You ARE an advocate
You ARE an advocate whether you want to be one or not. You can be a positive advocate for school libraries or a negative advocate. If you do nothing to let others know what it is you are doing and why it is vital to student achievement, then you have NOT had a positive role in advocacy. Does being an advocate mean you have to “know all” about every aspect of your profession? No! Does it mean tons of workshops? No. Does it mean you have to go somewhere to learn how? No. You can learn how to be an advocate through the ALA website and through the Legislative Advocacy center. Does this mean the only form of advocacy is political? No! When you are working with a student teacher and remind her of your important role in collaboration and how the SLMP is essential to her students, you are advocating. When you encourage parents, teachers, and administration to speak for you, you are advocating by creating new advocates. Those are even more effective because it is viewed as less self-serving. You are not advocating for the sake of your position. You are advocating for your students because you have statistics, research, and anecdotes to show that a SLMS is essential to student achievement. GO forth. Advocate. Speak up. I wish I could give you all a sticker that said, “I am an Advocate.” You can then decide what message you are sending.
