Month: July 2026

Mentoring Forward: Sustaining Practice and Growing Creativity

As teacher librarians, our professional practice is shaped not only by the resources we curate or the programs we design, but by the relationships that sustain and challenge us. Mentoring is one of the most powerful of these relationships, influencing professional identity, confidence, and the ongoing development of practice.

I am deeply grateful to the Australian School Library Association for the opportunity to participate in their mentorship program this year. It is a privilege that feels both significant and personal. When I began my journey as a teacher librarian, I was fortunate to learn from two exceptional mentors, Bronwyn and Maree. Both were highly experienced, yet their approaches to teaching and librarianship differed greatly. Observing how they designed, created, implemented, and assessed information literacy across the curriculum was invaluable. Equally impactful was witnessing how they managed resources and engaged meaningfully with colleagues. These early experiences shaped my understanding of effective practice and gave me the confidence to develop my own professional voice.

Mentoring is often confused with coaching, yet it occupies a very different space. Coaching is typically task focused and directed towards achieving specific outcomes. Mentoring, in contrast, sits closer to peer learning, where knowledge is shared through dialogue, reflection, and collaboration. At its best, mentoring also includes an element of encouragement that can be described as a form of professional cheerleading, where the mentor actively affirms and supports the growth of the mentee (Louis and Cramer, 2016). This positioning is particularly important in teacher librarianship, where professional isolation can be a reality and collegial affirmation plays a critical role in sustaining confidence and innovation.

Mentoring has long been established as a social partnership grounded in interpersonal exchange. It is shaped by the perceptions that both mentor and mentee hold of one another, and by the way these perceptions influence their interactions over time (Nunan et al., 2023). Within this context, relationships are understood as the ongoing verbal and non verbal behaviours between individuals, evolving through continuous interaction rather than singular moments of support (Nunan et al., 2023). This understanding reinforces that mentoring is not a static or transactional process. It is relational, dynamic, and deeply human.

Central to this relationship is trust. Trust underpins honest communication and allows both mentor and mentee to engage meaningfully in professional learning. Alongside trust, effective mentors demonstrate strong communication skills and are encouraging, insightful, empathetic, organised, and persistent in supporting growth (Bourgault, 2024). These qualities are essential in fostering a mentoring environment where both individuals feel valued and empowered.

While mentoring supports the development of the mentee, it is increasingly evident that the mentor also experiences significant professional growth. Mentoring encourages reflection, challenges established practices, and creates opportunities to reconsider approaches to teaching and learning. It is through this reciprocal exchange that mentoring becomes a powerful mechanism for sustaining professional vitality.

This reciprocity is strongly supported by research on creativity. Wang and Shibayama (2022) identify mentorship as a mechanism through which individuals acquire and develop creativity at a personal level. In a knowledge society, this is essential. Professionals must move beyond applying existing knowledge to generating new ideas and developing innovative solutions. Mentorship provides a space where this creative development can occur through the sharing of skills, knowledge, and ways of thinking (Wang and Shibayama, 2022).

Importantly, the development of creativity through mentoring is not immediate. The influence of mentor creativity often becomes evident over time, suggesting that mentoring has an enduring impact that extends well beyond the initial relationship (Wang and Shibayama, 2022). This reinforces the significance of mentoring as a long term investment in professional growth.

The effectiveness of this process is shaped by the conditions within the mentoring relationship. Creativity is strengthened when both mentor and mentee engage with autonomy and exploration. When mentees are supported to think independently, explore new ideas, and take intellectual risks, they are more likely to develop creative thinking capabilities (Wang and Shibayama, 2022). At the same time, mentors benefit from this process, as exposure to fresh perspectives and new ideas challenges habitual thinking and encourages innovation.

In practice, this aligns closely with my experience as a mentor. Mentees often bring a renewed sense of enthusiasm and curiosity. They ask questions that prompt reflection and introduce ideas that may not have been previously considered. In doing so, they contribute to a shared space of creativity where both mentor and mentee grow. Mentorship becomes not only a process of guiding others, but also a means of re engaging with one’s own professional practice.

For teacher librarians, this is particularly significant. Our roles require us to navigate evolving information landscapes, support diverse learners, and embed information literacy across the curriculum. Mentoring provides a framework for sustaining this complexity, allowing for collaborative reflection and continuous improvement.

Reflecting on my own journey, it is clear that the mentors who supported me provided more than guidance. They modelled professional generosity, creative thinking, and the importance of relationships in effective practice. Having the opportunity to now offer that same support to another professional is both meaningful and necessary.

Mentoring is, ultimately, an act of giving back. It is also an act of sustaining the profession. Through mentoring, we foster creativity, build relationships, and ensure that our practice continues to evolve. In giving forward, we not only support the development of others, but also renew our own capacity to think, adapt, and lead within an ever changing educational landscape.

References

Bourgault, A. M. (2024). Mentoring: A strategy to foster a sense of belonging. Critical Care Nurse, 44(2), 8 to 9. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2024701

Louis, S., and Cramer, K. (2016). Peer mentoring as professional development. LOEX Conference Proceedings. https://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031 and context=loexconf2016

Nunan, A., Ebrahim, S., and Stander, M. W. (2023). Mentoring as a social partnership: Interpersonal processes and relational dynamics.

Wang, J., and Shibayama, S. (2022). Mentorship and creativity: Effects of mentor creativity and mentoring style. Research Policy, 51(2), Article 104451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2021.104451

The Work Behind the Welcome: Readers Cup, Reading Communities and the Unseen Labour of School Libraries

Last week, my school was privileged to host the Brisbane South Readers Cup competition, welcoming more than 100 students and 23 teams from schools across the region. The evening was a celebration of reading, literature and intellectual curiosity, bringing together young people united by a shared love of books.

Readers Cup is far more than a quiz competition. At its heart, it is about creating a community of readers. In an age where young people are often characterised by what they are not doing, events such as Readers Cup remind us of what they are doing. They are reading deeply, discussing complex ideas, debating interpretations and finding joy in stories. They are building friendships around books and discovering that reading is not a solitary activity but a shared experience that connects people across schools, backgrounds and communities.

As I walked through the venue on the night, there was an unmistakable energy in the room. Students who had spent months reading and preparing came together to test their knowledge of this year’s texts. The competitive element was certainly present, but what stood out most was the enthusiasm. There is something powerful about seeing so many teenagers willingly spending an evening discussing literature when they could be almost anywhere else.

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The event was made even more special through the generosity of Nick Croydon, CEO of QBD Books, who volunteered his time as Quiz Master and donated gift vouchers for competitors. His involvement reinforced an important message: reading matters, and supporting young readers matters. In a world where time is perhaps our most precious resource, the gift of time is often the most generous contribution of all.

Yet behind every successful school library event lies a story that is rarely told.

While students see the competition, the prizes and the excitement of the evening, they do not always see the countless hours of preparation that make these opportunities possible. Nor does the wider public often recognise the significant volunteer labour that underpins many literacy initiatives within schools.

Readers Cup did not run because it appeared on a calendar. It ran because teachers, school officers and volunteers gave generously of their time beyond their normal duties. Teachers stayed after hours to judge, supervise students, keep time and assist with logistics. Library staff coordinated registrations, communication and event planning. Support staff ensured spaces were prepared and functioning. Volunteers stepped into countless roles that often go unnoticed, from scoring and administration to simple acts of hospitality and encouragement. We should also acknowledge the extraordinary work of the Children’s Book Council of Australia and its volunteers, who quietly dedicate countless hours to fostering a culture of reading through programs such as Readers Cup. Their contribution, like that of many school library staff, is often invisible to the broader public. Yet these initiatives continue because people believe deeply in the power of stories and are willing to give their own time to ensure young people have opportunities to engage with them.

This story is not unique to Readers Cup.

Across Australia, school libraries quietly deliver a remarkable array of programs that enrich the educational lives of students. Book clubs, literature festivals, writing workshops, visiting authors, reading challenges, Readers Cup teams, lunchtime activities and literacy events often exist because school library professionals believe deeply in their value. Much of this work occurs outside timetabled lessons and beyond recognised workload allocations. It is driven not by obligation but by commitment to students and a belief in the transformative power of reading.

The reality is that much of the work of school libraries remains largely invisible. When literacy outcomes improve, when students discover a love of reading, when reluctant readers find the right book, or when communities gather around literature, the effort behind those successes is not always visible. The planning meetings, the emails, the risk assessments, the book selection, the venue preparation, the volunteer coordination and the countless hours of organisation rarely make headlines.

Perhaps that is because school libraries have always been places of quiet service. They are spaces where support happens in the background, where opportunities are created without fanfare and where success is measured in the achievements of others.

However, events such as Readers Cup remind us that this work deserves recognition.

The evening was a triumph not simply because a winning team emerged, but because it demonstrated what can happen when a community invests in young readers. It showed the collective impact of educators, library professionals, support staff, volunteers, community partners and organisations such as the CBCA working together towards a common purpose.

As school libraries continue to advocate for literacy, information literacy and lifelong learning, it is important that we also acknowledge the unseen labour that makes these opportunities possible. Behind every successful event stands a network of people who choose to give more of themselves than is required.

To every teacher who stayed late, every volunteer who helped, every CBCA member who has contributed to Readers Cup over the years, every staff member who worked behind the scenes, and to Nick Croydon and QBD Books for their generosity and support, thank you.

Readers Cup may celebrate books, but it is also a celebration of people. The readers who inspire us, the educators who support them, and the communities that quietly make these experiences possible.

Sometimes the most important stories are not found in the books on the table, but in the people who make it possible for those books to change lives.