Back in March, I had the honor of presenting a four-hour professional development course to clerical staff at Capo Unified. The staff that attended included clerks, secretaries, accounting technicians, office managers, transportation clerks, and bilingual community liaisons. There were a total of thirty employees that attended from various sites and district departments.
One thing that really mattered to me was ensuring that each person that attended felt like they and their position within the district are important and appreciated. There are so few opportunities for clerical staff to get wined and dined, that I really wanted to provide as many goodies as I could.
The first thing I did to ensure this was accomplished was to make sure lunch was provided. The workshop started at 12:00 p.m., so I wanted staff members to be able to leave their sites without rushing to eat something in-between. Letting them know lunch was provided would allow them to head directly to the District office, and not worry about their lunch plans. CSEA generously covered the cost of lunch, which I thought was a great example of the District and Union working together to provide this event for their classified staff.
Next: swag. Who doesn’t love some good swag?! In my mind, teachers go to conferences and get free stuff all the time. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. But I wanted the classified staff attending to walk away with something special. I’m thankful to Priscilla Ard from Rose Gold Libra who offered to provide custom-made cookies that I could hand out to everyone. I also had pens, a sticker with keyboard shortcuts, and custom-made sticky notes for a daily checklist. And most importantly: a spiral-bound handbook that each attendee could use for exercises, notes, and future reference. I’m really proud of the final result:
Here are the topics I covered in this workshop:
- Time Management
- Organizing your workspace
- Office topics (communication, filing systems, supplies and orders, notes, agendas, tracking tasks)
- Email templates and inbox organization
- Calendars (scheduling, color coding, ticklers, details)
- Google Suite (overview, docs, sheets, forms, slides)
- Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel)
Professional development is SO important to the continued growth of your staff. Email info@theadminspecialist.com if you’re looking for PD opportunities for your clerical staff. I can offer a custom proposal based on the needs of your organization/school district.
You can also follow me on Instagram (@the.admin.specialist) for admin tips and best practices.
The Admin Specialist 