By establishing yourself as the “go to” person, you establish your role in your school community.
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally – or tricks from my childhood
We all learned tricks when we were younger to help us remember information. Think about learning to spell words with NO phonological rationale – so we learned “F-R-I-E-N-D” is the correct spelling because it is a “friend to the end”.
While some tricks do not have much relevance in our adult life – I am proud to say that I have mastered tying my shoes, so ” Over, under, around and through, Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through” is no longer a guiding light for me; there are others that still are a part of my world:
- The action is affect, the end result is effect. Affect is usually a verb, effect is usually a noun; “The effect of absences could be falling below grade level.” or “To affect a student’s performance, snacks are provided throughout the testing.”
- “I before E except after C” – I know that auto-correct will automatically correct it, but this comes in handy when you have somebody looking over your shoulder as you are typing
- “The Principal is your PAL (princiPAL)” – same usage as above
- Ctrl, ALT + Del to open task manager – when the computer is freezing and all I’m getting is a message that the program or site is not responding, I use this to open Task Manager and close the program that way and move on with my life!
- “Righty tighty, lefty loosey” – when I need to screw an item into place such as replacing light bulbs, fixing that teeny, tiny screw to re-attach the arm on my eyeglasses, etc.
- “Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November” – I never really use this – I open a calendar app somewhere – but if there is ever a question in a trivia quiz……
- HOMES – the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior (mostly used when doing crosswords)
Flu Season and Germs – DO NOT SPREAD THE WEALTH!
“Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly by droplets made when someone with the flu coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. A person also can get flu by touching something …
5 ways to foster teamwork at school:
- Open communication – let teachers know what you are doing and why. Yes, the mailboxes were moved, but it was because that space was needed for the new copier.
- Offer to help in the way that you can be of help. Teachers understand that you cannot cover their lunch duty, but maybe you can send a quick email to a colleague for them.
- Positive attitude – if you give the impression that you are overworked or stressed, chances are teachers will not approach you to join the dodgeball team.
- Adaptability – although you may have a better idea on how the task can be accomplished, be willing to go along with the other ideas. There are a million ways to accomplish most things; the best way is the way that makes the most sense for you. So, if it’s not your project – go with the flow and trust the person knows what they want.
- Whenever possible, remind everyone that every school employee is there for one reason and one reason alone – the student!
The calls are starting to come in!
Schools divide their academic years into various marking periods. Some schools report grades four times a year, they would be considered quarters; while others operate on trimesters; reporting grades three times a year. Regardless of when your school schedules student …
Life in the fishbowl
Sitting at the front desk of the school may make you feel as though you are on display, with nowhere to hide. This is very true, but rather than feel as though you are the center of attention, the truth is you blend into the background. This is a good place to be.
Sitting quietly at your desk, focusing on your computer screen, oftentimes allows you to fade into the background. Office visitors – students, parents, teachers forget that not only can you see them, you can hear them as well.
I am not advising that you be the office snitch, but keeping an ear to the ground gives you an insight into what is really going on in a school. You may hear student’s discussions not meant for adult ears. Parents may be comparing notes about a school event offering true feedback that would otherwise go unheard. Teachers coming and going to mailboxes may drop subtle hints about feeling out of the loop, or maybe over-saturated with information.
Discretion is crucial, however, remember there are many different perspectives in a school community, and all should be considered. If you could offer a thoughtful insight about the minds of the school community, to the policy makers, you should.
5 Ways to welcome back your teachers!
The summer months pass very quickly! While most of the faculty and staff have been out for the summer, you have been at your desk closing out one year and setting up for another. Schools are all about community and …