| |
 |
You’ve gone through all of the preliminaries and now you’re at the heart of the matter - offering direct technical support to the schools. Congratulations, and thank you for coming this far! You will have a lot of fun and what you are doing will hardly seem like work. People will be very grateful for your presence and support. You will be helping with a situation that has probably created a lot of anxiety until now. It is likely that you will be relieving a great deal of the discomfort that can surround technical issues.
While in the schools, some people may think you have the answers to all technical questions and may treat you as a technical guru. You are not required to know everything (that’s almost impossible with today’s technology), and it is best to stay relaxed and clearly state when a particular problem is beyond your scope. You can help guide the situation toward a positive conclusion, either by suggesting someone else who might be able to help, or by referring the problem to the School District Coordinator.
If, at any time, you feel at risk of becoming isolated, you are unsure about how to proceed with your project, or you have a situation that needs trouble-shooting, don’t hesitate to tap into your support system: the School District Coordinator, the Adjunct Coordinator, the State Program Director and other Technical Volunteers. This is a group effort and you should not have to face any serious difficulties or uncomfortable situations alone. Remember to pick up the phone and network! You are part of a countrywide effort as well as belonging to a local grassroots team!
There are several things to keep in mind as you work on your project(s):
- Keep your project organized by maintaining and updating "to do" lists. Avoid having too many concurrent tasks;
- Follow up on promises (be careful about promising more than you can realistically accomplish within a designated time frame);
- Keep a calendar and avoid missing appointments (if you must miss one, call well in advance, and reschedule);
- Go through the School District Coordinator when you need anything (e.g. supplies, scheduling, workspace, etc.), unless otherwise instructed.
|
| |
|
While you are offering valuable services and resources to the school, remember you are still a guest of the school system and a representative of TECH CORPS Illinois .
Please remember the following considerations:
Professionalism
Think of your relationship with the school as a relationship between consultant and client. Your goal is to maximize satisfaction and value. Please conduct yourself professionally and observe general good manners.
Please be considerate of schedules and the fact that people will often be busy. It is also very important that you respect the roles of the teachers and school or district administrators. If you are providing teacher training, remember, you are there to help the teacher use the tools for teaching; you are not there to teach the teacher how to teach. If you are working directly with students, defer to the teacher and be careful not to undermine the teacher’s authority. In dealing with the administrators, or the district as a whole, be sensitive to the fact that every institution has its own politics as well as its own culture. Newcomers are sometimes seen as potential enemies for often invisible agendas. If you sense that might be happening, try to focus on your role and task.
|
