High School in the USA

Local Coordinator Training #2
Developing your Network 1.0

Completing training module #2 requires that you have internet access to local school webpages.
Estimated time to complete this module: 30-60 minutes plus homework time.

High School Channels

It's important to go through the right channels when building a network at a school.  The Principal (spelled with PAL - imagine that he/she can become your pal) is the king of the jungle that is the high school.  Like a tamed lion, (or a wildcat that's has become friendly with humans) it's important to let the Principal and the administration get a good smell of you.  You must scratch a big animals head before you scratch it's back.... ok, the metaphor got weird.  In this module, we'll go through the steps for connecting with the school.  Going through the proper channels at the right time is the right thing to do and a professional way to conduct business.  Having good relationships with the administration at a school will be very useful in the future if problems arise because of the trust you'll build.

Networking with School Admin Video

After watching this 4:00 video, the Local Coordinator will:

1. Know who to contact at the schools
2. Know how to search the school foreign exchange student policy
3. Know where they can find email templates and scripts for approaching the registrar and principal.

Assignment #1

1. On the school's website, look up information on each of the schools in your school district (and neighboring districts if you'd like) and record information in the LC Tracker for the:
    - Registrar, (name, email, phone)
    - Principal (name, email, phone)
2. Google search the district's or school's policy for foreign exchange students and record this in your tracker.
3. In the Local Coordinator Google Shared Folder, read the email templates and scripts.

Words From the Wise - Handling the Freedom and Responsibility of Being an Independent Contractor

The concept of being “on-schedule” is when a person is doing the activity that they set out to do, when they set out to do it.    Being on schedule is about planning events or activities and then fulfilling your plans by being where you intended to be and doing what you’ve set out to do.  You’ll receive a sense of satisfaction and a greater likelihood of success in your endeavors when you’re ON SCHEDULE. 


Notice that we talk about doing the activities that you set out to do.  We didn't say accomplishing the results that you set out to accomplish.  This is important.  You can control your activities, but you can't control your results.  You can control how many hours you dedicate to HSUSA on your weekly schedule and you can control your activity during that time.  But you can't control how others respond to you: whether a registrar answers his/her phone or returns her email or whether a family would like to host.  At HSUSA, we have faith that when you fulfill the prescribed activities, the results of placing students with host families will come.


Integrity is manifested by what we do when no-one is looking.  Cheating on your taxes or lying to your friend is a blatant disregard for the truth and it weakens our integrity.  Being self-managed and doing what we told ourselves we'd do has a strengthening effect on our integrity.  People can feel when others have strong integrity, they get a sense that they can trust and count on that person.  Give your coach and yourself the gift of being accountable for doing what you say you'll do. 


To be successful at HSUSA, set aside a weekly number of hours to work on being a local coordinator.  If you'd like help, your coach can help you negotiate how many hours you should dedicate to HSUSA activity.  To grow a business, three dedicated hours-a-week is a recommended minimum.   To grow it fast, you'd want to dedicate more time.  Set your schedule like you set a thermostat, there is a range of a comfortable temperature and it should become uncomfortable when your schedule gets too hot or too cold.

Assignment #2

1. Schedule a time to visit, call, or email the school's registrar with the objective to introduce yourself and learn or confirm their exchange student policy.
2. Visit, call, or email the school's registrar.

Local Coordinator Training #2 Complete
LC Training #3, we will learn about State Department rules to keep students safe and getting Key People in the community to help you find host 
families.

To begin Training #3, click here

p.s. Brain Food

What there's more?!  At HSUSA, we care about YOU, holistically.  We've added a section about brain food.  It may or may not help you find more host families, but it could help you be a better friend, mother, father, partner, who is happier and well adjusted.  Here's some brain food that you can consume on YouTube or Podcasts.  Have great brain food to share?  Let us know!


Indistractable with Nir Eyal.  Episode 300 of the Action Catalyst Podcast with Host Dan Moore.
Podcast