The Role of the Site Leader/Supervisor

Tools for your Toolbox

A CALSAC modulePresented By: Brandy Tibbetts and Kathie

Williams

Agreements:

• Cell phones off or on vibrate (texting too).• Be present and engaged in your own self-

learning.• Avoid side bar conversations.• Participate in all activities.• Agree to disagree• Please use the work boxes during the training but

return all items at the end. But…please eat the candy!

Bike Rack

Objectives:

• To identify the four roles of the Site Leader/Supervisor.

• To be able to name at least one strategy that you can use to get staff all on the “same page”.

Question: What are your responsibilities as a Site Leader/Supervisor?

Think, Pair, Share

• THINK! Take a minute and write down what you feel your responsibilities are as a site leader/supervisor.

• PAIR! Pick a partner, compare your lists and create just one list.

• SHARE! Please get together at your table and share your answers to this question. Make one big list of items that you are responsible for.

• Were you surprised to see how many responsibilities you share? What surprised you?

The Role of the Site Leader/Supervisor

As a Site Leader/Supervisor you will have a variety of roles and responsibilities. Your roles will include that of the:

• Pathfinder• Manager• Coach• Steward

WHAT IS A PATHFINDER?• The program you work for should have a

vision.• As a Site Leader/Supervisor you should be

able to embrace this vision and make it your own.

• As a Pathfinder you are expected to model this vision for staff.

• You will be able to hold front line staff accountable for working with students in the way you model when you work with them.

What is a Manager?

• A manager removes barriers that keep your staff from doing their best work.– Lack of skills– Lack of supplies– Misunderstanding of what is to be done– Lack of confidence in one’s ability to do good

work, etc.

• A manager supports staff in doing their best work. How might you accomplish this?

How to manage!• Staff Manual• Regularly scheduled staff meetings. With an agenda, start

and stop time.– Everyone can add to the agenda prior to the meeting.– Allow for added topics if time allows. If not make sure to

put it on the next agenda.• Program Handbook for Parents and Staff.• Staff development opportunities available and encouraged

for all staff.• New staff orientation and shadowing.• Procedures for regular daily occurrences must be in place so

that staff doesn’t have to worry about the daily routine and can focus on the children. The children must also know the structure of the day.

What is a Coach?• Besides a handbag…a coach holds staff

accountable for exemplary performance. This is not punitive. It is a sign of respect when you hold another person responsible for doing his/her best work.

• Staff must clearly understand what the expectations are and what “best work” means.

• Clear Expectations = End Results

What is a Steward?• The steward is always analyzing, making

suggestions for change, and making certain that the program is on track to meet its goals and accomplish its vision.

• Take a minute in your table group and review the responsibilities that you listed during the first activity.

• As a group, decide which role you believe each of those responsibilities is most aligned with. It is certainly possible that some responsibilities cross-over.

Strategies for getting staff on the “same page”.

It is critical as a Site Leader/Supervisor that you get your staff and the other afterschool stakeholders (students, families, community members, others) on the same page. Three strategies that will help you to do that are:

• Having a shared vision• Continuously building relationships• Communicate, communicate, communicate!

What is it that draws you to this work?

When the day is done, what really matters?

The Important BookBy Margaret Wise Brown

• Margaret Brown uses her own unique writing style to identify what is really important. She begins with the words “The important thing about”… and lists a quality that makes the item important. She then lists several other things that are important, and ends by repeating the original sentence.

• For example:The important thing about the spoon is that you

eat with it.It’s like a little shovel,

You hold it in your hand,You can put it in your mouth,

It isn’t flat,It’s hollow,

And it spoons things up.But the important thing about a spoon is that you

eat with it.Brown, 1977

Making it your own…

• In your table group follow the same pattern using the following statement:

The important thing about afterschool is…

• Be prepared to share your stanza with the group.

Discussion

1. Were there any themes or visions that surprised you? Why?

2. Talk about how you can use this activity with your staff to help them get on the “same page” with you.

Building relationships

Building relationships is a skill and begins by helping people find common ground with one another. To find common ground it is essential that you know something about the person, something that you have in common and something that you share.

Activity to common ground

• This is my friend

This is My Friend Activity1. Please partner with a person that you do not know very

well.2. Interview each other finding out:

Their nameSomething they enjoy doingFavorite vacation spotSomething unusual that most people would not know

3. Make a large circle with partners standing next to one another. Every other pair step into the circle and make a smaller inner circle facing outward.

4. Outward circle please move one pair to the left to begin activity. Pairs should move around the circle introducing each other to the pair facing them in the inner circle, sharing the interview questions.

Discussion

1. How did it feel to realize that you had things in common with other people in this group?

2. How could you use this activity with your staff?

Communication, communication, communication! Activity

• Communication is a critical skill for a Site Leader/Supervisor to develop.

• It is almost impossible to communicate too much.

• There are a variety of communication strategies:Staff MeetingE-mailBulletinsNewslettersOne-on-one conversationsSmall group discussions

We all have 3 tools that we use to communicate!

Voice – You can control the volume, rate, intensity, tone, pitch and expressiveness.Body Language – facial expressions, gestures and eye contact.Ability to connect – your ability to connect requires you to communicate in an interesting and articulate manner.

Communication Activity• Divide into groups of 4, each person will have a different role each

time the activity is preformed.• Roles include:

SpeakerObserver of voiceObserver of body language Observer of connection

• Decide which role you will first portray• The speaker shares a funny story, embarrassing story or something

he/she is passionate about. Speaker speaks for one minute.• Each observer will share what he/she observed.• Share with the speaker what he/she did well and what was

powerful.• Rotate roles and repeat steps until each person has taken on each

role.

Discussion

1. How did it feel to get feedback?2. How could you use this activity with your

staff?3. DID YOU KNOW?

The site leader/supervisor must be a person that others would like to follow. People do not follow organizations, they follow people. You are that person at your site.

Reviewing Objectives

• Identify the four roles of the site leader/supervisor– Pathfinder– Manager– Coach– Steward

• Name at least one strategy that you can use to get staff all on the “same page”.

Thank you and Evaluations!

• Please take a moment to fill out the evaluations provided.

• Thank you for taking time out of your day to add to your tool box.

Visit Us!

www.calsac.org

Or E-mail us!

Brandy Tibbetts – btibbetts@oldadobe.orgKathie Williams – kwilliams@oldabobe.org