Most of you are familiar with Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, so you know Linguistic Intelligence and Kinesthetic Intelligence are very different. Linguistic Intelligence is associated with verbal skills, people who “use words effectively.” Those with Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence have a “keen sense of body awareness” and “communicate well through body language.”

While holding a conversation over lunch with a person met at BEA, it occurred to me when these two intelligences are juxtaposed, you can manage almost any situation.  I have often written about the importance of using correct language for a given situation. When administrators and board members hear words such as “support” or “enrich” to explain the role of the library program they usually think it’s nice but not vital given budget constraints.  Using “information literacy” in discussions with parents is a turn-off since they don’t know what you mean.  By contrast, speaking the terminology administrators employ not only creates a better level of understanding, it also shows you are current with trends that matter to them.

Being active in your state and national library associations is another way to increase your credibility when promoting your library program.  The fluency with which you describe the value-added of an active library program positions you as an expert.  While your listeners might not agree with everything you say, your ability to be clear and targeted carries a great deal of weight.

Adding the kinesthetic aspect is newer.  It is well-known fact that most of our communication is not verbal.  Most people respond to the visual clues of body language without being aware they are doing so.  Skilled negotiators are alert to these “tells,” but once you make it a point to notice the signs, you quickly recognize when someone is agitated, impatient, or open. The more you watch people, the better you get at it.

While each of these intelligences is important separately, they become more powerful when used in combination.  Those with high kinesthetic intelligence always know where every part of their bodies are.  If you have linguistic intelligence you recognize the placement of your words in a conversation.  Is what you are saying sounding defensive, arrogant, or insecure?  Which of your words will best convey your meaning to the person listening?  Are you projecting your interest in their comments? And how are they responding to you?  What is their body language tell you?  If you watch you will learn about your listener.

Communication requires a sender and a receiver.  Often there is “noise” between the two parts (think static or a bad connection) that interferes with clear reception.  The higher your linguistic kinesthetic ability the less noise you will have when communicating with others.  It’s mash-up intelligence well worth cultivating.

As librarians and educators we focus on ensuring our students get the information literacy skills and love of reading which will make them lifelong learners.  We work with teachers to cover Common Core requirements and deal with Lexile scores, complex texts, and the six shifts on a daily basis.  While these have a high priority, we cannot lose sight of the value of the library as a safe place for students both cognitively, emotionally, and personally.

From a cognitive standpoint, there is a reason educators talk about safe schools.  Learning cannot take place when students feel threatened. Safety is next to the bottom level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  Once basic physiological requirements such as food and shelter are taken care of, safety is next, and one doesn’t rise on the hierarchy until the lower level is attained. When we feel threatened our adrenal system – the fight or flight mechanism – takes over, and blood is sent there, cutting off the cerebral cortex, the thinking part of our brain.  From a survival standpoint this makes sense.  If you are driving down an icy mountain road and your car goes into a spin, you don’t have time to think about which way you should be turning the wheel or why putting on your brakes is a bad idea.  You react, going on instincts.

In a classroom, if a teacher criticizes a student for some failure to produce the right answer, most often the child is no longer capable of going through the thinking process needed to figure out where he or she went off track. The cerebral cortex has shut down.  How often have you seen that “deer in the headlights” stare when a kid is drawing a complete blank?  In that moment, the adrenal system is in control and critical thinking has gone out the window.

By making the library a safe place, true learning can occur.  Many adults report memories of being bullied and harassed when in school but finding safety in the library.  It’s more than just a welcoming environment we create.  It’s a nurturing one.   Within the walls of the library, countless students have found the space to pursue interests and explore ideas without worrying about being ridiculed.  How many Steve Job’s, Joss Wedon’s, and Neil Gaiman’s have we inspired? It’s one of the great gifts we give students.

I have been in many great libraries. Some high tech and some barely tech.  Some are gorgeous and others haven’t had a face lift in years.  What the great ones have in common is they all feel like home, where you are accepted for who your are. To paraphrase an iconic film, “There’s no place like the library.”

Even before economic conditions resulted in drastic cuts to school library programs, if you worked in an elementary or middle school you were likely to be the only librarian.  Now it is true in many high schools as well. While managing all the many responsibilities you have—and these have increased in most places—you probably have not stopped to consider how you are being perceived by your stakeholders.

For good or ill, we become the image of a school librarian to all the people we see in our buildings.  We are all familiar with the classic shushing librarian stereotype with glasses and hair in a bun, but that one is mostly disappearing (thank goodness!) except for references in books and films to someone dressing “like a librarian.”  The question is, “what is replacing it?”

Some of the new stereotypes are: rule-driven librarians, feeling such pressure they focus on keeping the library under control, librarians who are too busy with their job to participate in school-wide events and celebrations, and school librarians who see no library connection to Common Core and other teacher concerns.  You can probably come up with more.  The damage done by these stereotypes is enormous.  A principal with such a librarian will believe librarians contribute little to overall student success.  When faced with the need to make cuts, the decision is easy.  Worse, if and when that principal becomes a superintendent of schools, that stereotype will impact all the librarians in the district no matter how great they are.

From http://www.librarygirl.net/

On the other hand, there are many librarians out there who are role models for what school librarians add to the vitality of the school community.  They are the ones who are showing teachers and students the newest websites and apps for teaching and learning (see those listed on the AASL website (http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/best-apps and    http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/best-apps).  They model inquiry-based learning, engaging their students in the process of discovery and creating new knowledge.

The outstanding ones are bloggers, tweeters, and creators of chats.  Their websites are dynamic, showcasing how the library program is integral and vital, using a broad assortment of resources to do so.  Teachers, students, administrators, parents, and even the community look to them for help. Their enthusiasm is contagious.  This is the role model—or new stereotype—we want to be seen everywhere.

What are your strengths as a librarian?  How can you showcase this so more people are aware of the great things you are doing with students and teachers and for the community?  Are you willing to become a role model?

In medieval times, the year began with spring.  Despite our starting the calendar year in the middle of winter, we still look to spring as a season of renewal.  In my childhood, most women made a point of spring cleaning.  Certainly the Easter and Passover holidays encouraged that.  It was good to air out the house and make it feel as fresh and clean as the outdoors.

While some people still maintain the custom, I think many of us are so busy our efforts are more slapdash than concerted.  Yet the idea has merit.  I don’t only mean house cleaning—although it’s something I probably should consider as well.  I think this is a good time of year to do some mental house cleaning.

The school year is entering the final phase and you are probably working at full speed to meet the demands of teachers and students.  How is this year different from the past?  Is Common Core the only change?  Are you still doing what you have always done?

“If it ain’t broke—break it.”  Good leaders never say that out loud as it generally causes alarm in those who like certainty rather than change in their lives. But the concept is to avoid complacency.  If you only do what you have always done, you don’t explore the new and (possibly) risky.  But without risk and change there is no innovation – no rewards.

Jim Collins has said, “Good is the enemy of great.”  When things are working, you are willing to accept the status quo, but remember nothing really remains in stasis.  If you are not growing and improving you are decaying and falling behind.  The questions that always need to be asked are: “How can this be done better?”  “What would I go for if I had all the funds and support I needed?”  Why would that be a good idea?

And about the risk factor – remember leaders take risks.  Another quote that’s can be scarier than the others—“Chaos is good.”  If you can keep your head when things are chaotic, you can find opportunity within it.

Are you embracing change?  How are you spring cleaning your program and “mental” attic?

How will you be feeling at the end of this school year?  Will you be able to look at what you have achieved or will you be like so many librarians who are exhausted, knowing they worked hard but not being sure what they accomplished?  Among the many workshops I present, one of my favorites is Plan for Success—or Plan to Fail: Small Scale Strategic Planning.

You may think strategic planning is for business or for organizations such as AASL or your state library association, and you are partly correct. They do develop three-year plans with the help of a facilitator and sometimes focus groups.  That is beyond what you can or need to do.  You can develop a strategic plan for your program by yourself—or with the help of a few colleagues if you know what is involved.

To create a strategic plan, you must have a Vision (or a huge, audacious goal), a Mission Statement, Goals, and Action Plans. Your Vision should be how your program would be if it were a perfect world.  It may be unattainable for now (or maybe ever) but that’s what you most want. Your Mission Statement defines your purpose, your reason for being.  Keep both statements under 50 words and make sure they are compelling, and appealing to anyone who would use or visit you library. Mission and Vision Statements should be hung near the circulation desk for all to see.

Goals should be an outgrowth of the Vision and Mission and be ongoing for several years.  For example, you might want to increase leisure reading by students or expand student awareness and skills in using databases and web resources.  Don’t have too many Goals. For each one you need one or more Action Plans. An Action Plan for the first example might be to create a school-wide reading program while for the second it could be to work with teachers on a pro/con paper including an annotated bibliography for all sources.

Your Action Plans need to written below the Goal to which they apply along with three key components: Who, When, and How Did It Go.  Who specifies the person responsible for each step in carrying out the plan.  When identifies the start and completion date, and the last step is an honest assessment of where it worked and where it didn’t. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments as needed to be sure the Strategic Plan stays active.

At the end of the year, review your Strategic Plan and develop new Action Plans for your Goals. If you have questions, post them here or on the School Librarian’s Workshop Facebook page.

In October, I blogged about the importance of “Downtime.”  I stressed the need to make space in life for family and friends despite our increasingly hectic lives.  As demands on my time have been greater than usual the past weeks and will continue this way for the next few months, I recognize the importance of taking time for my other interests. It’s how I stay sane and not aggravate everyone around me.

Writing fiction is one of my great passions so I spent last Saturday at the Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference enjoying being with other writers, readers, and bloggers.  Now that Woven Through Time is available, I am ready to be thinking about what comes next. I don’t want to stop with just one book in publication.  I have another started, a picture book done, and a two-page beginning concept for a sequel to Woven through Time.  These are as important to who I am as is School Librarian’s Workshop, the second edition of New on the Job, and the ALA Editions e-course on Being Indispensable, scheduled to begin early in June.

The Conference was wonderful for me.  I met lots of people, made some contacts and possibly a new friend.  I learned about making sure my plots contained all the elements needed for a well-constructed story, how to pitch to an agent, and how to write a query letter and synopsis that sell.  All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable day.  I returned home feeling inspired, my creative juices once again stirred up. While it’s several months down the road, I have a date on my calendar for returning to those stories on hold.

Flight attendants caution us to put the oxygen mask on ourselves before helping someone dependent on us.  We can’t help others unless we have taken care of ourselves first. What do you love to do?  When was the last time you did it?  Get it scheduled back in your life. You will be glad you did. Those you love will be glad you did.  And all the tasks on your to-do list?  The important ones will get done. They always do.