6 Ways Staff Can Support a
School Traffic Controller Secretary.
“No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another.” (Joseph Addison)
Have you ever been to an airport with airplanes landing and taking off every minute or two? It’s quite incredible how calmly and purposefully we get where we need to go safely and count on people with whom we never knowingly come face to face.
Many school secretaries would be amazing air traffic controllers, but one great difference is that they also take on the duties of passenger check-in, security, and boarding! School traffic controllers lead like a duck: calm and smooth on top while working a million miles an hour underneath.
There is just so much we don’t see with these amazing secretaries who lead as warm demanders.
We know these school traffic controllers/warm demander secretaries are going to be busier than ever during this crazy COVID return to school, fielding calls, offering TLC to parents, and finding new ways to handle most of the day-to-day tasks we never see.
So what can we do to support and protect our school secretaries?
- Don’t leave loose papers on a secretary's desk. Use the system provided to safely submit papers or have them picked up. For example, there there may be an “inbox/outbox” a safe distance from the secretary’s desk.
- Diligently check your mailbox. Operate with an assumption that items will not be given at the secretary’s desk during this school year and that mailboxes will be checked at the start and end of each day.
- If it can wait, then let it wait. This is a very busy time for school offices. If it is not urgent, send an email about it but do not stand at the secretary’s desk and risk attracting a crowd. Could all staff use a system like email flags or particular subject line wording for urgent, same day, and this week items?
- When requesting materials or purchases, be very specific. Include order numbers, links, and anything that makes ordering easier. It's a pretty safe assumption that this year will involve more communication time and less computer time for secretaries.
- Suspend requests for items that can lead to hovering. For example, principals might announce that classlists will be delivered on a particular date and clearly state that no early information is to be requested of a secretary.
- All newsletter items must be put into a folder one week prior to the publishing date. Ideally, whoever is in charge of the newsletter would create a recurring calendar invite for the due date, with a one-day reminder, and a link to newsletter submission folders.
Whether it’s an airport or a school, a calm and confident person can be a difference-maker and change the narrative for someone who walks through the doors more carrying many worries.
The entire school benefits when a school secretary is given an opportunity to choose a kind voice and activate those school traffic controller talents.
