First off I’d like to say thank you to Jason T. Bedell for inviting me to write a guest post on his site. I’m honored to have been invited and have my writing included with so many talented people. Please visit his site and follow him on Twitter if you aren’t already.

Change is hard. No doubt about it. We get into an established routine, get “set in our ways” so to speak, and we like it there. It’s the old, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” motto. Am I right? So what’s a good way to help encourage change in the long-term? I believe that the “human element” is very important.

I work with teachers every day. Sometimes it’s one on one during their plan time, before or after school, or a grade level or department might get some collaboration time for half of a day. It can come in various formats and I like that. However, no matter how small or large the group is I’m working with, I strive to not let the “human element” go by the waste side.

What do I mean by this? The concept really is pretty simple: Take the time to learn about the teachers you are working with! I know, what a crazy concept right? I mean, taking the time to make some kind of a connection with them. This could be something you have in common with them or it could be using your “spidey senses” to pick up on the fact that they had a really bad day and meeting with you after school is probably the last thing they want to be doing right now.

Or it could be that you’re meeting with the head volleyball coach and there’s a big match coming up, the band director who has a marching competition coming up, or the teacher that’s brand new to your district and has that look that says, “If I get one more thing to do I’m going to shoot fireballs out of my eyes!”.

This doesn’t even have to be directly related to changing pedagogy in regards to instructional technology. If you consider yourself a “change agent” in any educational area, this should be a practice you’re proficient at. Don’t forget the “human element”! Make connections, have normal conversations; it’s ok to talk about things unrelated to work once and a while!

You would be amazed at how bringing in the “human element” once and a while can have a long-term impact on change; for the better.

Thank you for reading and I certainly welcome your comments.

Another factor is that we’re opening a brand new school that cost tens of millions of dollars to build. I’m excited about that and it has little to do with the supplies. We have great resources, but attitude and perception are even more important. The teachers are really starting come together and bond; they are linked by a common goal. The students and teachers both have a fresh start. Regardless of problems of the past, we can all start over with a blank slate and do the best that we can.

My goal this year is a little more abstract than in previous years. In the past, I was responsible for about 100 students. They were my charge: I knew them by name and knew (most of the time) how to help them. As the librarian, I am responsible for everyone and no one. No students are directly under my charge, except for possibly some student aides (guidance has not made a decision on that yet); however, through teaching, collaborating with teachers, and helping students both individually and in groups, I have the charge of enriching the learning environment of the entire school for every student. I take this charge very seriously and look forward to working with each student that will come into the school next week. If you are starting school again soon, as either a teacher or student, please let me know what you expect and what would make the experience better for you.