Inviting and confirming your guests

Who should be invited?
Deciding whom to invite to participate in a K-12 Business Connection event is a bit of a challenge, but practically anyone in the community can be a candidate. Your guest list should be well-rounded and include avid, vocal supporters of your schools as well as those who may not be as familiar with the day-to-day educational process. Also consider inviting vocal critics of the public schools.

Some examples of the people you might wish to invite include the following:

Business people.
School committee members.
Legislators and local officials.
Community employees (police, fire, etc.).
Celebrities who live in town.
At least one local reporter, who can be encouraged to write a first-person account of his/her experience.
Parents (particularly any who may be prominently involved in school affairs or local leaders).
PTA leaders.
Any other well-known or visible community people.

Some general guidelines:

Seek recognizable names in the community.
Seek people who can make an entire day’s commitment, if possible.
Seek people who are willing to do the mundane, as well as the important tasks in school.
Seek salaried employees, who will not lose money by participating.
If participants wear uniforms in their profession, they should wear their uniforms in class. This will give greater identification when photographs are taken.

Are there legal implications?
People participating in the K-12 Business Connection should be viewed like a parent volunteer for legal purposes.

As long as a certified teacher is in the classroom or with the Guest Educator during other activities at all times, the Guest Educator can take part in the instructional process. Guest Educators must be under the strict supervision of the regular classroom teacher or other authorized school personnel.

Should an emergency or disciplinary situation occur during the visitor’s stay in the classroom, the Cooperating Educator should take control.

Sending invitations
Once you’ve decided how many people to invite – and who they should be – send a written invitation from your local president and/or K-12 Business Connection local contact.

All of those invited should be given the choice of teaching a prepared lesson plan for the day or one of their own (developed with the assistance of a Cooperating Educator). Ask them to indicate a preference for subject/grade areas, so that when follow-up communication takes place, they can be matched with the appropriate Cooperating Educator.

Send each Guest Educator a follow-up letter identifying their Cooperating Educator and their grade level assignment.

Confirming your guests
It is helpful to have Cooperating Educators and their Guest Educators meet or talk prior to the actual day of the program. It helps all involved to become familiar with each other, and enables the Cooperating Educator to get a sense of the Guest Educator’s willingness to be involved.

Therefore, if possible, plan a briefing session before the event. At that time, the Cooperating Educators should go over the day’s lesson plans (if they use an existing plan). If the Guest Educator wishes to teach his/her own lesson, he or she must develop it with the help of the Cooperating Educator.

Assuming the Guest Educator is able to perform all duties, the Cooperating Educator should brief him or her thoroughly concerning how those duties are performed, and prepare a folder in advance with all information necessary to succeed in the role.

Cooperating Educators should reassure all Guest Educators that although they are “in charge” for the school day, the Cooperating Educator will be present at all times to step in and assist them whenever necessary.

May 18, 2010