Operation Collaboration. Fostering School-Wide Collaboration

by Stephanie Macceca, Anthony Devine and Suzanne Sannwald, August 2021

Often, when we think about how to collaborate as librarians, we might start by thinking about co-planning and co-teaching with classroom teachers to help students develop research and information literacy skills. Or, we might think of collaborating with others to promote literacy and a love of reading. In these cases, while the work we do with others is focused around a shared goal, the focus is ultimately very library-centric.

As we emerge from the pandemic, however, we have found that educators as a whole have been forced out of their accustomed silos. For us, some of our strongest collaborations during the past year have really been as co-participants in larger school-wide and district-wide initiatives that focus on how our wider community can best come together to support students. Having a seat at the table of these conversations has been a valuable and essential form of collaboration.

As the 2020-21 school year came to an end, Stephanie engaged in some of the best school-wide collaboration that she has experienced in her many years in education. What made this collaboration so uniquely successful? To start, for the first time in her career, she was invited to participate in a day-long retreat that took place at a country club. It was catered with delicious snacks, hot food, and even cloth napkins. The message that this sent to teachers and staff is that they are valued and deserve to be treated like the true professionals they are. This would not have meant a lot if the actions and words did not also match this sentiment, and it is also possible to make people feel valuable without spending money, but the tone of respect and professionalism is what really stood out.

In terms of those words from Stephanie's leadership, the message was transparent, direct, and carries significance for all educators: We can't act like last year didn't happen. We must be intentional about our next steps. To do otherwise is to make the mistake of dismissing the unprecedented learning opportunity we are living through. This means that we are going to have to be willing to take part in hard conversations. With that in mind, Stephanie's leaders asked: What are the things that we can do in order to have difficult conversations with colleagues, students, and parents about how to move forward? We must be willing to stop, take stock, recharge, and plan for a path forward. Just like with any plan, it must fit the needs of the community, and in order to do that, we have got to be talking with each other.

In this way, it was made clear how collaboration is dependent on conversation, and the retreat modeled in practice how to have meaningful conversations. For instance, the day was framed by the question: How do we cooperatively have tough conversations about the Valhalla High School experience? This question prompted participants to unconsciously establish norms and "assume the best intentions" resonated with everyone. If we believe that we are all doing the best we can and that we want the best for our students, it lowers a pervasive barrier against collaboration: distrust. We need to trust each other in order to have critical conversations that do not get mired in criticism and defensiveness but instead focus on productive problem solving where everyone takes ownership and accountability.

It was in this context that Stephanie and her colleagues talked together. They had some uncomfortable conversations about how educators and students can take ownership of the learning process. After groups wrote down ideas, they walked around to explore the ideas developed by others, and then participants marked ideas that they could implement next year. By the end of the day, the whole group had identified several key guiding principles that will serve as the foundation for developing a path forward for their school.

The specific ideas that they developed are not the point here. What matters is how a school community came together, challenged one another, and identified areas of growth that carried school-wide significance. The power of collaboration is amplified when we have clear issues to address that we agree are important. And, the reminder that Stephanie experienced through this process is that, as teacher librarians, we must consistently step out into, and contribute to, whole school efforts. We must own that participatory leadership role. When there are meetings about campus culture and a school-wide or district-wide focus, go to those meetings. If you're not invited, ask to be! Collaborate in ways that contribute to the integrated school experience. Look for opportunities. Don't wait!