seen this happen. No hiding, no shushing – absolutely none of the stereotypes in my mind. She was in classrooms, she sat on the senior leadership team of the high school. She was regularly asked to sit on staff feedback panels and on potential employee interviews. She didn’t hide at Parent Teacher Conference night. She coordinated the IB Extended Essay process in tandem with the IB DP coordinator. She was the first point of call for any referencing issues. Students would say “I’m not sure what I’m looking for but it’s kinda like this….” and she would find it (or teach them how). Our academic subscription databases increased and were compiled more effectively. As a subject teacher, her involvement in so many different areas of the school and her advocacy of the school library was so very visible. It was really due to her that I started to think that I could follow in her footsteps. I loved the look of the diverse nature of her job. The library had come alive. Now that I am undertaking a Masters of Ed Teacher Librarianship course, I see what she was really doing (and much more besides) – the theory and rationale behind her practice.
With this background in mind, how would I handle the above scenario as a TL? If I overheard this complaint, I think the wisest course of action would be not to confront the teachers at that moment – it could possibly inflame the situation and lead to a fruitless comparison of schedules. A quick word of retort in this scenario may damage any possibility of a future working partnership, to the detriment of the students.
Instead, I think I’d have to sit down and really think. What has led them to believe the TL has a light load? Have I not advocated for the library enough? Am I not visible enough? Where am I spending my time? In fact, the more I think about it, overhearing such comments would provide a good opportunity for reflection. It may be uncomfortable, but maybe I would have to analyse in what ways I can promote visibility better. (Boyd, 2021, Korodaj, (2019) and Jones provide guidance here). It could be that there are gaps that I could be more proactive in, to increase staff understanding about what a TL does through the library. Or it could be that some teachers just really don’t want to understand what a TL does. This happens (and in my experience, usually it is the same teachers who are more cynical towards the structures, processes and other staff members around them.)
After reflecting, and no matter what the conclusions, I think I would actively reach out to the teachers who I overheard, asking if they would like to collaborate on any upcoming units, would be interested in literary learning resource kits, would like help with planning assessment rubrics for research tasks etc. I could begin the conversation by saying “I noticed that you were doing XYZ…and I thought of an article that might be of interest to you….” Maybe this wouldn’t work at all, but I think it demonstrates servant leadership. Coming alongside, asking questions, being willing to listen, and to support in a very practical manner. Generally, just being available and indicating to the teacher an open door. Fingers crossed, it might make a small dent in their negative perceptions of the role of a TL. With these actions, it may open up the way to a future positive, productive relationship with these teachers.
References
Boyd, K. C. Advocacy 2021 style and beyond. Knowledge Quest 49(4), pp. 26-31.
Jones, A. (n.d). School library advocacy resources. Live Oak Middle Library. https://www.lomlibrary.org/library-advocacy.html
Korodaj, L. (2019). The library as ‘third space’ in your school. Scan, 38(10), pp. 2-9.
Mary1826. (n.d.). Speaker. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/speaker-lecturer-speech-conference-2148213/
