15 Ways for Association Representatives to Welcome New Teachers
Provide Leadership for New Hires at Your School
You have a new next door neighbor: Time to bake some cookies, drop in and say “Hi” over the boxes, lend a screwdriver, an eraser and an Association new employee manual.
Your new neighbor is your new colleague at school, and as the building representative, you should be a great source of information for him or her. There can be three types of new employees in your building:
- transfers from another building,
- newly hired experienced employees, and
- newly hired inexperienced employees.
Their needs are different, but all three need you — as the building representative — to tell them the unwritten rules, customs and norms of your building. You can help a new colleague fit in quickly by sharing information with them as quickly as possible. So think about the unique aspects of your building and be ready to be help in the name of the association. And if there are not any welcoming customs, start some. Some information to share could be:
- What time do employees arrive at your building in the morning?
- Where do employees hang out in the morning, at lunch or after school? Invite the newbie to meet you in the morning to be introduced to other association members over coffee and donuts?
- What are the lunch time rules? Do employees go through the line first? Can employees order special meals? Are there any real good school lunch meals? Where are places to go out for lunch during non student days?
- When is Open House normally held? Has a standard format been adopted? What has happened in the past?
- What have employees done socially in the past?
- What is the principal's reaction to student discipline referrals? Is there other help?
- What were the school's special events last year? When did they take place?
- Where do you get paper and other supplies in school or cheaply outside of school?
- What is the Xerox, lamination machine, etc. use protocol?
- Go over any forms they have signed or should have signed? Take guidance from the Association.
- If there is a collective bargaining agreement, review the items on workday, evaluation, leaves. If there is no agreement, know the school district policies on these items.
- When is the District or building new employee function? Help the new employee get there.
- When is the Association's first function? Help them get there.
- Put some time aside the first couple of days to see how the new employees are doing, especially the first days with students. Encourage the newbie no matter how frustrated or disorganized they appear. Give advice if asked.
- When the first pay checks arrive, help the newcomer determine if his or her pay is correct.
If there is ever a time an employee needs a professional association it is when they are new to the job and trying to figure out what is expected and what help is available. As an association Representative your job should be to make sure that new people receive assistance whether they are members or not and to make sure new members understand the benefits of membership, begin to use those benefits and become involved in association activities.
