Burning bridges, visibility, tech mystery, and grandchildren
Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 05:24PM Here's a funny thing: I probably learn as much or more when I give a workshop that those attending learn - especially when the participants, uh, participate. The Ft. Worth area librarians last Friday were certainly a lively, involved group - and upbeat despite many library positions in jeopardy (or already gone) in the state.
Here are a few things that the workshop got me thinking about.
Go out with a smile. If your position IS eliminated, go out with a smile. You owe it to your students, first of all, but you never know if money might be found to reinstate positions in a district. Burning your bridges might feel good at the time, but you will pay for it in the long haul.
Move out of your office. As Gary Hartzell reminds us, visibility is a good way to build one's influence. Be seen in the hallways, do "duties," and attend happy events at your school. One of the first things I always did when moving into a new library was to move my desk out of the office and on to the floor of the library where I was accessible to kids and teachers - and visible. How many librarians do we all know whose positions were lost or reduced because they spent too much time hidden away in an office (usually cataloging)?
Technology glitches may be beneficial. I had a very weird thing happen while showing PowerPoint slides using my Mac Book Air and the building's projection/sound system. Whenever a mainly white slide was on the screen, an audible hum came from the sound system. When I returned to a darker color slide, the hum went away. Thankfully I only had a few mostly white slides, but it hummed on each white slide. Any clue why this may have happened? One of the ironies of a technology glitch during a presentation or workshop is that I always have someone come up afterwards and say, "I am so glad to know this happens to the experts as well as the rest of us. I feel better now!" Maybe I should build a glitch into every presentation.
Play up the grandchild card. I don't know anybody who doesn't sacrifice in some way for their children. I don't know anybody who wouldn't doubly sacrifice for their grandchildren. I'm sorry but I am not concerned about libraries continuing into the future because librarians need jobs. I want libraries to continue so grandsons Paul, Miles and Theo get puppet shows, story times, research skills and technology access. Here's my new fantasy rule*: Legislators are required to send their grandchildren to the public schools they fund - no exceptions.
* Old fantasy rule: Legislators cannot mandate a pass rate on a test that they, themselves, can't meet.
Reader Comments (3)
When my old media job got axed it was almost comical (at the time maddening) how those left in the department were freaking out and acting crazy. I remember specifically a department meeting with the principal on how to plan for next year...people were yelling and I just sat there. My principal said to the group how odd it is that the person who lost their job was the most sane.
Regardless of your feelings, your students and colleagues deserve your best. Plus, selfishly you have to remember these are the people who will write recommendations for you and answer questions from future employers.
I love this post! I agree that all legislators should send their grandchildren to the schools they fund. Great thinking as always.
You should definitely go out with a smile, you never know when you'll need someone at the old place. Either for a reference or as a connection in a new position. Hiding in the office is not a good idea. I try to do most of my office work after the kids leave, though some of it has been keeping me locked up. That however, is where the netbooks come in handy.
Technology glitches happen to everyone, no matter how tech savvy. It's the people who handle them well that exemplify resilience.
I'm sharing this one with the faculty!
Best,
AMA
Hi Nathan,
Good advice, but I am sure it will be hard for many to follow. Not sure how I would react were my job eliminated. Tough time for educators - period!
Doug
Thanks, Andrea.
One gets the feeling some politicians have no feeling at all for children - or at least children who do not share genetic material with them.
Take care,
Doug