The 4 C’s of Training New Employees For The School Year

As we welcome our new employees to campus this week, we put them through two intensive days of computer training, business office factoids, pedagogical discussions, and the always grueling meet-and-greets. While we spice it up with some fun (scavenger hunt, anyone?) we always keep in mind the 4 C’s when preparing new employees for the school year.

Checklist

What does our schedule look like? Who is in charge of attendance? Where is the nearest bathroom? Questions large and small need to be asked and answered in order for each and every member of the campus to be ready to receive students on the first day of school. A key for the question answerer is also to be a question asker. Establishing the give-and-take relationship puts new hires at ease, and will help their transition.

Community

Each new employee, from the part-time nurse to the classroom teacher to the division head goes through the same training. By making the training universal (while still leaving time to have those different types of jobs learn things specific to their areas of expertise) the focus is on the community of the school.

By establishing and stating that “we are all in this together,” we are practicing what we preach, setting up the model for our newest community members. This model then carries over to our classrooms, where faculty and staff of all types join students of all ages, grades, and skill levels to form many different, and one school-encompassing, learning community.

Culture

Acculturation is incredibly important to new employees, yet also quite tricky. If we firmly believe that we are in the growth business, stating something along the lines of, “That’s the way we do things around here,” can feel counterintuitive. Yet we would be remiss if we failed to inform everybody about who we are, what makes our school what it is, and other vital questions of culture.

Along with this, when groups of employees are gathered to talk about the culture of a school, a conversation which was intended to be informational can quickly morph into one more anecdotal. These “funny stories” may lead to talk of specific students, families, or colleagues, undermining new employee’s abilities to begin with a clean slate and form their own opinions. When leading culture discussions, we make sure we speak in positive terms only, and stay focused on our task of preparing new employees for their year.

Caring

Above all we want to lay the groundwork for success for our new employees, for the current school year and beyond. By demonstrating care in the process not only will our messages be better received, but that care will have a positive effect on the entire school. As new employees feel cared for, that will show in their relationships with students and families, allowing everyone to feel more strongly that the school is delivering on its promise and fulfilling its mission.  

This post is by Evan Kurtz, Middle School Dean of Students and Co-Director of our New Employee Mentoring Program (NEMP) and originally appeared on Sewickley Academy Pittsburgh Private School blog.