Jul
2020
Teacher Librarians as leaders
Reading module two (2020) has been interesting for me. As a teacher who is wanting to enter the school library and become a Teacher Librarian this module has spoken very clearly to me as it has outlined the importance of ensuring small details do not get in the way of the bigger picture which is providing services to its users (organisation theory, 2020). This is something that I will ensure I take with me and remember as it can be so easy at times to become overwhelmed and deal with the smaller issues first, it is so important to remember what a Teacher Librarian’s goal and focus should be. Obviously different schools have different objectives for their Teacher Librarians so it would be important to initially find out what these are, I am sure that in most circumstances the number one objective school libraries would be to provide a service to its users.
Sir Ken Robinson’s talk, ‘changing education paradigms’ (RSA Animate, 2010) is a great example outlining education systems and how they function, their faults and their impact upon student learning and creativity. This brought me to thinking about the different schools I have worked in and schools that colleagues have worked in and how the leadership models can be quite different. Some schools enable Teacher Librarians to engage with their students in a more creative way to meet learning outcomes in the Australian Curriculum and some simply want to reach outcomes disregarding children’s different learning needs or different styles of learning.
Teacher Librarians as leaders therefore have this opportunity in many ways to ‘help’ students, staff and school communities to create an environment to collaboratively work together to inspire their students to not only learn but also work and engage in a variety of ways. Jane Viner the recipient of the 2017 Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year stated “’C’ is key: create, connect, collaborate, communicate, care and change with your community’ (Hill, 2017, p. 29). I just love this quote, as a Teacher Librarian as leader can take these words and these steps to create an energetic, exciting and informative environment to engage students, teachers and leaders of the school to improve learning outcomes whilst providing an outstanding service at the same time.
(2020). Organisation Theory [Study notes]. ETL504 Teacher Librarian as Leader. Interact 2.
Hill, A. (2017). Australian teacher librarian of the year 2017: Reaffirming and celebrating the pivotal role of teacher librarians in our schools. Access, 31(3), 198-214.
Robinson, K. [RSA Animate]. (2010, October 14). Changing education paradigms [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U