A sure strategy for building a strong relationship with your boss

When my principal retired last year, I was overcome with dread. Would the new administrator value the library media program or be as generous with funding as my previous boss? These questions and more spun around in my head.

Since we all know that the relationship between a media specialist and principal is crucial to a program’s success, our role in helping to ease the transition is key. A principal’s attitude about what you do will also affect teachers’ perceptions, so getting off to a good start can go a long way in building a productive working relationship.

An effective dialogue is a must. When my new principal, Vince Barnes, arrived in the summer of 2004, we met before the start of the school year to discuss my library media program. I used this time to ask questions, including what sort of experience he had with media programs and what role he thought I should play. This initial meeting was perfect for gaining more insight into his knowledge about my job.

Regular staff meetings are crucial. Don’t be afraid to ask your new administrator to hold them. Vince immediately arranged grade level meetings with everyone, including me and my support staff, to find out what worked well, what areas needed improvement, and to offer his own ideas. These meetings provided an opportunity for me to explain how much our students gained from the library’s flexible schedule and from my collaboration with teachers. These, and subsequent one-on-one conversations, helped me learn about his priorities and expectations.

Informal chats and memos are other ways to keep in touch. I pop into my principal’s office for a chat whenever I can to talk about technology and materials purchases, explore future needs, and ask for advice. If I don’t have time to stop by, I’ll shoot him an e-mail. Once a month, I gather information on circulation stats, collaborative efforts, and conferences that I’ve attended and hand it to him in a one-page summary. This written communication is a great way to keep my principal up-to-date on what’s happening in our media center. I also make sure to hand him a copy of my monthly newsletter, Collaboration Corner, which promotes new print and online resources and highlights future events like book fairs or author’s visits.

For those principals who don’t make it into the library, provide documentation of your day’s activities or copies of your collaboration log. I was surprised at how quickly Vince picked up on the collaborative nature of our library media program and was so pleased to find phrases such as “collaboration,” “trusting relationships,” and “instructional partner” in my first evaluation report from him.

If you’ve got it, flaunt it. I let my principal know that my lessons correlate with our state standards and that we provide materials that help teachers with their lessons. He also sees that I’m an active participant at grade-level planning sessions, where I collaborate with teachers on lessons and ensure that information literacy standards adhere to our state content standards. I make sure Vince knows that our program produces students who are well on their way to becoming competent users of information.

Spread the news. I share everything I do with my principal, from attending state and national library conferences to organizing a literacy night for students. I want him to know that I value what I do, that I’m willing to give more than is expected of me, and that this extra effort benefits our students and staff. If administrators are to value our library programs, they—and our teaching colleagues—need to know the direct impact we have on our students.

The bottom line: build trust. Library media specialists and principals share a special bond; we both work with every staff member in the building, so partnering is only natural. As trust begins to build, administrators will see us as part of the bigger picture. And once you have your principal in your corner, you’ll have a strong ally who supports your program and just about everything you do.