ETL504 Assignment 1 Blog

ETL504 – Critical Reflection

Leadership in schools, beyond the principal and those was executive titles was not something I had considered before ETL504. Management and leadership were synonymous in my mind. After reading the first two modules and beyond for the first assignment, I thought I had a pretty clear understanding of what constituted effective leadership in schools. I had my twelve key ideas and was ready to begin what I thought was an easy assignment:

·         building relationships ·         change ·         collaboration ·         empowering environment

·         innovation ·         knowledge ·         moral purpose ·         motivate & inspire followers

·         open communication ·         shared decision-making ·         sharing skills & knowledge ·         vision for the future

The process, however, was not an easy one and I struggled to create a concept-map that clearly articulated the complexity of effective leadership using only 10-15 key ideas and trying to identify the relationships between them.    

 

After finally creating a concept-map and narrative that captured my understanding of effective leadership in schools, I now feel more confident to reflect on the practice of leadership in a school library. Although I also realise that may reflection is very generalised and I am hoping that the upcoming modules of ETL504 are able to help me develop more concrete ideas about how the teacher-librarian, in their unique role, might effectively lead from the middle. 

What is leadership in a school library?

Leadership is not the exercise of power, but instead the empowerment of others...Effective leaders lead by pulling not pushing, inspiring not ordering, and enabling rather than containing others” (Burdenuk, 1992, p.21).

Teacher-librarians (TL) have a fundamental role in the moral purpose of education, which is about improving people’s lives through providing quality education. Teacher-librarians also have the capacity to be effective leaders for a vision for the future in which student learning is enhanced. This does not mean that teacher-librarians set about asserting themselves as managers over others in the school community. Instead, they understand the value of others and the potential that can be reached when they collaborate.

Teacher-librarians who want to be part of effective school leadership must have a worthwhile vision for the future which is not simply about the library but benefits the entire school community. They must understand the unique characteristics of their school community to create a vision that is realistic and be able to generate a sense of excitement about the vision. Others must see the vision for the future as something that is worthwhile for the moral purpose of education and a “win-win” for all those involved.

Teacher-librarians who wish to be effective leaders need to make the opportunities for relationship building. This may be difficult as the teacher-librarian is sometimes set apart from the rest of the school community as most schools only have one teacher-librarian. Teacher-librarians need to actively increase their networking capacity through finding out what classroom teachers are teaching and how they may be of assistance, joining committees related to student learning, taking part in whole-school events to build professional relationships, looking for opportunities to co-teach, sharing their expertise with other staff and providing specific support to teachers who seek the librarian. Building relationships within the school is not always easy. It takes time, hard work and patience to establish the relationships needed for effective collaboration. However, without collaboration, the teacher-librarian, like any other member of the school community, is limited in their ability to shape the future of their school.

Establishing a collaborative team is fundamental for effective leadership in schools as working together in any venture is likely to generate more dynamic ideas and better outcomes. It is also possible to achieve more when people work together and have shared responsibility. The teacher-librarian has much to offer as the manager of the library, the resource hub of the community, and as an information specialist. Likewise, others in the school community offer their unique expertise and understanding of the school community. For true collaborative power the teacher-librarian must be willing to respect the ideas and expertise of others and be willing to share their knowledge and skills with others. They must be willing to empower others to foster a school community in which leading and learning from one another is the norm.

Teacher-librarians cannot effectively fulfil their teaching role in isolation and must work with others. However, they also have the capacity to go beyond simply working with others to achieve library goals. Through being able to look at the bigger picture in their school and envision a better future for the school community that others also see the importance of, they can become leaders.

References

Burdenuk, E. (1992). Leadership and the teacher librarian. School Libraries in Canada 12(2), 16-27.