Alexandra Moses

Final Reflection This job all comes down to being a social genius. Throughout this program, we learn the importance of collaboration and how teaching in our library involves working with other teachers and students to create an integrated learning experience. We practice looking at budgets, creating missions and visions, remaking spaces, and evaluating and selecting materials. We get drilled over and over about advocacy, advocacy, advocacy. We are the heart of the school - so we need to just offer our services and keep tooting our own horns, and hopefully teachers will come on board. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they will think that you are just there to fix their Promethean board connections. But you fix that connection with a smile and an idea for a flip chart they could use in a lesson. You never stop finding ways to get teachers to collaborate, and helping them even if they dont want your help. There is an art form to being in this position. It is all about the relationships that we build, from the beginning, with teachers, administrators, students, and even parents, that ultimately will determine how successful we will be in our job. All of the above is possible, as long as we hone our social skills to a very fine point. By far, this was my biggest takeaway from my field study experiences. I learned a lot about the nitty-gritty of library administration, teaching, and classroom management but all through the filter of building relationships. I saw the truth in this statement: Changing an organization requires knowing the culture of that organization because how change can be best brought about depends on the culture of the organization (Oberg, D., 2009, p. 12). What I saw as a strength in myself being adept at reading people felt like a real asset when applied in the media center, but it still required being mindful of other peoples feelings and needs at every step. I also became keenly aware of areas in which I need to continue to work.

Alexandra Moses

KNOWING YOUR CUSTOMERS Alice Deal Middle School was a tough place to maneuver, partly because it is just so large. There was no collaboration happening between teachers and the media specialist and it wasnt until I was trying to collaborate that I realized how hard it can be to build relationships with teachers when there is no precedent set for it. I anticipated that my mentor would model what it means to be aggressively helpful, and she did, in some ways. In others, she did not. But instead of being a disappointing experience, it was instructive, and I was able to really reflect on what it means to build a meaningful program in a middle school, and how to do that within the current culture of the school. Even administrative tasks required social savvy. For instance, I was assigned to weed the country books and select replacements. Instead of just replacing the weeded copies with more current books, I considered the student population and whether they were likely to really to hit the stacks or the computer. I knew from working with the students as they came in for other assignments that these students were extremely wired and preferred electronic resources over books for research. It made little sense to suggest a long list of replacement materials when the students wanted to use Google for information. Understanding this was important to making meaningful suggestions for resources. It is not just about what we think is best for students, but about the artful combination of what is best and what they will most likely respond to. Its about working within the culture of the organization and setting aside preconceived notions about how things should be done.

COLLABORATING WITH TEACHERS My mentors at both schools modeled how to forge and maintain meaningful relationships with students. But relationships with teachers were a different matter. The lack of collaboration

Alexandra Moses

at Deal was strongly felt. It was clear that the teachers didnt consider the library as the media specialists classroom. When it came time for me to collaborate with the art teachers, the interaction was so much harder than I anticipated. There was just no precedent set. It wasnt part of the culture. For me, that meant more consideration of the social approach. I really had to read the cues from the art teacher and figure out how to work with her in a way that was meaningful without stepping on toes. It was really hard, but a great lesson in building relationships. Were not all going to walk into our new jobs and be welcomed with open arms for collaboration. I am glad that I had this experience because it gave me insight into how to work with reluctant teachers, and to practice reading those social cues in order to make collaboration work. Luckily, my experience at Washington Grove showed me the power that comes from having those solid relationships with teachers. I anticipated at the outset that it would be at the middle school where collaboration might happen, and the elementary school would stay at that coordination level. In fact, my elementary school mentor modeled collaboration at every turn. The nature of summer school makes collaboration with teachers difficult, but I practiced collaborating with my mentor every day, learning how to coordinate the library curriculum with the classroom curriculum and create meaningful, integrated lessons with students. While collaboration with teachers stayed at the coordination level, this wasnt because relationships hadnt been forged - it was the nature of the short day, and the 30-minute class periods. I went back and forth with my mentor about every lesson, throwing out ideas, hearing hers, and coming to consensus. I really enjoyed co-teaching, and discovered just how much more meaningful that makes lessons. LESSONS LEARNED

Alexandra Moses

I came away from this experience with a much better understanding of the five roles of the school librarian; I anticipated that I wouldnt get a chance to witness all of them, but in fact I did: at Deal, I spent a lot of time on administration, and my teaching contributions centered on the information specialist role. At Washington Grove I was able to really practice being a teacher and an instructional partner, as well as witness my mentor act as a leader. I came away from all this with a toolkit of best practices, thanks to mentors who let me practice, practice, practice. One of my weaknesses that still remains is classroom management, and I know that I will have to make a plan for rules and strategies to make sure that I have control of my classroom. I also have to meet teachers where they are, and read into their needs so that I can provide instructional help in the ways that they most want and need it without taking it personally when they give me the brush-off. I see how important it is to find ways to self-promote, and demonstrate the importance of the library within the school. I plan to continue with professional readings already I have discovered Doug Johnsons The Indispensable Librarian to be a valuable resource and reflect on my practice to improve and create a program that truly is the heart of my school. As Johnson notes, we should be in this profession because we like teaching people how to find, evaluate, use, and communicate information (2013, p. 15). And, indeed, I am.

Citations Johnson, D. (2013). The indispensable librarian, 2nd ed. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Linworth, p. 15.

Alexandra Moses

Oberg, D. (2009). Libraries in schools: Essential context for studying organizational change and culture. Library Trends, 58(1), p. 12.