Personal Leadership
One thing that has not been mentioned much in this class is personal leadership. True, it is discussed at length in Management of Information Organizations, and there is no need to repeat the material. Yet, in leadership of any kind, the personalities of those you work with can be very influential.
Take my previous principal. She had been in administration at the same school for over 20 years. The school was like her own private fiefdom, and her way was the only way. Imagine trying to get a flexible library schedule when faced with that attitude (one of the reasons I transfered, honestly). She was a good leader at times, but not always. She could be very inconsistent, one moment you were doing a great job, the next moment you could do nothing right. The perception at school was that she played favorites as well. Not a good atmosphere for trying new things in.
In order to be able to lead, you must have the respect of others around you. Media specialists can get this respect by demonstrating our knowledge of resources and the school curriculum, helping teachers teach, and understanding the students' and teachers' needs. It is not necessary to be well liked to be a good leader, but you need to be compassionate, understanding of others, straightforward and honest. As a good teacher, you are a leader in the classroom. The media center is the school's classroom (thanks to whichever of my classmates put it in that context) so media specialists need to be leaders in the school. It is hard to be an effective leader when you are argumentative, selfish, or determined to always be in the right. True leaders admit when they are wrong, and continually try to improve themselves and their leadership.
It's a little scary when you think of all that media specialists are expected to do. They have so many different roles, and everyone has a different opinion of their job requirements and their worth in the school setting. There are also so many leadership oppportunities. It all comes down to what you feel is important, people's respect for you, and your respect for others. And with practice, we all can become good media specialists who are leaders.
Keep your fingers crossed for me at my new school!
Take my previous principal. She had been in administration at the same school for over 20 years. The school was like her own private fiefdom, and her way was the only way. Imagine trying to get a flexible library schedule when faced with that attitude (one of the reasons I transfered, honestly). She was a good leader at times, but not always. She could be very inconsistent, one moment you were doing a great job, the next moment you could do nothing right. The perception at school was that she played favorites as well. Not a good atmosphere for trying new things in.
In order to be able to lead, you must have the respect of others around you. Media specialists can get this respect by demonstrating our knowledge of resources and the school curriculum, helping teachers teach, and understanding the students' and teachers' needs. It is not necessary to be well liked to be a good leader, but you need to be compassionate, understanding of others, straightforward and honest. As a good teacher, you are a leader in the classroom. The media center is the school's classroom (thanks to whichever of my classmates put it in that context) so media specialists need to be leaders in the school. It is hard to be an effective leader when you are argumentative, selfish, or determined to always be in the right. True leaders admit when they are wrong, and continually try to improve themselves and their leadership.
It's a little scary when you think of all that media specialists are expected to do. They have so many different roles, and everyone has a different opinion of their job requirements and their worth in the school setting. There are also so many leadership oppportunities. It all comes down to what you feel is important, people's respect for you, and your respect for others. And with practice, we all can become good media specialists who are leaders.
Keep your fingers crossed for me at my new school!
posted by Jodie Delgado @ 1:16 AM
3 Comments:
At 11:23 AM,
Alia in Wonderland said…
I have to admit I feel a little awed by all the roles that media specialists are expected to play. I'm not working as a media specilist yet and at time the responsibility seems daunting.
Also, I agree with you wholeheartedly about being a good leader. We have talked a lot about what we can do to show leadership but not so much about making sure that we are good leaders. I think the case studies we have been doing cover this a bit more than our discussions. Respect is very important and if you don't show respect to the rest of the faculty then you wont get very far as a leader.
At 6:27 PM,
Techy Reading Teacher said…
I recently had to make a move in order to grow. I would really like to move agian into a media specialist position, but for now my job is secure and convenient. A new leadership role will evolve as time goes by. Good luck on finding a new position.
Shannon
At 10:39 PM,
Laimi Fernandez said…
Jodie,
Hi! We are just finishing another class together and I think you told me this would be your last semester. Congratulations! Also congratulations for going to a secondary school. You will have more opportunities to show all you know and change things around. Sometimes, elementary and middle school teachers think of the media specialist as a baby sitter who takes care of the children during their planning time. If, on top of this, you have to deal with a principal like the one you had, it is very easy to get frustrated. You will be better now. Just watch out for those teenagers and their love for the unknown! Sometimes they are faster than us finding things on the web that they should not find.
Laimi
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