This evening I read two readings for module 6.1:Kachel, DelGuidice & Luna (2012) and Bonanno & Moore (2009). In considering how my perceptions of the leadership role of teacher librarians has changed, it struck me that I had only been considering ways in which the teacher librarian could lead programs that influence teaching and learning activities, programs that serve and assist the faculty, leadership and community. I had not considered the importance of recruiting and leading members of the school community: students, teachers, leaders, parents and others, in support of the library program itself. I had missed the seemingly subtle but actually vital difference between promotion and advocacy. Of course, if the school library program is not successful, lacks the resources to be effective or is invisible in the school, it can not possibly have any influence at all on student learning regardless of leadership style. Advocacy for the school library program must, therefore, be seen as essential in the role of the teacher librarian, not for the self-serving reason of keeping our jobs, but because of the advantages the skilled execution of that job provides student learning (the central business of schools).

In assignment 1 I wrote about teacher librarians using both servant leadership and instructional leadership to influence student learning. I had an inkling that there was more to the idea of teachers and teacher librarians being leaders from the middle and this module has solidified that view, fleshed it out and given it a name: teacher leadership. A subject to which I hope to return.

Bonanno, K. & Moore, R. (2009).  Advocacy: Reason, responsibility and rhetoric.  https://kb.com.au/content/uploads/2014/08/Keynote-Advocacy.pdf

Kachel, D. e., DelGuidice, M. & Luna R. (2012). Building champions in the school community. In D. Levitov (Ed.), Activism and the school librarian: Tools for advocacy and survival. (pp. 85-98). ABC_CLIO, LLC.