Topic 5 - Collaborative Practice

Yet another interesting topic for me.  Collaborative practice.......My idea of that is that the TL works collaboratively with all members of the staff not only for accessing topics which teachers are teaching but maybe even taking lessons - not babysitting in the library.  Well my experience has certainly been mixed.  At a school that I do relief at the TL works 5 days a week - spends 3 days teaching PE and the rest in the library ordering books, overseeing borrowing etc.  I actually asked if they did any collobrative teaching and the answer was that they use to until a change in Principal.  Another school had hit their quota for budget so the TL role was moved back into the classroom fulltime the following year.  At another school the TL works collaboratively with all staff.  The students come into the library where they teach a specific subject inconjunction with the classroom teacher.

So while working collaboratively is a great idea it appears to me at least that the first position to get shoved for a better word is the TL.  It appears that much of the decision making is from the top and if in agreeance it works and if not it doesn't.  So the long winded question is "What can TL's do about it?".  I asked a TL where they think TL's will be in 5 years and their answer was disolved!!!!!  Is this the common thought amongst all TL's?

Collaborative practice is great in theory but appears to be an uphill battle in reality.