At the very start of the ETL504 I stated that I was interested in gaining further insight into how the teacher librarian (TL) can be the link between teachers, curriculum and school leadership (Gemell, 2021, 5 July). I also discussed the (TL) as a central role, stating that “we are the linking ingredient at the centre of the school, guiding the research and reading culture of the school” (Gemell, 2021, 5 July). This really was the beginning of my journey to understanding the central leadership role of the TL and how this role functions within the school. Oddone (2021, June 14) sums it up well stating that the TL leads from the middle by providing professional learning communities and facilitating collaboration. However, I feel that the TL does more than this. The role of the TL encapsulates more than PD, collaboration and resourcing. They are a leader within the school community, linking the needs of the students and staff with the goals of the school principal and the leadership team. The TL does this through clear communication with the whole school community and listening and responding to their needs. The TL also supports the school community through the management of the library space as a 21^st century learning environment. Without that central space where collaboration, sharing, discussion and research come together then perhaps “these key learning activities are in danger of no occurring at all” (Gemell, 2021, 22 August).

Learning about the different leadership models and understanding how particular leadership affects the culture of a school has been eye-opening. I never realised there were different leadership models and that leadership was not all about the principal and the leadership team (Gemell, 2021, August 9). It was interesting to realise that different leadership models can be drawn upon to utilise the attributes of the different styles. The individual models by themselves have their own strengths and weaknesses, but in combination make the leadership stronger. I was particularly drawn to the models of servant and distributed leadership and how they support the role of the TL. The distributed model is essential to mitigating the ‘dictating from the top’ approach (Shaked, 2021; Ng Foo Seong, 2019) and gives the TL opportunity to be a leader. The TL then has the capacity to utilise servant leadership to assist the school community as a whole, not just the students or teachers separately.

I was also particularly challenged by the concept of conflict as a catalyst for change. I did identify some areas for my own improvement in regards to conflict as I try to avoid it rather than confront it (Gemell, 2021, 18 July). I have come to grow in my understanding of conflict and how it can form a platform to think about different angles in a particular situation rather than from my own perspective.

Moving forward with my learning, I will be mindful of leadership styles that I utilise to best support the library and school community. I feel that servant leadership works well for a TL because the attributes of listening and communication support the learning community as a whole. Through servant leadership I am looking to increase my own skills in ICT, particularly digital citizenship. By increasing my own skills, it becomes a platform from which to best support the whole school community (Gemell, 2021, 7 September). I would also use the experience of the discussion paper to harness servant leadership as a vehicle to discuss improvements with the principal. It has helped me to articulate where the gaps are in my school and how the TL can support the school community to fill these gaps. I have more fully grasped the understanding that the TL and the library cannot be seen as stand-alone resources within the school and, for improvements to be made in 21^st century learning, it must be a whole-school approach (Cole, 2012).

References

Cole, P. (2012). Linking effective professional learning with effective teaching practice. https://ptrconsulting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/linking_effective_professional_learning_with_effective_teaching_practice_-_cole.pdf

Ng Foo Seong, D. (2019). Instructional leadership. In T. Townsend (Ed.), Instructional leadership and leadership for learning in schools : understanding theories of leading (pp. 15-48). Springer International Publishing.

Oddone, K. (2021, June 14). Teacher librarian as leader: Lessons from the literature. Linking Learning. https://www.linkinglearning.com.au/teacher-librarian-as-leader-lessons-from-the-literature/

Shaked, H. (2021). Relationship-based instructional leadership. International Journal of Leadership in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2021.1944673