Several years ago I remember a teacher librarian (TL) telling me that she loved her job because she got to “hide” because “nobody knows what I do”. I rarely saw her leave the library space and as a very busy subject teacher, I didn’t understand her role. The teacher librarian (TL) as a leader never crossed my mind until two years before I started the Masters of Education (TL) course. That is when a new TL started at our school and she was everywhere, as explained in my blog post (Seewald, 2021, May 18). It changed my stereotypical perception of TLs and inspired me to look at a change in direction for myself.
I have had a lot of ‘aha’ moments throughout the unit, not just about the role of the TL, but in general about leadership. Coming into the course, I had strong opinions about the traits and attributes of a ‘good leader’ as listed in my first blog post (Seewald, 2021, Mar 2). When I read this post again recently, I realised that much on my list belonged to a transformational leadership style – I just didn’t have the understanding of the theory and the terminology for it then! Reading about leadership styles and their role in change management put my own experience as a head of department into perspective (Seewald, 2021, Apr 22).
Like other fellow students, (Kenna, 2021, Apr 18), I had been uncomfortable about the idea of servant leadership. However, I realised that I had focused on the word ‘servant’ rather than ‘leadership’. As I was reading through forum posts, I noticed how intertwined the styles are. For example, reading Bourne’s post I noticed that she had blended instructional leadership and servant leadership (Bourne, personal communication, 2021, Apr 26). Without the awareness of the opportunities to collaborate and the sensitivity of choices made within that collaborative time, instructional leadership will only go so far. Without servant leadership to complement, instructional leadership may leave some hesitant and uncertain staff members behind. In particular within a change process, when teachers may already feel outside of their comfort zones, servant leadership becomes crucial. I was struck recently by these words: “leaders do not command excellence – they build excellence” (Williams, 2006, p. 5). A servant leader is a builder – without time invested in the foundations, (listening to concerns, seeking to reassure with practical support or with the latest research etc.), the structure will never be as strong as it could be. Thus, servant leadership comes from a position of strength, not weakness!
To sum it up, leadership for a TL truly is complex (Green, 2011, p. 22) and an excellent leader knows when to adapt (or mix up) their styles. Research has shown that teachers are more willing to collaborate with a TL if they can see their influence as leaders, and if they have taken initiative in the past (Lance in Branch & Odberg, 2001, p. 9). I think about the TL mentioned at the beginning of this post, and I wonder how she was able to influence and inspire staff members and students. I’m reminded me of the words of Phillips and Paatsch in regards to TLs; “remove the cloak of invisibility!” (2011, p. 33).
Moving forward, although I am still a subject teacher, I continue to look for opportunities to broaden my horizons and learn from TLs (Seewald, personal communication, 2021, May 19). Being on the Oz-TL listserv has been excellent – it represents all aspects of the TL’s diverse role. Just yesterday, excellent resources for embedding the International Baccalaureate’s Approaches to Learning skills were posted. It was just another example of how TLs are perfectly positioned to lead change in order to develop 21st century skills in teachers and students. Even though there will be personal challenges ahead (Seewald, 2021, Apr 27), I am so excited for when I will be able to do this too.
References
Branch, J. L., & Oberg, D. (2001). The teacher-librarian in the 21st century: The teacher-librarian as instructional leader. School Libraries in Canada, 21(2), 9-11.
Green, G. (2011). Learning leadership through the school library. ACCESS, 25(4), 22-26.
Phillips, G., & Paatsch, L. (2011). The invisible librarian: Why doesn’t literacy mention libraries. Practically Primary, 16(3), 31-33.
Siren, K. (2020). Reflection. [Photograph]. Flickr. https://tinyurl.com/jb7f5pe8
Williams, J. L. (2006). Leadership: Shaping the future of the profession. Knowledge Quest, 34(5), 4-6.
