Having said that, this is a job with a very steep learning curve, particularly in the technology department, and little time to learn with. I feel that I am very far from being an inspirational leader in my job BUT it is a role I would like to take on eventually. The reality is I have little to no involvement in planning/facilitating my staff's professional development. At this time, the realities of my part time TL job (time constraints being perhaps the biggest challenge) simply do not allow me to be "all that I could be" within the role of helping my staff with professional development. Certainly, I communicate with my staff (both individually and as a whole, formally and informally) on a regular basis, and partake in staff collaboration, but I can't say I've had much experience at the school level with Pro D, often preferring to working with my teacher librarian group to expand my knowledge base with colleagues who are doing the same job I am. In addition, I have thus far hesitated joining my school's Pro D Committee as I don't really feel overly confident yet with digital technologies - or taking on a leadership role in this capacity - one day! One goal I have set for myself for this school year is to learn more about how iPads can effectively and purposefully be used in a educational setting.
This video, although not reflective of the technology in my school (no smart board etc.) is something worth considering and could be a good conversation starter at a staff meeting.
I do wonder how I can start to help my staff with their professional development despite the time constraints. I suppose even small actions are helpful. I am hoping to be able to revamp and consolidate our professional collection over the next few years as it is both out of date and not centrally located in the library. As mentioned above, I would also like to be able to share with my staff useful information surrounding iPad use, but I need to learn about this myself first! I can't imagine doing much more beyond this when I am working with such limited time - but one can always dream! And dream, I think, we must! I think from an advocacy point of view is it very important for us to consider "all the we could be" as TLs so that one day, hopefully the dream can be a reality. Hopefully, one day I and other TLs facing similar challenges, can take on more and more leadership roles.
For the present time, unless we are talking have a 1.00 FTE at a single school, I don't really see how a TL could do a lot of meaningful work with Pro D beyond the basics of attempting to maintain a relevant and up-to-date professional collection and keeping staff informed about said resources. In my ideal TL job I would (and hope to one day):
- Have enough time - say an hour or two a week (?) to spend on Twitter and other social media sites connecting with other TLs and sharing their ideas and recommendations with my staff. I really recommend checking out #TLCHAT on Twitter if you haven't already - lots of great discussion there.
- Have a school website or Facebook page to share happenings in the library with students
- Have collaboration or a "check in" time with each staff member to see what their professional development needs are.
- Have enough time to weed and add to my professional collection in a timely manner.
- Be able to attend PLC times so I could help facilitate workshops and seminars.
- Be able to attend staff meetings! Staying connected is so important!
- Help staff who are slow to use technology.
Throughout this course I just keep coming back to advocacy. It seems so connected to this week's topic! I want to consider this further... how can we, as TLs, fight for our jobs and all they could potentially be? Food for thought...and absolutely something to consider when speaking to school board staff, trustees, and administrators. Below I've included another video that could serve as a generally TL advocacy piece.
A good blog post that outlines and discusses many of the challenges we face as TLs with so many demands on our time, and so little FTE. I feel your frustration and wish there was more time for all of us to be leaders and supporters of ProD in our schools and districts. As you get your program build and perhaps allocated more time, you brainstormed a few good ideas on how to engage and support your potential staff in ProD topics and communities. A good job embedding, tagging and sharing your blog post!
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. I agree with your comments regarding the lack of time given to Teacher Librarians. It seems that they are expendable in our education system in a time when they are needed the most. Technology is changing so rapidly and there are no technology specialists left in schools to help navigate the large amount of information students are expected to learn. We need to band together and advocate for more librarians in schools.
DeleteThe video was excellent! A host of reasons why schools need TLs. Thanks.
Tamara, I enjoyed your post and what a TL full-time job would look like for you. There are so many 'hats' that I TL has to wear that it is hard to stay on top of all the jobs, especially in the ever changing world of technology. Advocacy is so important to keep the library strong and going. Loved the video.
ReplyDeleteHi Tamara!
ReplyDeleteI loved hearing the interests of the students on the video. For me professional growth always comes back to them. I want to know how I can be better at meeting student needs. Lately, that has become about being super productive with very little time. I keep trying to cross teach, working with students in different classes to have student leaders and cooperative learning opportunities. Introducing new technologies to teachers and students requires a lot of patience and has a severe learning curve, as you mention. I think of these networks as roadmaps or personal guides to help us navigate the tricky steps up the mountain. Thank you for sharing your challenges as well as your dreams.
Best wishes,
Andrea