Mentoring School Librarians Matters: Reflection on Creating Portfolio of Resources

Our final performance task for this course was the creation of an e-portfolio of resources to support our mentoring journey. Here's a link to my e-portfolio.

Like all curation tasks, this required some dedicated, focused time. I worked on my portfolio throughout the six weeks of the course, off and on, as I encountered relevant resources. At the beginning I used it more as a live note-taking space for my reading of Mentoring Matters, so that I could capture the main ideas of the text in a very condensed form, and know where to go back to find the information I would need as I undertake the role of a mentor. I also dumped documents we read or created into the site as I worked through the course material. Any time something resonated with me, I placed it on my e-portfolio site to come back to later.

This week I undertook a final organization of all the materials I had collected, and looked to fill any remaining gaps in my collection. The rubric was a very useful organizational tool, as it provided categories into which I could sort my collection. I created sub-pages of my Resources page based on the criteria provided in the rubric for this task. Once I had sorted my existing resources based on those categories, I recognized the areas where I had gaps in my collection. For example, I hadn't created a list of formative assessments, so I added the tools I use most often in my own teaching and sorted them based on whether they required tech or not. Then I looked through the provided resources to round out my list with additional formative assessments that are not part of my practice.

I have always deeply enjoyed curation tasks, and this was no exception. I find it very satisfying to create a useful collection of resources that I know I, and others, can come back to later. I also greatly appreciated the generous sharing of resources by the other librarians in this course. I made a point to note who adapted a resource when I was aware, as it is essential that we as librarians model giving credit for the work people undertake. I've changed the privacy settings of my site to restricted as well, because I don't believe it is appropriate for, in particular, my notes summarizing sections of the copyrighted Mentoring Matters text, to be publicly available on the internet. Please let me know if you have trouble accessing the site and I will give you access.

Mentoring School Librarians Matters: Reflection on Mentoring Role-Play Conversation

I had the opportunity to collaborate with Jen Linck of Craftsbury Schools on the structured conversation project. We decided that it would be most effective if we role-played twice, each taking a turn to be a mentor/mentee. Our first conversation lasted about 30-35 minutes and is linked both below and in my e-portfolio. Our second conversation was interrupted by a loss of internet and never resumed, we were about 10 minutes into the conversation and were trending towards it lasting about the same amount of time. It is also linked below. As mentors we both worked from a version of the Lipton & Wellman Planning Template that I adapted to make more relevant to the wide variety of issues a librarian mentee could bring up in planning.

Use this link to access a recording of the conversation where I was the mentor and Jen was the mentee.

Use this link to access a recording of the conversation where Jen was the mentor and I was the mentee.

 My first observation is that I have no idea how the example conversation with Laura Lipton that we watched was only 17 minutes long! One possibility is that the scope of the planning challenges both Jen and I wanted to address were significantly larger, and so it was more challenging to narrow down the focus to some specific success indicators and action steps. The context of a pandemic and the resulting change in how we can provide library services creates a situation where, as we said in our conversation, everyone could use some mentoring. The context also made me more predisposed to take a consulting/collaborating stance than the coaching stance I aimed to take in the conversation---Jen's challenges are very similar to my own, and I too will be implementing some of the action steps we brainstormed during the course of our conversation. Reflecting on stances, I noticed that the conversation template leads you through several stances. The first section where you define the challenges, goals and indicators of success requires more of a calibrating stance, whereas choosing approaches and next steps is more open to the other three stances.

I was grateful that the beginning of our call, before we start the actual mentoring conversation, was also recorded, because I can see in that time that my tendency to jump in and interrupt in a conversation was more prevalent and I was less conscious of it than when we officially began the mentoring conversation. I think I was more effective at pausing and paraphrasing, which really go hand in hand because I need think time too, as the conversation went on. It's amazing how well paraphrasing works. Both as mentor and mentee, it spurs further and deeper thinking, ensuring that you don't move on or abandon a part of the conversation before you've really articulated the heart of the issues. It was also so empowering to be a part of a work conversation that was focused on planning and solutions and not on complaining! I will definitely be using some of these mentoring techniques in my planning conversations with my colleagues over the next year---especially paraphrasing. 

I found I was most triggered to be a non-productive listener when I had an idea about solving a problem. At around 23:00 in the conversation where I was a mentor, I redirected the conversation a bit because I had an idea about tracking circulation based on whether students were in-person or remote. I'm not entire sure how to feel about this---because I do think it was a great idea (creating a field for users in your catalog that tracks whether they are in-person, hybrid, or remote learners so that you can get a sense of what groups are driving circulation and thereby who you are missing in your outreach about library services), I also wonder if I shut down ideas that Jen might have with my enthusiasm for my own idea. This is my own tendency toward problem-solving that I reflected on during the listening survey, and as a mentor I don't want to be someone who just solves problems for my mentee, as that is not fulfilling the role of growth agent. I need to be very intentional about when I adopt that "consulting" stance and ensure that I am doing it at the right time, not just every time I have a good idea.

I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity to practice a structured conversation. The more I participate in these sorts of formalized, structured conversations in my work life, the more clear their power becomes. I look forward to continuing to use this and many other forms of structured conversation to make both mentoring and work conversations more productive in the future.

Mentoring School Librarians Matters: Goal Setting

My formal goal-setting in my library has been driven primarily by the district evaluation process, which uses the Danielson Framework. I have always used the library-specific rubric, as it was given to me by the previous librarian and my principal. In my first two years of teaching, my mentor (the art teacher in my school) was very helpful in developing a specific, measurable goal based on one specific competency. My first year I focused on 2d: Managing student behavior. I still have a couple of videos I made from my desk while teaching, showing the students, and it is very hard for me to watch how few expectations I set for my students, and the resulting fidgety behaviors throughout my lessons. However, those videos as well as my mentor's observations were extremely helpful in figuring out what was missing from my classroom management. I have continued to use the Danielson rubric to set my yearly goal, and my end-year conversation with my principal usually involves each of us independently scoring me throughout the whole rubric and comparing notes.

Likely as a result of it's primary place in my formal evaluation, the "distinguished" category of Danielson has always been an inspiration for me as I imagine myself and my library in the future. I appreciate how simple and clear their picture of a library is---I guess that it just feels like something that is achievable. Danielson includes 4 Domains that each include 5-6 Competencies, for a total of 22 Competencies. In contrast, the National School Library Standards for School Librarians feel a bit overwhelming. I understand that standards should be aspirational, However, there are 6 Shared Foundations, each with 4 Domains within them, and between 2-3 competencies for each of those----a total of 66 Competencies. Three times as many competencies as Danielson; a LOT more! However, there is also a lot more inspiration to be had for what an excellent school librarian would look like, act like, sound like, do. A challenge to using the School Librarian Standards for evaluation is the lack of a rubric describing levels of performance like Danielson has. Chapter 13: Measuring School Librarian Growth suggests that a rubric be developed locally---which would be a major undertaking with 66 competencies to articulate. Thus far I haven't been able to locate a rubric shared online, so perhaps this could be a document we could eventually create collaboratively as a cohort.

It will be interesting to learn about another district's evaluation process when I mentor someone in another district. No matter what their process is like, I will definitely encourage my mentee to use the SMART goal framework to set their goal, and specifically to ensure that the goal is measurable, and observable for the sake of their observation.

Performance Task 2: Observation

In my observation of the class on Malala's Magic Pencil that Nancy taught, I chose to focus on area 2B of Danielson, "establishing a culture of investigation and love of literature." My rationale for choosing this area was that I didn't want to focus on behavior, because pretty much every observation I've ever been asked to do focused on student behavior. But I did want to focus in on Domain 2, because I feel that the environment of the library is the first thing you need to get right as a librarian, so I decided to practice looking at the culture of the library environment instead. I do feel as though much of my observation could be equally applicable to 3C, without the added specificity of activities, grouping and materials. I don't think I could choose one area of Danielson as most important overall, but I do believe that setting up the space, procedures and behavior expectations, which are all part of Domain 2, are extremely important first steps for new teachers that can lead to success in their instruction.

Based on the evidence I collected in my observation, I would say that I have strong evidence of Proficient performance in this area, and some evidence of Distinguished performance. The Proficient category describes a LMS who "conveys a sense of the importance of seeking information and reading literature." In my observation, I noticed a depth of engagement with the text, Malala's Magic Pencil, as Nancy referred to multiple prior readings of the book. She asked questions to support activating that knowledge before asking the students to go deeper into the book and "evalute the stories pictures tell and how they connect to the words." Nancy also connected this text to one that students had read previously (Ada's Violin), and recommended other books on the same topic/theme by creating a display. The Distinguished performance level requires evidence that students have internalized this culture, and that came in the form of a student returning to the subject of Ada's Violin and expanding on the connection. I also feel like the degree of concentrated attention, engagement, and eagerness to respond to the questions posed by the librarian indicate Distinguished performance.

I'm not entirely sure I would recommend this particular area of Domain 2 as a place for a mentee to set a goal, as it seems like it could be hard to quantify evidence supporting progress in a formal evaluation process. Brainstorming a bit, I suppose you could use circulation statistics and book award participation as two quantifiable measures, in addition to whatever workshops or coursework the beginning teacher is taking that supports it as well. In my district, formal observations and end-year evaluation are directly tied to whatever domain/area we have chosen for our goals for the year, so it is important to choose something observable and quantifiable when goal-setting. I can see providing advice about goal setting being a bit challenging when mentoring someone who works in another district under a different evaluation process.

While observing, I took my notes longhand, as I have done in other observations. I think in the future, when I have the opportunity to observe in person, I will try typing notes as I tend to type more quickly than I can hand-write. I appreciated that I was watching a video as I could pause the playback when I needed to complete a note. I tried to capture quotes, both from students and from the teacher, that supported the area I was observing on. The other possibility in future observations would be to take a video in addition to live notes. This would both allow me to improve my notes before processing the observation with my mentee. It could also be helpful to watch parts or all of the video together after talking through the notes. I have found it extremely helpful to watch videos of my own teaching in the past, and I think processing them with a mentor, especially when a trusting relationship exists, would be a very useful tool in the process of learning and growing as an educator.

Our work thus far in this course has emphasized for me the benefits I received from having a strong mentor in my first couple years of teaching. I kept a daily reflection journal throughout my first two years of school librarianship, using the high points and things to change model. It was a lot of work to write down those reflections each day, which is why I ultimately abandoned the practice, but I do still make longhand notes to myself in my plan book about aspects of lessons that need to change, as I refer back to those books when planning for future years. I would recommend the same style of reflection to a future mentee, as it was particularly helpful for me my second year to have the detailed information about what worked well for me and what needed to change.

Danielson Reflections: Week 2 of Mentoring School Librarians Matters

This week we are using the 3-2-1 reflection structure that we learned in our Lipton & Wellman reading last week to share:

• 3 Important Points
• 2 Questions
• 1 Last Thought

First, in reviewing Danielson, I've been thinking a lot about how much of the work we do as librarians is invisible. When I sorted my list of things I would SEE and HEAR in an effective library using the teacher color card, it was pretty well distributed among domains 1, 2, and 3. However, when I re-sorted using the librarian color card, my observations fit almost exclusively in domains 2 and 3. As librarians we do a lot of planning for a wide variety of things, as well as professional engagement, and this labor is largely invisible in our day to day work.

Point two, I think an essential part of the mentor's job is helping their beginning librarian choose measurable and achievable goals. There is so much in Danielson, and in your first year it is easy to want to set high goals---but especially when you are being evaluated, it is essential that those goals be measurable and achievable.

Finally, there's a lot I am learning as a parent that is echoed in the Lipton text. I won't detail all the parallels I observed, but here is one. I have two children, a three year old and a one year old. I've recently noticed how deeply their behaviors, especially for my older child, are tied to my own emotional state. When I feel stressed, frustrated, lonely, stir-crazy, or overwhelmed, their behaviors escalate, but when I am calm and in the moment, they are too. Lipton and Wellman encourage pausing and changing the pace to allow for deep thinking, and I need to do the same for my children---provide a calm and safe space for them to learn and grow.

My first question is, I wonder how many librarians are evaluated using the teacher color card for Danielson? I've never really even looked at it before this week, as I personally have always been given the one created specifically for librarians by my administrator.

Second question, how are we supposed to keep all these strategies present in mind when engaging in mentoring conversations? I'm feeling overwhelmed by the quantity of advice in Mentoring Matters.

My last thought is that I missed having some sort of in person interaction this week, and really wouldn't mind if there was some more Zoom time included in this course.

LISTENING: Week One of EDCI 396 Mentoring Matters

As a librarian, I like to think that I have worked hard to develop my listening skills. I honed my technique with reference interviews as a public librarian, building an ability to ask pertinent clarifying questions that help me get at the root of the information need. As a school librarian I often use those skills to help connect students with books they will be excited about, and to aide my colleagues in the use of technology in their teaching. I'm also not a naturally social person, so I have actively tried to develop the skill of sharing my personal experiences in conversation so that I will engage more, especially in social conversations at work.

When applied to mentoring, some of my listening techniques that serve me best in my day to day work life present a challenge. The Effective Listening Survey in Mentoring Matters indicated that I tend to use two types of listening that can be blocks to understanding in a mentor relationship. Most importantly, I am a problem solver. As a librarian I enjoy being a source of information, and want to be seen as a resource for both my students and my colleagues. While listening, I am looking for solutions and resources that I can provide. I can see through this week's readings the ways that I will need to actively readjust this communication habit in my relationship with my beginning teacher. Additionally, I will need to be very conscious of not wasting time and dominating conversations by sharing personal anecdotes. While I can see how some degree of hearing about another's experiences could be useful, I understand now that this type of sharing is not the purpose of the mentoring relationship. Lipton & Wellman also make the point that given the extremely limited time of a beginning teacher (and a beginning librarian where teaching is only one facet of our job), sharing personal stories is not a useful way to spend precious mentoring minutes, as it doesn't help the new teacher to grow.

One solution that Lipton & Wellman present to these communication challenges is recommending the use of structured conversations. They say, "the mentor is the master of momentum and the beginning teacher is the keeper of the content" (Mentoring Matters, p. 23). I found the section about structured conversations to be deeply affecting, especially the section on problem-solving conversations. Without this forethought and training, my natural impulse would be to say that a mentor should help their beginning teacher solve problems. But that isn't really true. Our job as mentors is to help the beginning teacher become a better problem solver. The elements of problem solving are:

• problem definition
• articulation of outcomes and success indicators
• strategies and resources for achieving success

I feel that the discussion and templates for structured conversations provided in Mentoring Matters have provided a clear framework for me to understand my job as a mentor. I also think that the use of conversation protocols could transform other aspects of my work life. For example, I'm part of my school's PBIS team and responsible for leading monthly MTSS conversations with the other Integrated Arts teachers. Creating more structure in these other work conversations will lead to more productive use of time, especially the clear articulation of problems. I'm looking forward to exploring structured conversations in more depth, and will definitely utilize the templates provided in Mentoring Matters to keep the focus on learning.