Posted on by hildaweisburg

Have You Found BlueSky?

The last day of February was a strange day for me. To fully participate in the Economic Blackout in the United States, I didn’t shop anyplace or go on social media. Depending on what you heard and your own feelings, some people didn’t feel the Blackout included social media. Others shopped only in locally owned locations. But overall, people opposed to what is happening nationally found ways to register their protest.

Although I stayed off all social media, including BlueSky, you should consider it. I have been there for over a year and have seen it evolve into an excellent alternative to X. Eventually, it may even become an alternative to Facebook. According to their own website: Bluesky is a social app that is designed to not be controlled by a single company. We’re creating a version of social media where it’s built by many people, and it still comes together as a cohesive, easy-to-use experience. We’ve done this by building Bluesky on the AT Protocol, an open source toolbox for building social apps that can all talk to each other.

In his Knowledge Quest Blog post, Why BlueSky: or, “So Your Favorite Social Media Site Is Owned By an Oligarch,” Steve Tetreault discusses reasons for leaving X and what BlueSky offers. These are his points along with my comments:

Departing the Troll Palace

Twitter was a great place to communicate and build your vital Professional Learning Network (PLN), but at some point you must accept what has happened over the past few months. We are known by the company we keep. Are you comfortable in being in Musk’s company? Tetreault notes when BlueSky opened to the public in 2024, it was limited in scope and abilities. “New features have been added. And Bluesky has recently seen a massive boom in users. Millions of folks have migrated over.”

You Can’t Take BlueSky from Me

As Tetreault says, “Bluesky is free for all users. And it is decentralized, which means it is incredibly improbable that anyone can come along and buy it to use as their own propaganda machine.” For me, these two are crucial benefits to me. I felt I could no longer be a part of an online community that spewed hatred and was opposed to the underlying principles of democracy. As a school librarian, I am committed to Intellectual Freedom and free speech. BlueSky appears, so far, to agree with this.

A Big Drawback

As noted earlier, BlueSky is still evolving and has some limitations. Unfortunately, as of yet, you can’t set your messages to “Private.” This may change in the future. Some people are concerned about that. Tetreault does point out that it is easy to block people and do so extensively. “It effectively erases any connection between you and the blocked user in the digital space. Once blocked, they won’t see your posts, not even if they quote you. Additionally, Bluesky allows you to remove any mentions of yourself from conversations, as well as your quotes from other users’ posts.” You can see someone’s blocked list, but if I block them, I don’t care if they know.

Moderation

This is one of BlueSky’s strong points. It’s easy to report problem posts and those who harass. Trolls who first went to BlueSky when they learned of people moving to it kept getting “reported, blocked and removed.” Eventually they left.

A Big Draw

The interface feels like the old Twitter. There were many features BlueSky didn’t have at first but in the last few months they’ve added the ability to post images, GIFs, and supports link embedding and video uploads. Most of what was available on Twitter is now at BlueSky. And I completely agree with Tetreault, part of the fun is watching it grow and being an early adopter. The team there is continually making upgrades.

No Algorithms

Love it or hate it, being without can be very freeing. Instead of having the site decide what you say, you make selections such as School Librarians and School Libraries feeds. You can also check your Following and Popular with Friends.

A Growing Community

Tetreault recommends BlueSky’s newest feature, Starter Packs. These help you make and share lists of users who have something in common. Try the ones for School Librarians and soon you’ll be connected to new folks with similar goals and challenges.

If you are as repulsed as I am by Musk and his minions, consider making your move to BlueSky. It’s kind of exciting being part of this growing online community.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Don’t Kill Time – Use It!

Most of us have a full plate. Our responsibilities are continually being added to. Our to-do lists are long. As soon as you cross something off, two more items take its place. And what about all the moments when we can’t get to what’s next on our list? We have doctor’s appointments, cars that need repairs, and why are the lines at the supermarket so long? This was supposed to be a quick trip.

And it seems to take forever before it’s our turn. If it ever is.

These outside interferences with our workflow and attempts at time management are frustrating, but there is something you can do. In his article Three Better Ways to Think About Time, Mark Sanborn offers you a way to be more productive when they occur. These are his recommendations along with my usual tweaks for our world:

  • “Fill Time” to “Fill Minds” – The first shift is from going from thinking “How will I fill this time?” to “How can I fill their minds?” Our goal is to prepare students for the unknowable future by guiding them into becoming lifelong readers and critical thinkers capable of navigating a rapidly changing world. Think about the short- and long-range outcome for an upcoming lesson you are planning and how it will impact your students, help the teachers, support administrators. You’ve been giving the time – use it to fill their minds.
  • “Kill Time” to “Mine Time”– Instead of thinking of how to kill time in the pockets of time we suddenly have (sitting in traffic, waiting in line), take ownership of it. You get so little time for yourself. Use these unexpected—and unchangeable—moments as a time for self-care. Read a book. Call a friend. Reflect on what’s working in your life. Count your successes (this is a favorite of mine). If you’re able, consider taking a short nap. As Sanborn says, what is important is extracting value from what you were considering dead time.
  • “Make Up for Lost Time” to “Make the Most of Present Time” – Sanborn notes we often try to make up for lost time. Again, he suggests we shift our focus.  Since the past can’t be undone, what can we do in the future? Be aware of what distracted you or wasted time in the past (doom-scrolling, anyone?) and do things differently in the moment. Know what time of day you are most productive. If you are like me, the mornings are best for you. Come in a bit earlier – and don’t turn on the lights in the library. That way no one will know you are there. Get a lesson plan done or other such task that requires your best. Then turn on the lights and officially start your day. Making the most of the present lessens the stress of the future.

Sanborn ends his article with this, “Moments are the building blocks of time, and when we treat each one with care, we’re not just making better use of our hours—we’re creating a life of purpose and fulfillment.” And that is why we are librarians and leaders. We seek a life of purpose and fulfillment. Our time and attention are precious, and the more we can choose how we use them, the more successful we are.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Getting Others to Work With You

You are only recognized as vital to the school community when others know what you do – not what they think you do. And best way to make certain you’re better known and understood is to have a cooperative or, even better, a collaborative relationship with teachers. Then a peer becomes and ally.

With some faculty members, it’s easy. Others use the library as little as possible. In elementary school, they drop off their students and depart for their free period. In the upper grades, they bring their class to complete an assignment without you and don’t want your help. Somehow, you need to reach these uninterested teachers. If your past suggestions have been ignored, what can you do?

In her article, How to Get Genuine Cooperation from Difficult People, LaRae Quy provides a five-step approach for those in the business world to solving that challenge. Here are her steps, with my suggestions for those of us in education:

  1. Remember, our first reaction is to not collaborate – The teachers with whom you don’t have a natural connection likely feel they know their job and don’t need you to help them to do it. Quy’s suggests reaching them through a common interest. What do they care about? Email them about a resource or article that focuses on it. Follow up with one that says you hope it was helpful. Offer to work with them on a learning project on the topic. Ask them how they would like to structure it. Accept their approach, adding, as necessary, “we could also…” as a way to show how you can support them.
  2. Control facial responses – Not only do we communicate verbally, in print, and digitally, we also communicate silently with our body language. Our facial expression sends a message. Is your concern, disinterest or disdain visible? You don’t want your face to show that you think the teacher’s approach is not nearly as productive as it could be. Your negative silent message will carry a greater impact than your verbal positive one.
  3. Share personal stories – No one knows better than librarians how stories build connections. You might share memories about learning that topic when you were in school and any impact it had on your life. Figure out your story in anticipation of this conversation to keep it natural. Hopefully, your story will bring out one from the teacher. Now you have a new common interest and connection you can build your relationship on.
  4. Refuse to let it escalate – Should you get a strong negative response to any of your suggestions, keep from answering in the same manner. If you do, you have lost the possibility for any cooperation now or in the future. Quy offer saying this as an alternative, “I see how you feel (or think), but here is another way to look at the situation…” Start by acknowledging their reaction. It’s not easy to do in the moment, but knowing the importance of keeping your cool will help. (And work on controlling your body language and facial expressions.)
  5. Appeal to higher moral ground – Find a shared common value and speak to it. For example, you could say, “We both want our students to be successful not only in their studies but in becoming lifelong learners in an ever-changing world.” Common beliefs build connections, and connections build relationships.

The first time you try this with a teacher, it might not work and it may feel uncomfortable because it’s new. Collaboration might not come naturally for you either, but that’s not a reason to stop. Try again in a few weeks. Don’t give up. It’s too important. You can do it. You are a leader and have overcome obstacles before; you will do it again. The results – and the ripple effects to other teachers – will be worth it..

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Get More Done in Short Sprints

It is great to have big goals, but when you try to take that first step, you may discover that instead of feeling excited, you are overwhelmed, exhausted, and drained. On a daily or weekly basis, it can be hard to believe you will ever get there. Once that belief gets hold of you, you may find yourself working less hard at achieving the goal, getting distracted or even giving up. So much for that goal, right?

Maybe not.

The secret to reaching that big goal is to break it down into manageable chunks and celebrate each step’s completion as you accomplish it. It’s how people write books, run marathons, make movies, compose symphonies, and start a new library program from scratch.

In his article, New Year, Strong Start: Launch 2025 With Momentum, Michael Watkins explains to a business audience how to put the Momentum Method of achieving goals in short sprints into practice. Much of his advice works well for us as we work on integrating our Mission into what we do each day and aim to see our Vision come closer to reality. His focus is planning by quarters. Given our schedules, I suggest monthly reviews.

These are some of his strategies along with some of mine:

Start by assessing your current situation and realities.

  • What do you ultimately want to achieve?
  • What small goal will be a step in that direction?
  • When can you realistically achieve it? One week? A month?

End of month assessment

  • How close did you get to your small goal?
  • Have any new opportunities and/or threats surfaced during the month? What can you do to address those?
  • What do you need to incorporate into your planning going forward?

Celebration

  • Remember getting stars for good work in elementary school? Find a way to celebrate your achievements. You can keep a chart and make notes on what worked (very helpful for seeing on tougher months), purchase flowers, or choose another treat you enjoy.
  • Make the star (or other memento) visible so you see it regularly. The reminder will leep you going.

Reflection

  • What did you do well? What spurred you on?
  • Where did you falter? Why?
  • What have you learned from this first sprint?
  • What is your next small goal.

Step by step you will work your way closer to that really big goal. Each small goal —and success—empowers you to keep going and helps you during the times when it feels too hard and you wonder why you set the goal in the first place. Because the goal is attainable, and you are getting there.

You set a goal because it matters to you. Yes, difficult times pull at our focus and big goals can feel daunting, but when you break it down, enjoy each success, you get closer and, like a true leader, inspire those around you. Short sprints can allow you to win the goal marathon.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Feel Well – Do Well

The old expression “Make time to smell the roses” is about slowing down to enjoy what’s around us. It is also, in fact, a prescription for improving your mindset and your productivity. Much has been written about the importance of self-care and its effect on how you feel about yourself.

Have you noticed when you go outside, your body posture undergoes a slight change? Your shoulders go back, and your vision seems to expand as you leave the confines of indoors and screen viewing. These outward physical changes are the manifestation of the chemical changes going on in our bodies. The effects of the chemicals our bodies produce can be negative or positive. Having too many episodes of negative chemicals flooding out bodies can affect our short- and long-range health.

Not surprisingly, the converse is equally true. In her article Fuel Well-Being to Transform Your Leadership (email sign up required), Marlene Chism discusses different positive body chemicals and how we can produce them. She goes on to show how producing these chemicals regularly boosts the quality of our work.

It is wonderful to know that the following chemicals are within your power to produce:

Serotonin- keeps you calm and in a positive mood. It helps you as a leader by keeping you from mood swings and acting impulsively. You make better choices and stay focused. You produce Serotonin when you:

  • Exercise regularly – Choose something you like so you will do it. Incorporate it into your regular routine and enjoy the many benefits.
  • Practice gratitude – This can be a simple addition to include in your routines. It helps to maintain a daily record, digital or print, of what you are grateful for, but even taking a moment in your day can benefit your serotonin levels.
  • Walk in nature – Get out. Find a place to get outdoors, breathe fresh air and, hopefully, grass and trees. If this is a challenge because you live in a city, look for a park you can go to.
  • Get sunlight – Another challenge for workers with long commutes or during the short daylight hours (and cold!) of winter. Do the best you can when you can.
  • Eat serotonin-rich foods such as turkey, eggs, seeds and nuts – Yes, even your diet can support this. No wonder these are considered healthy foods.

Dopamine – The feel-good neurotransmitter. Low dopamine leads to a lack of motivation and tiredness. Feeling overwhelmed and easily distracted can be caused by low dopamine levels. When you have a good balance of dopamine, your creativity increases, and you have a sense of positive achievement. All so necessary for leaders in stressful times. You produce Dopamine when you:

  • Eat Omega-3 foods like fish – Once again, eating healthy is beneficial in more ways than you knew.
  • Exercise regularly – A double reward for exercising – dopamine in addition to serotonin. Your exercise needn’t be for very long. Consistency is what is important.
  • Get enough sleep – Always a challenge in our over-filled days. Treat yourself as you do your children by developing a bedtime routine. Read yourself a story.
  • Listen to music – What music fills you up. Maybe lullabies can be part of your bedtime routine. Shift to music instead of news on your car radio, or at home. Or, after news…. This will give you that dopamine boost.  
  • Set and achieve small goals– Robert Collier said, “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day and day out. Reaching small goals makes you feel successful. Poof —dopamine! When the goal seems out of sight, it feels unattainable and hard to sustain. See the small steps as the big win they are.

Oxytocin – Chism calls it the “bonding chemical.” It helps in making connections, feeling empathy, and building trust which are all essential for building relationships. You produce Oxytocin when you:

  • Spend time with friends – The importance of this explains why the isolation we experienced during the pandemic was so damaging to many.
  • Express appreciation – Say thank you and mean it. Send a text or email. Even better, send a handwritten message, being specific.
  • Get a massage – A great reason to treat yourself. You can be good to yourself and build your leadership bonding chemical at the same time.
  • Listening – We have recognized the importance of active listening. It’s hard for many of us. Practice it when you spend time with friends.
  • Share a meal – Go out for a meal with friends and include serotonin- and dopamine-rich foods to eat.

Knowing the importance of these chemicals in your body and how you can produce them can give new impetus to you and your leadership skills. It’s fun to think that being a great leader is a matter of chemistry – and feeling good.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

What is Your Body Saying?

We are in constant communication. When alone, we communicate with ourselves by what we’re thinking, whether it’s a negative assessment, a positive mindset reframing, or a review of what is next on our to-do list. But non-verbal communication happens as we interact with others. And all the time.

A teacher greets you in the hall. At a barely conscious level, you access your history with them. Do you have a good working relationship? Is there one you are trying to establish? Have they been resistant to your previous outreaches? You also note how they look. Upbeat and happy? Tired? Annoyed?

While you are receiving this non-verbal message, the teacher is receiving your non-verbal message. Do you know what your body is saying? All of this occurs mostly without conscious thought, but that doesn’t make it less impactful. And when you begin talking, these non-verbal messages affect the response you are likely to get.

 As a leader, it’s important to be aware of how and what you communicate. I wrote about the many types and ways we communicate in my book, The Art of Communication: A Librarian’s Guide for Successful Leadership, Collaboration, and Advocacy (Libraries Unlimited, 2022) (currently less expensive in print than in Kindle!). I addressed our library world, of course, but the business world is also discussing the importance of understanding the many channels of communication we use.

Cheryl Robinson tackles the topic in her article, “What Your Body Language Says About Your Leadership Impact.” She notes, “Research underscores that body language has a greater influence on perception than verbal language alone. Positive, consistent body language reinforces trust and authority, while incongruent or negative cues may lead to misinterpretation or distrust.” Robinson goes on to detail how and what you are communicating.

Key Elements of Leadership Body Language

  • Body Movement – How are you sitting and standing? Fidgeting doesn’t send a leadership message. Sit up. Hands relaxed. A meeting with your principal or an upset parent is the most likely time to stay aware of this.
  • Posture – Shoulders back. Don’t slouch. It sounds obvious, but if you are not conscious of where your body is in space, you may he hunched over or low in a chair without realizing it.
  • Facial Expressions – Looking interested is important, but don’t overdue do it. Be animated, but not false. Faking it can be seen and negatively interpreted.
  • Space/Distance – Each of us occupies a physical space that extends beyond our body based on our size and culture. Too near is intimidating. Too far shows disinterest. Be aware of what you are doing and the (dis)comfort of those around you.
  • Gestures and Eye Contact – Open gestures are inviting, but too much gesturing is distracting, taking away from your message. You’ll seem frenetic and anxious. Maintaining eye contact shows trust and confidence (although be aware of cultures that consider it intrusive). Smiling genuinely is always positive.

I’d also add to this list: Listen attentively. Pausing before responding shows you paid attention to what was said.

Think of the best leaders you know. What do they project? How do they do it? Robinson states, “Maintaining a strong yet inviting presence is essential to conveying leadership effectively.” As leaders and librarians, we are in the relationship business. Being aware of what we are communicating enhances our ability to build these relationships. Know what messages you are sending and become a more effective and connected leader.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Joy Creates Success Creates Joy

You are back to work after the winter break. Does it already feels like a long slog to the end of the year? It does for many of us. Your students are feeling the same way. So are the teachers. How are you going to get through this? The blog post title is the spoiler alert, but it sounds unbelievable. What are you supposed to do? Sprinkle fairy dust on everyone?

It’s not that remote an idea. Think of the times when a lesson in the library really clicked and you could see the joy on students’ faces or just one student. Recall those moments when a student thanked you for something. Those isolated moments can be cultivated, and it’s important to know how to do it.

Administrators are now discussing Joy as the secret ingredient in education. Indeed “Centering Student Joy” was the theme of the December 2024/January 2025 issue of EL (Educational Leadership), the journal of ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). While the articles are addressed to administrators many can be translated for the library. The article, Joy: The Oxygen for Learning by Katie Egan Cuningham and Kristin N. Rainville is one example. Here are some of their ideas:

The Joy of Connection – The pandemic taught us that humans are social animals and thrive best through connecting with others. Among the ways we can foster connections are:

  • Prioritizing the “We” – You may already do some of this in “pair and share” activities. Give students sentence starters that incorporate “we” so they know you’re with them. Look for ways use more “we” sentences when talking with teachers.
  • Strengthen Relationships – Check in with teachers and students to follow up on how things are going, particularly with personal challenges they may have shared with you. Where appropriate show your vulnerability by sharing the ones you are facing.
  • Celebrate Challenges – Point out where some element of accomplishment has made a student ready for the next step. In talking with teachers, note how much resilience they have shown in dealing with life’s difficulties.

The Joy of Engagement and Brain-Friendly Learning – Be mindful of how learning occurs in different cultures particularly those who do so through storytelling. Incorporate opportunities within a lesson where they can share their stories with others.

  • Activate and Assess Prior Knowledge – Go beyond KWL (What I know/ What I want to Know/ What I learned) charts. The authors suggest you use anticipation guides with statements about the topic. Have students agree or disagree then explain their response. This lets you know what their prior knowledge on the subject is. At the conclusion of the lesson, they can talk about what changes they would make to their original assessment.
  • Consider Working Memory Demands – We have only so much space in our brains to deal with ideas and move them around. The authors suggest you “provide a series of shorter deadlines for longer assignments, break down tasks into smaller chunks, help students prioritize what’s most important, and incorporate multiple methods for presenting information.”
  • Motivate with Mastery – Mark the successful accomplishment of steps along the way to the planned outcome. Acknowledging mastery increases self-esteem, confidence, leadership skills and more. Everyone wants to feel that they are making progress. Help them feel this.
  • Opening Up to Joy – Tune in to the small joyful moments in your day. Be aware of what makes you smile. Take time to enjoy the beauty, wonder, and grace you observe whether it’s a sunset or birds in flight. Savor your food, especially the dessert. There’s potential for joy all around you. You just need to open yourself to seeing it.

When you start seeing the results from incorporating joy into your practice, schedule a meeting with your principal to share what you have learned. They will hopefully be aware of the importance of joy. Now you can take joy from knowing the principal sees you as being knowledgeable about current educational thinking and a leader.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Time for a Reboot

New calendar, new planner, new month, new year. The start of a new year is the ideal time to take stock of where you are and where you want to go. You have completed about half of the school year and had your winter break. It’s time to return to work.

What will that work be? Will it be a daily slog till the end of the year? That doesn’t sound like a leader. When your computer gets sluggish, you reboot it. Now it’s your turn for a reboot.

In his article, Warning: Upgrade Your Personal Operating Model, Arne Gast opens with the statement: Effective leaders continually adapt their priorities, roles, time, and energy practices to stay ahead of new realities. He then goes on to present numerous steps to the business workers on how to move their career forward. Much of his advice can be applied to our work life. Here are some of the key steps along with my interpretations for the library program.

Assess your priorities – What is your main purpose? Look at your Mission Statement. Does it still capture the focus of what your program needs to be? Tweak it if it doesn’t. Remind yourself of what is at the core of what you do. Let these priorities inspire you.

Do you fully understand your mandates? – Who are your stakeholders? Do you fully understand their wants and needs and how the library meets them? Remember these 4 Truths:

  • Every library, regardless of its type, is part of a larger host system.
  • Every library, regardless of its type, gets all its funds and resources from this larger host system.
  • Those funds and resources depend on the value of the library to the larger host system.
  • That value is determined by the larger host system.

What can you quit doing now? – This is a tough but important one. How many projects do you have going? What’s in your daily routine that drains your time and energy? Can any be reduced or combined? Or still better – eliminated? If not, look to plan these things according to your energy. Tackle the least important (ex: emails) at your least productive/creative time of day.

Are you focused on the work that only you can do? – We bring greater breadth and depth to the educational program. What are you bringing to students? Teachers? Administrators? How are you implementing your Mission Statement on a daily basis? What, if anything, do you need to change? You are the only librarian in your building. Let your unique contribution shine.

Who has your back? – Which teachers collaborate or cooperate with you regularly? Does your principal know and support the work you do? The underlying question is how successfully have you been in building advocates for the library? After you answer this, determine what do you still need to do. Create an advocacy plan for the remainder of the year if you don’t have one in place.

Manage your time – We’re tired of hearing this, but there are only so many hours in a day. The skill of time management is to maximize what time is available. (And this goes back to “Whaht Can You Quit Now). Have a basic schedule for when you do certain tasks, recognizing there will always be incidents that require immediate attention. The schedule helps you get back on track. Know your most productive times. Use the least productive time for routine, almost non-thinking, tasks.

Optimize your energy – No one can keep going without draining their inner batteries. You need time to recover and restore your energy. Incorporate self-care and time for family and friends into your schedule (yes, put it in that new planner(. You will be more productive and bring a more positive mindset to your work day.

Who are your real friends? – Who are the people with whom you can safely and appropriately vent? Who do you talk to when you are stressed out? In addition to your PLN (professional learning network) you should have another PLN — a personal learning network which should include family members and good friends.

Gast’s steps will get you ready to return and be the leader you need to be. I have one more step.

Make time for gratitude – It’s easy to be negative. So much is wrong in education and in other areas of our lives and the world. Focusing on that gets us nowhere. Make it a point each day to find three things for which you are grateful. It can be as small as a teacher thanking you for a website or app you found for them. Or it can be as big as getting a grant. You’ll find your spirits lift when you notice these moments

Positive leaders attract others to them. Use these steps to recharge, recommit, and be ready to step into success.

Happy New Year.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

Ready for the New Year

Although the school year is not quite half over, there is a fresh start feel when January begins. You come back after break refreshed and, hopefully, with more energy. Like Janus, the two-headed god, you naturally look back at what was and forward to what you will create for the next several months. While that is instinctive, you will be far more prepared if you have a planned approach for this reflection.

Joel Garfinkle provides a multi-step process in his article, “Reflecting on your year: How to end strong and start fresh.” You might not be able to do all steps now since you are probably reading this after the winter break has begun, but keep it on file for use at the end of the school year.

Step 1: Close Out the Old Year

  • Wrap up loose ends – Clear out the email. Finish off any reports that are due. Send a succinct email – in a visual format if possible – to your principal highlighting the achievements of teachers and students work in the library since school started. Get back to any teachers with whom you need to complete plans for the upcoming year.
  • Organize your space (physical or digital) – Make your desk look ready for work. Ditch or archive files in any format that are complete. Set up your digital or paper calendar.
  • Celebrate your accomplishments – We need to recognize our achievements. You sent the email to your principal. Keep it in mind for your end-of-school-year report. Take time to reflect on achievements, personal or job related. It’s too easy to overlook these as we turn to the next thing on our to-do lists.
  • Stay connected – We may be away from work, but the world goes on. Make sure those who might need it have a way to contact you. Plan on checking your PLN and professional associations so you aren’t blindsided by changes.

Step 2: Take a Well-Deserved Break

  • Unplug to recharge – This is self-care time, and you need it. Yes, you may need to stay connected, but it’s not 24/7. It’s not even every day. Time to read what you want!
  • Reconnect with family and friends – These are the important connections whether in person or via emails or Zoom. Enjoy the time to really listen to the people who matter most in your life. Have fun.
  • Strengthen your network – Yes, you should unplug, but while checking your PLN and associations, look for those who are sharing new ideas or having creative approaches to dealing with challenges. Follow them and/or do what is needed to let you keep track of them. Reach out and acknowledge those who really inspire you.
  • Practice gratitude – Now is a great time to thank those in your PLN, teachers, and others who have helped you through the bumps in the road. Handwritten messages are best but reach out in whatever way works for you.
  • Reflect on your growth – We often complain that our achievements are overlooked, but we do this to ourselves as well. In successfully managing the many challenges we deal with, we fail to recognize how much we have grown as leaders and professionals as a result.

Step 3: Prepare For a Fresh Start

  • Set clear goals – You’ve acknowledged your accomplishments. Now you get to build on them. Be honest about where you are now and where you want to be by the end of the school year. And as you look to see what you want to do more of – also look at what you want to less. Make sure to notice what projects excite you – because joy has become recognized for its importance to our mindset and for achieving more.
  • Organize priorities – Look at your Vision and Mission Statements. Do they need tweaking? What do you want to accomplish in the remainder of the school year? How will you do it? Create an action plan with steps and dates for reaching them. Include an assessment.
  • Learn from negatives – What didn’t work? No one has continued successes. We know failure is a learning opportunity; we just don’t always remember to apply that maxim to ourselves. Instead, ask your PLN for advice on how you might have managed it better. You will have strengthened your connections and grown as a result.
  • Track your wins – Always! This will help you through the unavoidable rough patches. I keep my “success journal” handy. It’s a great reminder of what I have accomplished.

You’re a leader and aware that if you aren’t planning for success, you are planning to fail. Clear your path to success and watch as you live into your Vision and Mission. As the year ends, I wish you a Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.

Posted on by hildaweisburg

It’s a Wicked World. Make It Work for You

There’s no question that things have gotten wicked these days. It’s hard not to be fearful and stressed, but that way takes the joy out of what we do. We know our students and teachers need us to be our best. How can we deal with the climate we face?

We are leaders. We don’t react; we act. It’s time to generate positive PR about school libraries and school librarians. And what better way to do it than to tap into the popular (see what I did there?) movie Wicked to inspire us and bring some levity to a serious challenge.

Kim Marcus guides you through the process in her article, 5 PR Lessons From Wicked and Its Most Iconic Characters. Laugh a little as you apply their route to success into your world.

Elphaba: Own Your Narrative – This is one we must develop. Like Elphaba, we have often been unfairly cast in the role of villain. Markus says, “Be proactive in telling your story.” We are good at tech and story. Be creative in using video, well-designed infographics, and other tools of our trade to show what kids are learning and doing.  Design a logo and tagline if you haven’t done so yet and look for ways to get it out to your school community and the larger one that doesn’t understand the depth of complexity of what a librarian’ s job is.

Glinda: Embrace What Makes You Extraordinary – Glinda knows all about how to be popular and win others over. We know how to connect learning to life and life to learning. We know how to find the “just-right” book for a kid and the most helpful tech resources to power a teacher’s lesson. Take in your strengths and use them to send your message out to the communities you serve.

The Wizard: Avoid Misleading Narratives – We aren’t the ones using smoke and mirrors to send out the misleading and fictitious narratives, but we do need to counter it. For these PR techniques, this means being mindful of avoiding the pitfall of “not statements.” Never say what we don’t do. Thinking we are countering that message by denying it, we are in fact reinforcing it. People tend to blank out the “not’s” when recalling points made.

Madame Morrible: The Power of Influence – The best way to deliver your message is to have someone else say it. Advocacy is always the key. Students’ showing their projects created through using the library and commenting on what the library means to them are your first best influencers. They tell teachers and parents who speak more often to administrators. Those fanning the campaigns against school librarians claim students are being damaged. Let your students show their successes and growth.

The Townsfolk: Build Word-of-Mouth Trust – Marcus points out it was the townsfolk who spread the lies about Elphaba. Our townsfolk, or a vocal section of them, are doing the same to us. Make a point of getting out into your community. Go to and use local businesses. Mention as if in passing that you are the librarian at the school. Make positive comments about the business. In other word, build a relationship. Look for opportunities to help them with a tech issue and/or find information they need.

It is definitely time to defy the gravity of negativity pulling us down. Tap into these lessons from Wicked. Because every librarian deserves the chance to fly.