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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.
Spruce up your resume
Feeling like your resume could use a little pizzazz? Try sprucing up your accomplishments by painting an exciting picture of your accomplishments! Use numbers when describing the reach and depth of your work load – just how many students and …
Find files easily – How to organize your computer
the power to name, rename, copy, move and even delete folders is in your hands.
School Secretary Word for Windows Skills test sample
While browsing on the internet, I came across this sample test that a school district in Ohio uses as part of the interview process. The test is directed at three different levels of secretaries- the first level in my experience …
How to edit a letter from someone else without losing your mind
It happens to all of us. We begin a new position, or receive a task where we have to go into files created by somebody to update it. If you are one of the few fortunate ones that have not …
Happy Monday!
If you are like me when tasked with a new project, I have a hard time not obsessing about the best way to proceed. Typically I’ll begin gathering/developing documents or files that I think will help me produce what I want, then – usually in the shower or while driving and I have no access to write a note – I will have an “a-ha” moment.
I always appreciate when I have a few days lead time before a due date. As soon as I can I start to plan the best way to approach the project, knowing that once I start the planning, my mind will drift to the project and present better ideas.
Need more reason to work in a school?
Check out this shout out from Scary Mommy!
The roots of the education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. Aristotle
Working in a school, especially in an elementary setting, the non-certified staff is something like a doting aunt. Even though we are always mindful that we are modelling for our students, we typically have no supervisor duty.
It’s hard not to feel protective of the little ones, and when we are in the situation where a student is sent to the office for discipline reasons, it is hard to frown upon the baby-faced perpetrator. Regardless of our feelings, however, we are in a support role and must keep our thoughts to ourselves. Even if we think the teacher is making too much of a situation, or is expecting the children to complete a ridiculous amount of work, we should never comment or act upon our feelings.
Teachers are burdened with being the taskmasters at times, as well as rectifying inappropriate behaviors. I truly believe that they take no pleasure in disciplining a child. While discipline may be difficult, however, these hard learned (bitter) lessons are imperative for the education of the child.