[LM_NET] HIT: Roadblocks to Collaboration (long)

[Toni Buzzeo <tonibuzzeo@TONIBUZZEO.COM>]

Wow! What an outpouring of responses!  I'm going to post a hit now, 
while I have them all organized by question and by grade level.  I 
hope this strikes some chords for some of you (it sure did for me!)

Watch for a follow-up question about Administrative advocacy!

Thanks,
Toni

HOW DOES SCHEDULING AFFECT HOW YOU COLLABORATE (TEAM-PLAN, 
TEAM-TEACH, TEAM-ASSESS) WITH YOUR TEACHERS?

HS: I'm in a HS and we are flexibly scheduled. Teachers can come on 
their prep or before and after school to work with me. I have planned 
with teachers and taught with them but, I have never been part of the 
assessment process. Collaboration has a long way to go in my school. 
We are only on the very first level and do not truly collaborate.

***

MS: Our teams are interdisciplinary, but our collaboration approach 
is strictly by discipline.  All department meetings are held after 
school, and they all occur on the same day at the same time.  I can't 
attend all four core content meetings at the same time, and because 
of this, I am rarely on any of the agendas for these meetings unless 
there is a department-wide project already in the planning process 
with a department chairperson.

***

EL: I am the media specialist for 3 K-5 bldgs.  I am assigned to one 
on Tues., one on Wed. and another on Thurs.  Mondays and Fridays are 
not assigned and I rotate through the three.  The infrequency and the 
rigidity of the schedule leaves me no real collaboration.  I am 
teaching reference skills ans research while some teachers have 
already covered the material and others won't get to it for weeks.  I 
only see each class 12 times all year in 2 bldgs. and only 9 times a 
year in one bldg.  I don't see some classes until after Thanksgiving.

***

EL: We would love to collaborate more in our District, but the 
Library time is also a planning period for teachers, and they are 
reticent to surrender this valuable time.  Most librarians in the 
District  are able to at least teach with the 4th and 5th grade 
teachers in the library; in my school, this has never been the case, 
and they will not give up a chance to work independently for the 
possibility of making Library Class more relevant to the 
students.Since "Special" times are associated with planning periods, 
and since the teachers meet within grade levels during Library 
classes, the librarians are effectively eliminated from grade-level 
plannings.  We try desperately to collaborate by writing curriculum 
that aligns with the curriculum maps, (on our owm time, I might add) 
but day to day collaboration is just a dream for us!!  We have to ask 
every week about the unit that is being taught in class, since 
teachers can skip or repeat a unit.  Just last week I "caught" a 
teacher teaching the same skill that I had slated for the following 
week!  If only she had asked!

With my student teacher (who starts tomorrow), I am ready to petition 
the upper-grade teachers for a flexible schedule for the last marking 
period of the year.  This will be a trial, and will hopefully show 
them the benefit of working together towards a common goal!!!

***

My teachers have one day designated afterschool for team 
planning.  My only problem is that I can't get to each grade level in 
the same day.  No one wants to add another meeting with anyone 
(especially the librarian), so most of my planning is done via email....

***

EL: I think the scheduling is the major roadblock. If there is no 
time to meet together how can you plan and work together. At the 
school I am currently at we have a lot of programs and clubs 
afterschool again hindering time to plan together. I am not so sure 
about administrative support. My administrator is very supportive of 
me and my program and this does not really help because of the time 
problems I already listed.

***

EL: In my entire district, LMS time is scheduled to cover teacher 
prep, so all of the 2nd grade teachers, for example, have prep at the 
same time, and can do common planning. However, that makes it 
impossible for me to take part. WE do have monthly grade level 
planning meetings that I have been invited to, but ALL grades meet at 
the same time--which one do I choose to attend?  And is it proper for 
me to get a sub so I can meet with the 3rd grade teachers for several hours?

***

EL: Collaboration is next to impossible in my school. I am on a fixed 
schedule as I am prep time coverage. My prep time is the final period 
of the day, when all the classroom teachers are teaching. My lunch 
period is during the first grade lunch, and we don't talk shop during lunch.
We have grade level meetings but the special area teachers are not 
included. We don't even have our own special area meetings. The 
spanish teacher went to a workshop that all the classroom teachers 
attended about ESL kids. She was supposed to have time to share the 
information with the rest of the special teachers, but it has been put off.

When I mention helping during a one on one conversation most of the 
time the teacher tells me they are so overwhelmed with our brand new 
reading series, and the on-line grade book program that is new this 
year, too, and they are dreading new year when we start a new math 
program. Nerves are frazzled. It's easy to collaborate with science 
and social studies but the Rigby reading series incorporates the 
science and social studies in with the stories. They say they don't 
need anything extra.

However - we have student teachers from the local university. They 
have to interview me as an assignment. I told them I could help them 
with just about everything they have to do. They told me about a 
project they want to work on together: making a wax museum of famous 
Americans. We talked about our biographies and a few other ideas and 
I think it's going to be great. Someone posted an idea about making 
bookmarks with quotes of famous Black Americans. We are going to do 
that as a "handout" for each was figure. We talked about making a 
powerpoint of each character to post on our school web site, and 
making a book to keep in the library.

***

HOW DOES SCHOOL CULTURE ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO COLLABORATE 
WITH YOUR TEACHERS?

HS: This is my 4th year here and when I got here there was already a 
very entrenched negative feeling about the library staff (I work with 
another librarian) on the part of the history and English dept 
chairs. Despite the feeling of the English dept chair, they still use 
us quite a bit. The history dept however, does not and these should 
be the 2 depts that use us the most.

I think the teachers don't know how much we can help them or they 
don't want to deviate from their comfort level. I have approached 
some teachers multiple times without a change in their attitude. Part 
of me thinks that the teachers just don't care. They want to get in 
and out of the library and they are not very concerned with the 
quality of the information that their students are using.

I don't think it's pervasive (the negative culture) to the same 
degree with the other depts. The history chair is a graduate of the 
school and has been there for over 20 years. I think he formed his 
opinion a long time ago and is not going to change it. The English 
chair has also been at the school for over 20yrs. She seems to look 
down on a lot of people. Last year she was behind me in the hallway 
and she needed to ask me a question and I heard her say "excuse me" a 
couple of times. I turned around because I wasn't sure if she was 
talking to me. So I asked her if she was calling me and she said yes. 
I probably could have phrased this better but, I was pretty taken 
aback so I said to her "Do you not know my name?" and she said "No, 
I'm sorry. I don't." That was my 3rd year at the school and I am one 
of 2 librarians. The other librarian and I put out multiple memos to 
the teachers during the year and I publish a newsletter every month 
that goes out to the staff and they always contain our names but 
still she did not know my name. She knew I was the librarian because 
she asked me a question about the library. Maybe that will give you 
some idea of what she's like.

The way we work around them is to approach individual teachers from 
the dept. As I said, a few of the English teachers are regular users 
of the library but, we have not had a lot of luck with the History 
dept. They seem to be receptive when I speak to them but, then they 
don't come back. It's very frustrating. We don't focus on other depts 
but, we do provide the best resources and information that we can to 
the other depts. My co-librarian is a former Science teacher but, the 
Science dept rarely uses us.

***

HS: In my new position, school culture is probably the biggest 
roadblock to collaboration for a variety of reasons.  More 
specifically, past library culture.  The perception for many years is 
that the librarians do nothing but follow their own interests and 
advice/service/collaboration were actively discouraged.

I replaced someone who was certified as a school librarian but not 
ever a classroom teacher (nor did he possess a teaching degree).  The 
media center formerly had 2 1/2 media specialist positions.  There 
are now two of us and my cohort has an endorsement (not a degree in 
library science and we have very different approaches to the job); 
she is the head librarian.  The person I replaced is still on staff 
in the capacity of technology specialist.  He told me that his job 
was cataloging, the second person was in charge of periodicals and 
that consumed most of her time, the 1/2 time person was in charge of 
putting the newspapers on the stick and spent most of her day working 
with the drama department.  All three agreed that the library should 
not even have had any fiction books--it should be solely a research library.

One media specialist was writing a book on the Civil War so those 
titles abound.  The others concentrated on adding to the 800s.  We 
have 3 or 4 copies of many titles of literary criticism, very few of 
which have ever been checked out.  With the exception of a few books 
purchased in the last 2 years by the new head librarian, fiction 
titles are pretty much what the opening day collection was in 1979 
and what got dumped there when the high schools in the county were 
consolidated.  Teachers have spent many years getting no cooperation 
from the librarians and students formerly detested entering.  The 
head librarian is concentrating on upgrading the physical appearance 
of the library, which does need to be done.  I am concentrating on 
getting in books (primarily fiction at this point) that the kids 
actually want to read.  I send a lot of emails to teachers or put 
things in their mailboxes when I find something that they can use, 
ask for copies of assignments when they do come to the library and 
offer up resources, and visit classrooms if the occasion arises.  The 
tv production teacher is coming tomorrow to film students book 
talking.  The art teacher is happily planning an altered books 
project (I only wish he would take more of the darn things!  If you 
want four copies of the biography of Zane Gray, I will be starting to 
weed biographies this week.), banned books lessons were exceedingly 
popular among students and teachers, and we are beginning to make 
progress.  Circulation is up 158% over this same time last year.  I 
have not been invited to any department or leadership meetings but am 
hoping that will come with time and familiarity.

If only we could get the teachers to actually check out the videos 
when they come in instead of just taking them.....
***

MS/HS 7-12: Too much testing time. Our middle school has more days 
that have some kind of testing than the length of a quarterly class. 
They also tell the LMC they don't have time and the admin says yea 
they don't have time. For ANYTHING, including book selection. But I'm 
the bad guy when I want limits 50-60 middle school kids (this is 
reduced from the past) who come to the LMC during club period to 
socialize and read People.

HS is a little better. If I could only get them to require the use of 
books and bibliographies...I'm making a lot of headway banning 
wikipedia though!

***

MS: We were recently audited by a team from a consulting firm, and when
the principal brought the team to the library (conveniently after my
last class of the day had finished), they asked me questions about
collaboration and how that works with the library program.  I was
honest, and said that it was very difficult, and often happened "on
the fly."  I said that fortunately, I had a good reputation with my
teachers for developing projects and activities that were academically
rigorous, appropriate for the students, and tied to curriculum guides
and state standards.  They asked to see some of my lesson plans, and
asked my principal "How can you get the teachers in your building who
aren't doing what she is doing to emulate her strategies and
techniques?"

I know that what I am doing is of value.  I hope that this visit from
an outside group can help my administrative team see, really see what
it is I can contribute.  I especially want them to know that I can't
contribute if I don't have the time to meet with people and share what
we can do together.

***

EL: The teachers see me as someone to relieve them of their 
classes.  They really don't seem to care WHAT I do.  I am NOT 
covering their planning time BUT they see it as free time.  One 
principal requires they remain in the library during the time their 
class is there but all but one just hide in a corner and grade papers.

***

EL: In our school about half of the teachers realize that the 
librarian actually tries to support the classroom learning, and 
reinforce skills taught there.  The other half treat Library Class as 
a planning time, separate from anything else that happens in the 
school.  Any programs initiated by the Librarian are met with 
resistance from half of the teachers, and supported by the other 
half;  resources that are shared by the librarian are used by a few, 
but only seen as valuable to most if they are recommended by a "real" teacher .

***

EL: School culture may also be a roadblock. If the teachers do not 
see you as a teacher then it is hard to work with them. I have one 
grade level who feels all "Specials" are nothing more than planning 
time babysitters. Another grade level feels they are above everyone 
else in the school and would never want to work "with us". They would 
be happy to "Tell" us what to do, but to collaborate and work together, never.

***

EL: In my particular school, the teacher with the LEAST seniority has 
been here 13 years.  Most teachers here are 5 or so years away from 
retirement.  Many barely tolerate technology, few embrace it.  Most 
are not interested in changing the way they do things.  Over the 
years, they've come up with lessons and units that work for them, and 
they are not very receptive to suggestions of change.  In addition, 
due to budget cuts, for two years before I came here, the LMS was 
only half-time (I'm .8), so teachers have gotten used to NOT asking 
for help from the Media Center, since there isn't always someone here.

***

EL: Now that is a good question, school culture, that is. If I could 
write a novel (without using too many details of our particular 
school culture of 32 years), I would use school culture in the plot! 
I have found that it pays to go to the faculty room for lunch because 
one gets to know one's colleagues there. That helps with the 
teacher/student relationship when teachers drop their kids off in the 
library. Having the approval of the key teachers is a positive thing 
(and I had three schools in the beginning so I know how hard that is 
to establish.) Our art teacher would be a lot happier if he spent 
that 30 minutes in the faculty room so that he could relax and become 
part of our school culture. But I can't talk him into it and with two 
schools and two art rooms to keep up, he has a hard time.

Another facet of school culture is when it is school culture also 
small town culture. I work in a small town. A former colleague and I 
used to discuss all the time. He left to go to a school closer to his 
home town, but he reports that the faculty is more diverse and there 
is not the taking sides found in a small town atmosphere. Our school 
has become more diverse (both in faculty and student population), but 
at one time we had a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law, sisters, 
cousins-in-law, another set of cousins-in-law and two sets of 
mother/daughter combinations.  I don't think that we have any close 
relations at this point other than our new VP is the daughter of our 
part-time phys ed teacher (most seniority in the bldg and then I am 
next) and our school culture (atmosphere?) is much better for this change.

I do not attend team meetings, except quarterly when we change 
reading groups, because the usual team meeting is during library 
media time. I work with the Read Naturally program (reading 
intervention) in grades 3, 4, 5, on a three day a week basis. A 
school IA takes care of the groups on the other days, but I do the 
educational decision-making. I also work with grade 2 in a program 
called Voyager on a two day a week basis. When it is time to use our 
DIBELS scores to change the makeup of the groups, my schedule is 
changed so that I can attend the team meetings. I am in a small 
school with an enrollment of 267 so my motto is do what you gotta do. 
And I have learned so much about student reading success from working 
with students in these programs for the past three years. These 
students see me differently to, which has been a great help in other 
ways. This nine weeks I will work with a teacher in grade 2 
enrichment instead of Voyager, so that will help me when it is time 
to select students for grade 3 G/T program.

***

HOW DOES LACK OF ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR ABILITY 
TO COLLABORATE WITH YOUR TEACHERS?

HS: I'm in a school with a staff of about 140 teachers and 1600 
students. Our principal has very little to do with us. Our direct 
supervisor is a housemaster (like an asst principal) He says he wants 
to support us but, in truth he is overwhelmed (this is his first 
year). Our previous housemaster was there for 3 yrs and we were last 
on her list of priorities as well. We suffer from benign neglect. We 
don't have support. If we did, I think that teachers would use us 
more if they were made to by administrative fiat, so to speak.

In a former position, I had a great asst supt who was the immediate 
supervisor of the libraries. She was great and a real advocate for 
the library. She really tried to impress upon the teachers how 
important it was to work with the librarians and that was 
immeasurably helpful. I think a good administrator is very important 
but, alas, I don't see that at all here.

***

MS/HS 7-12: We proposed a course to teach basic research skills and 
it was accepted into the 9th grade quarterly rotation. We were so 
frustrated with the dropping of projects in other courses since the 
kids acted like they never saw a research project before every time 
they were assigned one. We go to block next year which means a 45 day 
class is now 20 so we had to cut a lot of out of class time material 
but hopefully we can get the kids to think about research, big 6, 
internet safety, copyright/plagiarism, etc.

***

MS: Until December, I had an instructional assistant.  In December, he was
reassigned in our building to assist a special education teacher.
Although he had never worked in a library before, I spent a great deal
of time training him, and developing training modules for him to use
when he did not have other tasks to attend to.  His presence allowed
me to concentrate on the classes coming to the library (he ran the
circulation desk and supervised students coming to the library
independently).  His presence also allowed me to attend the weekly
team collaboration meetings (held by each team on Mondays).  I would
stagger my attendance, so that I rotated among our five teams.  Each
team saw me at their meetings once every five weeks.

Now that I do not have this assistance, the library closes to all
patrons when I am not available (at a district meeting, teaching a
class, fixing the copier across the hall, taking my lunch break).

***

EL: Administrative support only affects my ability to collaborate in 
that they do not support hiring more librarians. One principal 
refuses to understand my need to have access to computers (lab next 
door has someone else teaching technology at the same times I have 
library classes)

I feel I work very hard but not effectively which really gets me down at times.

***

EL: The principal sees the Library as a central, integral part of the 
school's curriculum, but even he will rely on classroom teachers to 
instruct other teachers about technology and available resources.  We 
have asked repeatedly for uniform Library periods (most are 30 
minutes long, one school has library classes that are 40 minutes in 
length for ALL grades) and for more collaboration, and for the 
opportunity to try flexible scheduling at the elementary level.  Most 
prinsiplals are reticent to take away planning periods from the 
teachers, or to ask for flexible times, which will "mess up" the 
Specials schedule.

I must add that the Library is the only Special that does not assign 
grades on the report card in our District.  I found that we had more 
input in another District in which Library was a graded course.


Toni Buzzeo, MA, MLIS <mailto:tonibuzzeo@tonibuzzeo.com>
Maine Library Media Specialist of the Year Emerita
Maine Association of School Libraries Board Member
Buxton, ME 04093
http://www.tonibuzzeo.com
Collaborating to Meet Standards: Teacher/Librarian Partnerships for 
K-6  Second Edition (Linworth 2007) BRAND NEW! 

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