As the new school year rolls around, it’s likely you have many plans in place and are busy preparing for the coming months. So much time and effort goes into creating a positive, reliable, and consistent environment for teachers, staff, and of course, the children in our care. Are you also making plans for staff absences this year?
The reality is that staff absences happen. Despite best efforts to reduce absenteeism with a supportive staff climate, healthy sanitation practices, fair wages and hours, benefits when possible, a dose of empathy and a goal of work-life balance, absences still happen because life still happens.
The stress of an absence can have a domino effect if staff is shuffled around or an inexperienced adult is call in to cover. We know the unfortunate reality of “sometimes you just have to have a warm body” to cover the regulatory ratios of adults to children, but it’s time to do better.
How do we reduce stress on the community during an unavoidable absence? How do we find the time to acclimate new adults to our school and to Montessori? What do substitutes need to know as they step in to preserve the consistency in routines and the social-emotional climate of the classroom?
These are just a few of the questions that Tammy Oesting will cover in her new courses, Onboarding Montessori Substitutes and Montessori Substitute Orientation.
Onboarding Montessori Substitutes
This course helps school leaders develop and implement a structured onboarding process for every adult that works in the classroom setting, whether it be a float teacher, a parent volunteer, or a substitute. This course takes a look a tools for acclimating support staff, team culture, emergency protocols, staff communication, and more. The course includes a revisable Substitute Manual to ensure your substitutes have the vital information they need for a successful start. Learn more about this course
Montessori Substitute Orientation
This course provides substitutes with a solid foundation for a supporting role in Montessori classrooms. Participants will learn basic Montessori principles and practices as well as tools and resources for effective child guidance. This course takes a look at the responsibilities of the adult in a Montessori Classroom, a typical daily schedule and classroom expectations, communication with other staff members, and more. Learn more about this course
Registration for both courses is now open! Sign up now through August 11th and get the special introductory discount of 40% off.