Site Coordinator
I work for an online line school. We have what they call "education zones" for students to have a place to come work out of to get extra help or just meet up with peers. When I interviewed for this job, I was asked if I wanted to work with middle school or high school. Do you know my my crazy self requested???? Yep......middle school! 😜
Why or why would anyone make that choice? Middle school kids are just coming into puberty. They are moody. They don't know that they are wrong. They seldom think through what they do. Did I mention moody? I love this age group (most of the time). lol
I'm the site coordinator. I'm still not sure of what it is that I'm supposed to do. lol I basically run our building. I make sure we have supplies. I am the "gate keeper" of the building reminding people to sign in and making sure they are signed out. I get there early and open up the building and put on the coffee. I take ownership of all that happens inside those walls.
Some days are easy and quiet. Since we are an online school it means that there are very few days when kids are REQUIRED to come to site. However, we average 50+ kids each and every day. 50 middle school kids stuffed into a building with all their mix of moods and problems and joys.
It's a really interesting dynamic. We attract a really wide verity of students. We have the students who were often in trouble in regular brick and mortar schools. We have the students that never showed up to regular school. We have the students that were bullied at regular schools. We have the students that anxiety or other illnesses that might have kept them from attending regularly at other schools.
The crazy thing (and something that brings me joy), even the "coolest" kid in the group that some might look to as our "troubled' students, talks with and an interacts with the kid that was bullied and had little hope of ever escaping that.
You don't have any idea what most of our students have been through. I think that for a lot of these kids, this was a last hope. Maybe a last hope to have a school to attend but for some, a last hope to LIVE.
And YES.....my days can be very very trying. We have had our struggles. How to you keep kids off sites they should be on (facebook and YouTube) and on their school work? It's not easy. How to you make sure that our kids aren't being bullied in person but also via phone, facebook, messenger, and all the other programs? Again, it's not easy. But our staff is AMAZING. Each coach shows up each day to take care of these kids. They make sure they log on and are engaged. They make home visits when we haven't heard from a kid. We reach out and try to make not just school better, but their life!
I've watched our coaches break down because of frustration and sadness. I've seen them buy them lunch and shoes and take sacks of food to the family. I've seen them council and give rides. Yes, I love my job!
And although there are days when I question my sanity of saying MIDDLE SCHOOL, I find it hard to see myself in any different position. You see, these are my kids and each one has a special place in my heart.
Why or why would anyone make that choice? Middle school kids are just coming into puberty. They are moody. They don't know that they are wrong. They seldom think through what they do. Did I mention moody? I love this age group (most of the time). lol
I'm the site coordinator. I'm still not sure of what it is that I'm supposed to do. lol I basically run our building. I make sure we have supplies. I am the "gate keeper" of the building reminding people to sign in and making sure they are signed out. I get there early and open up the building and put on the coffee. I take ownership of all that happens inside those walls.
Some days are easy and quiet. Since we are an online school it means that there are very few days when kids are REQUIRED to come to site. However, we average 50+ kids each and every day. 50 middle school kids stuffed into a building with all their mix of moods and problems and joys.
It's a really interesting dynamic. We attract a really wide verity of students. We have the students who were often in trouble in regular brick and mortar schools. We have the students that never showed up to regular school. We have the students that were bullied at regular schools. We have the students that anxiety or other illnesses that might have kept them from attending regularly at other schools.
The crazy thing (and something that brings me joy), even the "coolest" kid in the group that some might look to as our "troubled' students, talks with and an interacts with the kid that was bullied and had little hope of ever escaping that.
You don't have any idea what most of our students have been through. I think that for a lot of these kids, this was a last hope. Maybe a last hope to have a school to attend but for some, a last hope to LIVE.
And YES.....my days can be very very trying. We have had our struggles. How to you keep kids off sites they should be on (facebook and YouTube) and on their school work? It's not easy. How to you make sure that our kids aren't being bullied in person but also via phone, facebook, messenger, and all the other programs? Again, it's not easy. But our staff is AMAZING. Each coach shows up each day to take care of these kids. They make sure they log on and are engaged. They make home visits when we haven't heard from a kid. We reach out and try to make not just school better, but their life!
I've watched our coaches break down because of frustration and sadness. I've seen them buy them lunch and shoes and take sacks of food to the family. I've seen them council and give rides. Yes, I love my job!
And although there are days when I question my sanity of saying MIDDLE SCHOOL, I find it hard to see myself in any different position. You see, these are my kids and each one has a special place in my heart.
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