No principal left behind

The subject of gaining principal support has recently come up again on our state's library media association (ITEM) listeserve. Find below my advice on the matter from a column published nearly 20 years ago.

This challenge will probably still confront the profession 20 years down the road, but below are some concrete actions practicing, proactive school ibrarians can do NOW!

No Principal Left Behind, Head for the Edge, #5 2002-03

Doug Johnson

All administrators can learn.

“If only my principal could hear what you just said!” is the wistful comment I hear time and again after giving a keynote presentation at conferences. Indeed, a lack of understanding by administrators about what good school library programs can be and should do is widely regarded as detrimental to the profession.

University of Nebraska professor, Gary Hartzell, often reminds school library media specialists that there is little mention of school library programs in administrative preparation programs, and that when libraries are mentioned, it is because they may be the source of problems such as book challenges or copyright problems. There is also a pretty good chance that your principal may not have had the opportunity to work with a great librarian before you came along.

That leaves it up to you, the individual school librarian, to help inform and educate your principal about good school libraries and the positive impact they can (and indeed are) having on students. Below are some tips gathered from conversations with effective school librarians about what works:

1. Use a variety of formal reporting efforts. We should all be sending out a written (or emailed) quarterly principal’s report and a monthly faculty bulletin. These should be upbeat, useful, and short. Every newsletter that goes to parents needs a library column. Think about including digital photos of happy library-using kids. If your state library association has “advocacy tools” – handouts, videos, checklists, etc. – use them whenever you get the chance. Take advantage of regional events that may be planned in your area. For example, many New York BOCES agencies hold an annual breakfast for school librarians and their administrators that features an informative program. State library conferences often have special events just for administrators.

2. Remember that administrators HATE surprises. Your principal does not like to be surprised by either good or bad news about your library delivered by someone else. As a true administrator, I like knowing of bad things in advance so I can figure out someone else to blame. I like knowing about good things in advance so I can figure out how to take the credit. Your principal should never learn about something happening in your library from a teacher, a student or, especially, a parent.

3. You need to view you and your principal as allies. You need your principal’s support, of course, for funding, program building, and helping influence other staff members. Did you ever think that your principal may need you too? As cheer-leader and co-conspirator for change efforts. As staff development resource for new programs. As an educator who can positively affect the learning environment of the whole school. As a researcher for best practices information. How exactly does your principal rely on you? Are you important enough to be listened to?

4. Know your principal’s goals and interests. Can you rattle off right now the three or four things your boss considers important in your school? Test scores? Climate? Meaningful technology use? Figure out where your goals and your principal’s goals overlap. That’s not sucking up – that’s being politic.

5. Try to speak on behalf of a group, not just for yourself. Principals really listen to the comments of parents and community members. (Ever notice how it only takes three concerned citizens at a school board meeting to change a policy?) If you can submit the library goals and objectives, the budget, or program initiatives on behalf of an advisory group that includes parents and community members, you are more likely to be taken seriously. See <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gDpPUk_LdHeWUTnBCqYvgKrX_HCfKODWMCnNjm7JLnY/edit> for some ideas about library advisory groups.

6. Be seen outside the library. If your principal sees you on committees, attending school events and even in the teacher’s lounge, not only can you chat informally about library matters, but you send a powerful non-verbal message as well: I am a full member of the school staff. 

7. It’s OK to disagree with your principal. You may think that some ideas of your principal may not be in the best interests of your students or staff. If that’s the case, you have an ethical duty to give your reasons to your principal. But this is important: do so in private. Always voice your support in public; always voice your differences in private.

8. Do not whine. You are not going to want to hear this, but there is a little riddle that goes around administrative circles: What is the difference between a puppy and a teacher? The puppy stops whining when you let it in the door. What exactly is whining and how does it differ from constructive communication efforts? Robert Moran in his book Never Confuse a Memo with Reality (Harper, 1994) says it best: “Never go to your boss with a problem without a solution. You are paid to think, not to whine.” I know it feels good to just let it all out sometimes about things that really can’t be changed. But listening to that sort of venting is what your spouse, your mom or your cat is there for.

9. Advocate for kids, not for libraries. Advocating for libraries sounds, and usually is, self-serving. When you talk to your principal whether proposing a plan, asking for funds, telling what’s happening in the library, volunteering to serve on a committee, agreeing to help with a task, or suggesting a solution to a problem, the underlying reason behind it should always be: “It’s a change that will be good for our students.” Period.

10. Remember that you have a professional obligation to be a leader as well as a follower. Michael Useem, professor at the Wharton School of Business, reminds us of this in his excellent book Leading Up: How to Lead Your Boss So You Both Can Win (Crown, 2001). Our communication efforts can and should not just inform, but persuade others, guide the directions of our organization, and improve our effectiveness. If we don’t create the positive changes in our schools that improve kids lives, just who the heck will?

Good communications are never accidental. A well-informed principal can be a truly supportive leader, but it is up to each of us in the profession to communicate, to inform, and to teach “up” as well as “down.” Let’s leave no principal behind in creating better learning opportunities with better libraries.

BFTP: 12 things you need to know about me as a supervisor

A regular Blue Skunk "feature" is a revision of an old post. I'm calling this BFTP: Blast from the Past. A link to the original post is appended below.

I supervised others for about 41 years. First as a library media specialist working with library paras and then as a technology director overseeing the work of a diverse and growing bunch of technicians, coordinators, and clerical staff. I’ve personally had good and bad supervisors and have learned from both. Having done some reflection, here are some of things you should know about me if I were your boss...

1. I hate to supervise. My long held belief is that the secret of successful supervision is to hire people who don’t need supervision. I don’t like being micromanaged nor do I want to have to micromanage others.

2. I want people aligned to a simple mission. When you work in my department and anyone asks you what your job is I hope you say “Educating children.” I don’t care if you are a network manager, accounts receivable clerk, media specialist, or tech integration specialist. Your primary job, the basis of all decisions you make, is simple - what's best as it applies to educating kids.

3. I am not a mind reader. I don’t do subtle. I don’t get hints, looks, or attitudes. You have a problem with me, a coworker, a decision, or a situation, you have to tell me. I will absolutely respect you for your honesty.

4. I'd rather steer you than spur you. I love ideas and new approaches to getting things done. Take initiatives. Suggest policies and new approaches. Seth Godin writes: "It's the boss's job to continually ask, ‘is this the most daring vision of your work?’“I have to try to remember that as well.

5. I believe in families first. Your children will only play t-ball for so many years. Your mom may really need you as she ages. Your husband may require a ride to work. I get that. Honor being a parent, a son/daughter, or a spouse. You only get one chance really to be a good family member.

6. Never put in unpaid overtime. ‘Nuf said. I believe in flexibility and measuring outputs not inputs. It’s never about how long you spend working, it’s about how much you accomplish.

7. The only thing I like better than a compliment is a compliment about someone in my department. Any department I run should be noted for its friendliness and communication skills. We can’t always fix problems but we can always let people know we’ve heard their problems and are trying.

8. Formal evaluations are bullshit. I will do my best to give you feedback on a continuous basis. (And I know I never say thank you or recognize the efforts of others enough.) Let’s figure out together how to turn the formal evals into some kind goal setting plan that actually might make sense.

9. No surprises. I want to know the good stuff that’s happening as well as potential problems. We will meet regularly to share, but if something comes up, let me know. I don’t like looking clueless. And no end runs - you regularly go to my boss instead of me with a problem, don’t ever ask me for a recommendation.

10. We are interdependent. If we focus on making each other successful, we will all thrive and feel satisfaction. The thing I love most about being a supervisor is being asked for help and being able to give it. I will make sure your voice is heard by my boss and will do my best to get you the necessary resources for you to be successful. All I want in return is that you make me look good. Is that too much to ask?

11. Make me the bad guy. If somebody gets on you about a policy you didn’t make, don’t take any abuse. Just send them to me. I believe disagreement is a healthy thing in an organization, but I also believe in professionalism.

12. Happy workers are good workers. I’ve worked for assholes and I’ve worked for decent human beings. I don’t just believe happy people are more productive, I believe workers can’t be productive at all unless they are happy. I want everyone looking forward to work every day.

Reading this might make you think I was a pushover. You’d be wrong. I had high expectations of the people in my department. 

Original post August 7, 2014

Why do we volunteer?

What is my purpose in life?” I asked the void.

“What if I told you that you fulfilled it when you took an extra hour to talk to that kid about his life?” said the voice. “Or when you paid for that young couple in that restaurant? Or when you saved that dog in traffic? Or when you tied your father’s shoes for him?

Your problem is that you equate purpose with goal-based achievement. God or the Universe or morality isn’t interested in your achievements… just your heart. When you choose to act out of kindness, compassion and love, you are already aligned with your true purpose. No need to look any further. ~ From ~ Note to Self ~ Tao & Zen*

I thought about the quote above as I walked out of the grocery store yesterday, clutching two boxes of Girl Scout cookies, smugly confident I'd done my good deed for the day. Yet somehow buying sweets for my personal consumption, even as a contribution to an organization in support of youth, did not seem to be in quite the same league of rescuing a dog or tying an old person's shoes. 

Were shelling out a few bucks for those Thin Mints an act of "kindness, compassion or love" or simply an excuse for buying junk food that I would not otherwise purchase? 

My sense is that retirement may be more difficult for people who worked in a "service" profession. Having worked in education all my life, I felt I contributed to the general good of society by helping educate children and young adults. On a day-to-day basis, my contributions seemed abstract (making decisions about network security, doing training on a new student information system, budgeting for server replacements, etc.), but generally I believed my work to have been of a higher moral calling than that, of say, an industrial chemical salesman or long haul truck driver. But I suspect most occupations have a means of rationalizing how they contribute to "the greater good."

I felt better about my post-retirement contributions to the community last Friday after having co-led a winter hike for the ForeverWell group from the local YMCA and drivng an elderly lady from her hairstylist appointment back to her home on behalf of a nonprofit. But most volunteer work I do has the same sense of selfishness that buying Girl Scout cookies does - I may well be getting as much pleaure from it as do the intended recipients. Such jobs structure my weeks and provide opportunity to interact with other humans. Maybe not the sugar high of a Thanks-A-Lot cookie, but good feelings.

In looking for international teaching volunteer opportunities, I was referred to a "global volunteer" website**, where I discovered a week's volunteering in Central America would cost me more than week-long cruise or stay at an all-inclusive tropical resort. While I would expect as a volunteer to pay my own expenses for travel, room, and board, I never dreamt that people might pay thousands of dollars to serve those in need. Who does this work truly serve? Is it a means of purchasing a clear conscience after a life building wealth?

I won't stop volunteering. But neither will I stop questioning my motives for doing so. Cynic that I am, even about my own motivations, I don't really believe altruism exists. 

I'm going to go eat a cookie now.

* I had no success in tracking down a primary source for this quote. It appears on lots of websites, but I never really found an author. Tao & Zen seems to be a Facebook page that shares Buddhist thoughts. Leave a comment if you know the source. Thanks.

** The organization showed an endorsement from Oprah in its promotional video.

Image source