Proactivity

Active Listening is a pivotal key in being a positive mentor. Through listening I have learned what the teachers in Belleville and Picton like, dislike, need, want and do not want. Knowledge is power. During the 2013-2014 and the 2010 -2011 school years I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to mentor colleagues in the NTIP program. During one of our sharing sessions, in the spring of 2011, my mentee and I decided it could be helpful for me to model classroom management tips within the classroom. I have included a copy of the lesson outline used for this team-teacher lesson. Throughout the 2011-2012 school year there was friction between the custodian and the staff. I identified poor communication between the two groups. I used what I was hearing from staff, including the custodian, to develop a checklist for custodial work. Expectations became clear for both parties, and a method of sharing information was set up to ensure improved communication was maintained. It is important to make productive use of time during meetings. I am including samples of agendas I have created when asking teachers to join me for staff meetings. I have also included a sample of the type of notes I prepare for myself before attending Department Head meetings. I have been very lucky to be able to take part in many professional development opportunities. I have included summary notes for “Having Hard Conversations”, Instructional Coaching”, and “Compassion Fatigue”. When I return to school I like to meet with colleagues to share what I have learned. At times this sharing can be as simple as passing my notes on. At others, as determined through conversation, the dialogue can open up into many meetings and discussions.

I have been very lucky. Most days, both the Belleville and Picton sites run smoothly with little cause for concern with respect to site security. I believe this is because Loyola is fortunate to be blessed with competent, caring professional educators. Should discipline issues occur, most often teachers are able to manage these themselves. When the occasion occurs that I need to be involved, I do try to see if the issue can be resolved between teacher and student. On occasion I do need to intervene. In more severe cases I do involve the principal and even police. Enclosed is a copy of a Trespass Notice which I developed for the Picton site, using the verbiage of a document provided by the Belleville Police Services and the contact information of OPP in Picton. As Loyola continues to develop its online program, new concerns emerge. The principal developed a protocol for online learning classroom behaviour for the Picton site. I ensure this is promoted and adhered to. Similar, yet different concerns were identified at the Belleville campus. I am enclosing a copy of an Online Learner Behaviour contract which was developed for the Belleville site using the protocol which was developed for Picton as a model. I take my role as Fire Safety Liaison very seriously. I ensure that a minimum of 3 fire drills and 3 lockdowns occur each year (per site). I provide staff with feedback so that we can continue to improve. I have included a copy of an email debriefing to the February 16^th fire drill. I also ensure that fire extinguishers are checked and maintained by Seaway Fire Safety.