Latest / GCA Unmuted: Voices of Virtual Education / Starting Strong with Lauren Bryant: Onboarding Educators into the GCA Model

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Starting Strong with Lauren Bryant: Onboarding Educators into the GCA Model · GCA Unmuted: Voices of Virtual Education

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to GCA Unmuted, the podcast where we share the stories and strategies that show how Georgia Cyber Academy makes online learning work.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: When teachers join a virtual school, they aren't just learning new tools.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: They're learning a new way of teaching, communicating, and supporting students.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: A strong onboarding process makes the difference between feeling lost and feeling ready.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm joined by Lauren Bryant, GCA's training and development coordinator.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: She helps design and run the onboarding experience that brings new educators into the GCA model.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, Lauren, thanks for being here.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Can you share a moment or an experience that you think really shows like what onboarding looks like at GCA?
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think for I think honestly, for this training team, which is me, Eve and Becky primarily, and as well as new hires, it's probably always the second day of training.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um we bring them into the office and do a face-to-face orientation.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so they get to see each other face to face.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: And we always tell them there's something really bonding about being lost together, you know, starting this new journey together.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of a really um cohesive experience, I think, that really lets them kind of see wow, this is new, this is different, and I'm not in it by myself.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that's always the one that sticks out for us.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's a little different each time.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: There's always that kind of unifying, underlying um thing that you see there.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Are there some groups that you feel like are more lost than others, or are they all basically the same amount of lost feeling when they're doing when they're in?
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think we're all the same amount of loss.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I always tell them I've been here, I started back in 2014 originally.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I still have as clear as day the image in my head of sitting at my dining room table going, What have I done?
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I was not a first-year teacher.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: I knew what I was doing, I thought, and this was like a whole new language.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I think they're all the same amount of lost.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: I do think there is a difference in starting at the beginning of the school year and coming in.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like I've got actually got a new group starting Monday.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I do think there's a difference there.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I think as far as like the knowledge gaps you're coming in with, I think that's pretty consistent.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: And and during that second day, you said when they come into the GCA office, is there a moment that sticks out when they actually start to get it during that second day?
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like when you feel like they're getting their footing as a group, or no?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Is it really still like they leave it and they're like, man, deer in the headlights?
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Deer in headlights for sure.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: But no, I think um I do think they do because I think the way that we structure that day is we start off just kind of welcoming them.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: We go over our you know, our mission, our vision, and we let them introduce themselves, you know, because you don't just stumble on GCA a lot of the time.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: You make an active decision that this feels like the right place for you.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: So we let them share, you know, what brought them here, what's their background, what's their experience.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think when starting off with that, going, oh wow, you know, and we hear tons of different reasons.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: I've heard everything from sick parents to new babies to we've had staff members that have like farms where they grow cows or zinnias and they like love the idea of being able to look out their window while teaching and see them.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's really a little bit of everything.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I think that makes them feel comfortable, but we move straight with into our working with our tech team directly after that.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: And once they're into their emails and Zoom and they see, you know, they're starting to see all the platforms and programs and they're getting a quick overview of how things go together, they still have to learn how to do everything.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: So deer and headlights is accurate, but the pieces are starting to visualize for them, I think.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then we save time in the afternoon for them to actually meet with their departments, and so they're not obviously they're still not getting into the weeds, it's day two.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: We don't want to scare them, but they're getting to meet their leadership and they're hearing a little bit about their roles and how things kind of work there.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: Because with us, we're in district training, so you know, think of it as being like, you know, in any kind of county office.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: You would work with the elementary school or you would work with the high school, and so getting to branch off a little bit, I think is a little bit of comfort for them because that's what they know.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I think we try to hit a little bit of everything that second day, and that's why it works so well.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: So before we get ahead of ourselves, right?
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Let's try to like zoom back, zoom, zoom back a little bit.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: And can you can you tell me like what is what does it really mean to onboard a teacher into this virtual school?
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like um, you said that that's just day two.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Do you map out like multiple days?
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what is the actual onboarding experience uh timeline?
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Can you kind of walk us through that a little bit?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like big picture on what is it to onboard a virtual teacher at GCA?
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so definitely mapped out full detail.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: I have Zoom, I mean I have Google files that would scare you.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but so we onboard everybody, not just teachers.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: So any staff that works at GCA comes through training with us.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: So that does differ a little bit.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: Our instructional staff is going to be two weeks, non-instructional is one week of training.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: So if we so for example, this upcoming cohort, I've got a mix of both.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: They will all slaughter on Monday, but the non-instructional staff will be done for Friday and move directly into their departments.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: So this first week is really geared towards the first two days in particular, are just getting them set up.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, first of all, we go over who GCA is.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: That's a big part of it because, you know, a lot of times they know what they reach out to, but GCA is a really unique place to work in a lot of different ways.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so we let them kind of know how we run, you know, how the departments interact, who the directors are, things like that.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: We get them into the platforms and programs, like I said.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: We connect them with HR, with benefits, you know, all of the kind of like little things.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Then we really start getting into the nuance of these are our different platforms and programs, and this is how you use them.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: We let them work um with the, you know, they hear about, you know, this technology, the student experience.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: We go over that with them, you know, this is what it looks like for our kids.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: We have, you know, our family school partnership come in and talk to them.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about GCA culture, professional expectations.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's a little bit of everything.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, they get class and canvas and all of that is appropriate too, securely, infinite campus.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: So they get a little bit of all of that, and of course, they're also working on the compliance piece, you know, that all of our staff do.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then the instructionals have to say with us moving into the second week.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: We really start bringing the elements of using class, shadowing active classes, getting to see what teaching looks like, um, and working with CIA to talk about like what it looks like here to have like gradual release, lesson plans, differentiation, our curriculum warehouse, things like that.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: So you have the CIA come in, Lauren.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know we love an acronym here, right?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: So curriculum instruction and assessment.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: So the team comes in and talks to them about um teaching expectations, but also you know, the support that they have for them here.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: So it is very detailed, Matt out of like a game of Tetris.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: It is, it is planned down to about the minutes.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: So when you say two weeks, is that two weeks in person or are they just there in person that second day?
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: How long are teachers like actually in person during this training?
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: Just the second day.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: So the first day is virtual.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we you know, we provide equipment, so we ship their laptops out.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Ideally, they get them by that first day.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: If not, we do have them in the office.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: So the first day, you know, some of them log in on the personal devices and it's perfectly fine.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: But we have the directors come in and meet them and all of that.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: The second day is when we're in the office and we're face to face.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so they get to, you know, it's the only day if you put real clothes on, like I always joke with them, and you get your lunch provided for you, um, and then we're virtual the rest of the time.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, that makes sense.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you think that onboarding is important?
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like, why should we even have an onboarding process to begin with?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because like I was saying, GCA is its own beast.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it in a lot of ways, what I always try to tell them like if you can teach, you can teach, right?
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: But we are very different to work with.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, working virtually is a skill and uh teaching is wonderful, but you really need to know how to be able to use class to do it, right?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: You've got to be able to log into securely.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: You need to know all of the resources we have for you, like in our curriculum warehouse.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: So getting to know GCA itself is such a critical component to being able to do the job well.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so the onboarding gets you into GCA itself, gets you acclimated to the culture here and connects you with the people that will be the support for you moving into your own school.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: And what do you think if you were to try and describe like this is what it looks like when onboarding is done well, like when you have done your job, when your team has done your job well, what what is like the end product look like or like the end user experience?
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like when you're like, okay, you're off, like when when are you happy that you're like, oh man, the onboarding experiences it it went well when when they're excited for their first day without me, without my hand holding, and that they are somebody that they feel comfortable asking questions.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: If whether it is coming back to me or whether it's even just zooming and be like, who do I ask this person?
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: And it might be three weeks down the road.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: But if they're excited and they feel comfortable asking questions, I think it's gone well.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great point.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like some being somebody who now can answer other people's questions.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: Are new teachers is is this in your uh maybe it's not in your realm, but do new teachers get like assigned a mentor their first year?
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Is that even your like is that in your job role or or no?
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: That doesn't have to do with you.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't assign it.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um that's through their schools itself.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: So like if you work for the high school, you'll have a few of the administrators who it's their job to pick who your mentor is.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I do see the list, and so they absolutely do have mentors.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they meet with them regularly, obviously, more frequently towards you know, when you first get started and it tapers a little bit.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the mentors are like I always tell them, they volunteered for it.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: My mentor from 2014 still does it now.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean it's really they love doing it.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: So ask questions, you know, bug them.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: You can't bug them, they love it.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: But they also, for our instructional staff, they have instructional mentors too.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: So they've got a new hire mentor who I always show because like they're Lauren after they leave me.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: You can ask them, like, I don't remember how to put in time off, or I know Lauren said something about district meetings, what was it?
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: You can ask them anything like that, but then they've got instructional mentors too, where it's like, you know, I've done the same warm-up, you know, three weeks in a row and I'm out of ideas, or I have no idea how to teach this standard.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: They've got, you know, that kind of helping hand too.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: So they absolutely have mentors.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: How how would you say that the onboarding experience is structured?
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because you mentioned like you've got these Excel sheets and Google Docs and all this stuff, and you've got it detailed down to the T, but like when did do they go through like a Canvas course?
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Are there recordings?
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: If I do my onboarding at GCA, but let's say I forget something, like you said, can I like reference things that I went through?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how exactly is that onboarding experience uh structured?
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Are they going through a Canvas course or how does that work?
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: So they have well, they actually have two Canvas courses, technically, since one is a compliance course.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: But yes, there's a Canvas course just for the new hires.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and there is everything in there from I make a daily agenda, um, which is down broken down hour by the hour.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: If it's a live session, it's a link to the Zoom.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: If it's a recording for some reason, it's a link to the recording.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, those are in there.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's a few additional trainings in there and any resources like um if you need to review the K-12, you know, sample report sample sheet, or if you want to look at the district calendar, like all of that is in there.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: I also have a Google Drive that they've got access to, and I call that a living drive because I update it as people send me stuff.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: So they are always welcome, you know, months down the road to pop in there, you know, see if there's anything useful for them.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so they always have access to that.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: The vast majority of our training during the two weeks are live.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because I do think that that's really, really vital.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but there are some things I record everything and I always load the recordings in the um the Google Drive for them.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: So if they ever want to go back and skip around or review just one piece, they always have access to that.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say is the most important thing or a super important thing that new teachers need to understand early on?
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like if if if your new teachers got this, you would be like, oh man, they're gonna be set up.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: Trust the pacing.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: Just trust the pacing.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Even I have done this so often.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: And again, most of the most of these people coming in have years of experience and they want to just go, they want to make their lessons and get going.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: And you've just got to trust the process, you've got to walk before you can run here.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that would be the biggest thing.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: In terms of like, well, what do you mean?
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like in terms of like making sure that the way you have things mapped out, like get these things right first before we move on to like the actual teaching side of things.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: Is that what you mean?
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: When I mean, and I we keep saying teachers again, I do have everybody, but I'll use that example.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I know they know how to teach.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: They've taught that US history course they've been assigned to for the last 20 years, they're good.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: But if you can't log into class and you don't know how to create a breakout room, it's not going to be super effective.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, so it's little things like that.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's, you know, I know you may have done Infinite Campus before, a lot of schools do use it, but the way we use it here is just a little bit different.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: So it is a little bit of just hold on, we will get there.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I think by the end of the two weeks, most of them do start realizing, oh, we are getting there.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: But I think it's hard, especially the first few days, because they don't want necessarily to hear about you know, HR and things like that.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: They're here to teach and they want to get teaching.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's it's hard to kind of bring them in a little bit.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: I see what you mean, like the boring HR, like administrative side of things, making sure you understand how to do those things.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and the tech pieces are a steep learning curve.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, even if you're familiar with Zoom, I know all of the teachers here, most of them are familiar with having to start class because either you've learned it through new hire or you were here when we switched to the platforms.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's a little bit different.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: You it's a learning curve.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: So um even you know, Canvas can be a learning curve if you've never seen it before.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: So there's a lot of little things to pick up.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: And how do you balance giving people information?
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: So like training them, but then also like giving them confidence, helping them believe that at the end of these two weeks they've got this.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: Do you do you even have that issue?
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Or are most people at the end of the two weeks like, oh man, I got this.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: See you later, Lauren.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: Good riddance.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: Probably are a little bit like see you later, Lauren.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think by the end of the two weeks, most of them are feeling confident that they will get there.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: I think they've got an understanding that it's not, I'm always super honest with them.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: You're not gonna be an expert in two weeks.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: I have no expectation that you are an expert in two weeks.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: This is just the beginning of you learning.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: My goal is for you, if you teach your first class the Monday after you're with me, to feel like you can handle that at its base level.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need you to make 30 breakout rooms.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need you to be doing all these really cool games and have 67 websites going.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: That's not the goal.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: You'll get there.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: So I think they're starting to get more confident.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I I think just that positivity and like letting them know that we don't expect that from them is probably the best thing that we can do.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like we're really realistic with our expectations.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: And you mentioned the the the way that they're kind of supported after the onboarding is this mentor, is is and and they can like reference the recordings in Google Drive, like you said.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so when when you're when you've done your job, like are you don't exactly have much else going on because there's you kind of hand off the new teachers, right?
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um what do you think then, switching gears, what do you think other schools could learn from how GCA uh onboards its its educators, its staff?
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like uh you could tell me virtual schools, brick and mortar schools, like just generally speaking, like what would you say like other schools could learn from how we onboard educators?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I haven't been onboarded to another workplace in a lot of years.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but just kind of knowing what we really excel at, that I would bet that we do better than just about anybody, I think is that support.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: That is the comment that I hear from new hires because we do do surveys, we do feedbacks, I touch base with them, I do hand them off, but I'm always trying to be really clear.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I am always here and I have them zoom me randomly throughout the year.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, do you remember this?
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: Do you remember where I can find this?
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think the support and not just the formal support you just talked about with the mentors, but like when they're in the office and Missy's leading the tech, you know, training, they feel so comfortable.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like, even if they're like, Missy's the only name I remember, they I think there's this feeling that anybody at GCA will help them.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: And if you just remember one person, they'll just point you in the right direction.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: So I would say, like, across the board, the biggest thing I hear is you guys do support amazingly.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think that's probably what you know, if anybody took away and like tried to emulate like that we do, it would be that.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: So the the standout trait for GCA's onboarding is is the support and and the the the after the actual onboard.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh is there anything during the actual onboard that you would say that's that really stands out about the way we do things?
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything else that you could say like really stands out the on during the actual onboarding process?
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that we vary how things are presented really nicely.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um we do live Zoom sessions, we have a face-to-face day, we do some recording sessions because I taught for 12 years.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm squirrel-brained sometimes too.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: I get it.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes you listen better if you can turn your camera off, chew some gum, drink your coffee, and take it in.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we have those.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I am a huge proponent.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: They probably, if there's one thing they would tell you, they get sick of me hearing.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a huge fan of breaks.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: Stand up, leave your computer.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: I have breaks formally built into the schedule so that they are.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: I am always take your lunch break.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: Please do not work through.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: There is time to get to everything.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: Pacing, right?
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we have also a Zoom chat, a Zoom channel that is just for new hires.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm in there, even there, Becky's in there, a couple of tech members are in there during the shadowing week.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: I put a few of the um department people in there.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: So if they've got a question, it gets answered almost immediately.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: Whether it is from another new hire that had the same question and figured it out, or whether it's a tech question and Caroline Johnson saw it and answered really quickly, there's just that live element of support too.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I think we just kind of hit if you'll, I mean, I guess we hit every learning style.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: I guess you could say in a way.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: That's super helpful.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: How do you think you what you do during the onboarding process?
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: How do you think because GCA is is is huge, it's a big organization.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: There's like a thousand or five hundred, or maybe there is a thousand employees.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: I I can't remember the number.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: You you know around 1100.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: I create all the complaints.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: There you go.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: So so, like, how do you make the onboarding process still feel personal, even though we are a virtual school?
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I think we start really big and then it gets smaller.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like it, so the first day it's meet GCA.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: So they really are hearing from all of the directors.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: I am saying these are all of our departments.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: This is what the departments do.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: So even if you're not in this department, just know somebody here at this school, that's their niche.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: And it's another way we can encourage them to ask questions, right?
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like one of the things GCA does really well is that we have so many departments, which allows each department to focus in on what they do best.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I always tell them if you ask somebody a question, somebody really loves that question and it's going to be so excited.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: Then as we go through that first week, the trainings get more and more detailed and nuanced.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: You go from here's GCA to here's this overall program to here's how you are going to use this program.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then it gets very into the second week, whether they're with me or they're not.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: You're with your department.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_01: Here is what your role is specifically.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: So it starts really big and then we really narrow it in for them.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's so smart.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I imagine it probably helps doing that face-to-face uh day as well.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: Feel a little personal, getting to be like, oh, y'all, y'all are humans.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: You're not just 100%.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_01: But that's always so I always ask, I do a little survey at the end of it, and I always tell them, You can't hurt my feelings.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: I want to know what works well.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: If there's something that really worked great and we should keep it, let me know.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: If there's something that we just it didn't hit, and I'm hearing all y'all say it, please tell me so I can change it, right?
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I get these surveys back and they're always like, Man, that face-to-face day was killer.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: I loved it.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it was so great.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: So we get huge, huge good feedback on that.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: Lauren, what would you say to somebody who's nervous about transitioning to a virtual school?
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like maybe somebody who act like you're talking to somebody who maybe they just accepted and offer it, GCA, but they're still like they're they're nervous.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, oh my gosh, what am what am I gonna do?
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm transitioning here.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: What have I done?
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what would you say to somebody who's nervous about that transition?
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's totally natural.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we're all have been there.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, what have I done was exactly what ran through my brain.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I think the thing that will stick out when they get going to training is when they meet all of us, we're so happy.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't think you often start a job and everybody's just like, hey, I'm so glad.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: And like we're legitimately happy.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: And we always tell them it's because teaching virtually is a skill.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm not gonna lie to you, you're not gonna be amazing at it your first week.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: But like with anything else, whether it's learning to play guitar, learning to play a sport, you know, a new game, you have to just get in there and learn bit by bit.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: And every week it's gonna go a little bit easier.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_01: And again, just asking those questions.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: There is no dumb question.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: If there is, I asked it back in 2014 and I'm still here.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: So please feel free.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like just find your person and find who you can ask questions with, and you'll be gold 100%.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: Love that.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: Lauren, leave us with this last question.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say is the biggest lesson or just a lesson that you've learned about helping teachers start strong at GCA?
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you know, I taught for 12 years before I transitioned in so many ways, it's just like teaching my students, you know?
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a big part of that really is the attitude that you bring in, is the attitude that they're gonna take.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: I love my job, I love GCA, and a big part of why I like this job is because I want them to love GCA too.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so I really kind of see this as helping them learn to love what they do here.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: Man, that's so good.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like you're you're definitely like a strong culture builder too, because you're like their first experience with GCA.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: So that's incredible, and you're doing a good job because uh I we can already tell that you have the passion and you enjoy it, what you do here for us on board and getting things going.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: So here's today's big idea when teachers are supported from the start, students feel the impact from day one.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks again to Lauren for joining us and sharing how GCA helps new educators step confidently into the virtual classroom.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode gave you insight into how virtual schools support their teachers, be sure to subscribe and join us next time on GCA Unmuted Voices of Virtual Education.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks again, Lauren.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Alton.