Competency M

Demonstrate professional leadership and communication skills.

I have developed my leadership and communication skills throughout my career and in my previous master’s program. According to Albright (2019) the key elements of leadership include it coming from social influence instead of power, it requires other people to participate- you cannot lead without followers; there are many styles of leadership and has intended outcomes that focus on the greater good. One of the essential competencies of an effective leader is strong communication skills. You cannot lead if people do not understand what you expect from them. Communication skills are not limited to verbal communication. Non-verbal and written communication are also essential, but it should also be “clear and efficient and coupled with active listening for maximum benefit” (pg 470, para 2, Albright, 2019).

I have had to actively pursue leadership opportunities with my library tech position because paraprofessionals do not participate in building PD (we have our own separate trainings) and are often not on admin’s radar. This is even more the case in the library. This year, however, I have expanded my role in the building communications by taking on the school newsletter in addition to the school social media accounts. I have used these opportunities to advocate for the library by including a “Library Corner” in my school newsletter and promoting library programming on social media. I have also joined the curriculum committee for the district as a parent/community member, but our first meeting doesn’t happen until after the portfolio is due. What lead me to the curriculum committee was working on the draft of library policies for the district. An administrator sent out a draft of a policy that they hired out from an outside organization. I gave my feedback on the document and I hope that we will get an update on the status of the document before they present it to the school board.

In my previous master’s program (M.Ed.) I served on the Graduate Advisory Committee. My task was to contribute to the creation and implementation of a needs assessment. The program was in the midst of changes to its offerings, prerequisites, and even the name of the degree. We collected and evaluated mostly qualitative data and then presented our recommendations to the Graduate School.

I have also participated in and presented at several conferences over the years. This type of professional participation is necessary to fully engage in the profession and network with other professionals. Conferences are also ideal places to hear the latest research in the field.

Conclusion

Teacher librarians are leaders in their schools. I’m trying to take advantage of as many opportunities as I can to be part of conversations, make myself and the library visible, and make connections. Sometimes connections happen in unexpected places. I recently helped out the drama department by creating the posters and social media for the upcoming production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe because the director was really overwhelmed with no help. He was really grateful and now two teachers with whom I’ve previously had little contact are now asking me to do all future drama communications! The more connections I can make now as a para, will help my transition into the teacher librarian position next year.

Evidence 1: Conference Presentation: Extending Borders for Basic Skills Students

In my time teaching at the local community college, I presented at several conferences. This particular presentation was from an international organization: Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages. I no longer have a lot of my old documents from my old position, but this presentation focused on incorporating the On Course study skills program into adult basic education and technical education courses. My presentation highlighted sample assignments and techniques for helping pre-college students successfully transition into college- level credit courses. This evidence demonstrates my leadership skills, and my ability to effectively advocate as a leader. Conference participation also demonstrates my commitment to the profession of education. I plan on actively participating in conferences as a library professional as well.

Evidence 2: School Newsletter https://www.smore.com/geq2h

This year I was asked to take on the school newsletter after our two assistant principles left. This recent newsletter demonstrates my ability to communicate effectively with the community.

References

Albright, K. (2019). Leadership skills for today’s global information landscape. In S. Hirsh (Ed.) Information services today: An introduction (2^nd ed., pp. 465-476). Rowman and Littlefield.