2021 Policy Agreement - Assistants Do’s and Don'ts

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  • THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of by and between SKILLS TO CHANGE  INSTITUTE and/or EMPLOYEES of SKILLS TO CHANGE INSTITUTE, (the "Disclosing  Party"), and 

  • 2021 ASSISTANTS: Do’s & Don’ts

    Rules for a Consistent and Cohesive Team

      

    The main goals of an assistant:

    1. To monitor the chat boxes and answer student questions in the group chat. 
    2. To be in break out rooms with students when they are practicing.
    3. Alert the Teachers and Sandra of any triggers, using sensory acuity, that students may be experiencing.
    4. Contact Nelly Mezir (Head Assistant) for scheduling, at:  realignwithin@yahoo.com

     

    NOT allowed/highly discouraged:

    1. To give personal email addresses out unless a student literally asks for it. 
    2. When you sign on, please add to your picture/name: “L4 Assistant” (we are omitting the “C” for certified), there is no need as this is already a given.
    3. To promote your personal/professional websites on STCI platforms (including social media) or in chat boxes. You are assisting under Skills to Change Institute, and we work as a team.
    4. To override the Teachers, Sandra, or Robert. Meaning, assistants need to be respectful of the hierarchy of STCI.
    5. To answer personal and private messages about any student’s concerns, training, and or problem solving, etc. Please refer them to Sandra (C.O.O. and conflict resolution expert). When required, she will relate to Robert and the Teachers. When in doubt, always contact Sandra: sandra@skillstochange.com. 
    6. To make any unilateral decisions in regard to anything related to STCI, its staff, and Teachers.
    7. Refrain from speaking to students about the following topics, as these are funneled to staff, also when students and/or Practitioners (on social media or other platforms) ask about: Training, requirements, complaints, feedback, concerns (relay to Melanie and Sandra, only). 
    8. In the Facebook groups, we encourage you to help students, however, please direct everyone to Melanie at: support@skillstochange.com for training and requirements related inquiries; please direct everyone to Sandra at: sandra@skillstochange.com for complaints, feedback, concerns, etc.
    9. If one of your peers, staff or Teachers have answered a question verbally, or in the chat box, be aware of not contradicting anyone. The reason is because it creates confusion, and looks unprofessional.
    10. When assisting, it’s important to be mindful that Robert and the Teachers are the ones who are teaching. We want you to be aware that we do not contradict, make wrong, or override what they say. Teachers and staff have an agenda to keep the seminar as structured as possible.
    11. Assistants are not to take over class time, teach, or consistently share their personal experiences during hybrids. It may occur that an experience is germane to the subject and that may be fine, however, please do not make this a habit. It can be disruptive to Robert, Sandra, and the Teachers, that already have an agenda in place. 

     

    STCI asks Assistants to:

    1. Commit to either one, or the other, of the live calls for the full 4-5 hours of class time. If you have an emergency, you will need to contact Nellie Mezir (Head Assistant) at: realignwithin@yahoo.com; and Sandra Rojo (C.O.O.) at: sandra@skillstochange.com.
    2. Label yourself in Zoom as: Name + L4 Assistant.
    3. As an assistant, we will add you to the FB messenger group “STCI Assistants”. This is where we communicate during live calls ONLY. If you are in Australia, we will safely assume that your ringers are on silent, as sometimes during the U.S.A. hybrids, the Teachers and Sandra need to have quick communications. 
      • Please do not use this chat box for socializing, as it clogs up the important things that need to be said.
      • Please do not use this chat box to inform Sandra or Nelly that you will not be able to attend, or will attend. Use the proper channel which is through Nelly Mezir via email: realignwithin@yahoo.com.
    4. During Trainings, especially at beginning and after breaks, please check that the meeting is being recorded, and if you see recording is not on, please inform Sandra, and or one of the Teachers, so they can click record.
    5. If a student asks a question in a private chat, please share the question and answer it publicly, without calling out the student by name, so that everyone gets the benefit of the answer.
    6. Questions in the main chat box to be answered by “@name”.
    7. All Teachers and Assistants are co-hosts on Hybrid calls.
    8. Have the STCI manual online open at all times, for screen sharing and page # info, which may be found in your “2021 Assistants Access to Training Material”, located on your TLMS dashboard. If you do not have this in your dashboard, email Melanie at: support@skillstochange.com. 
    9. Watch the chat box at all times, and watch the participants (in Gallery View). Use sensory acuity for if/when students may be getting triggered, and alert Sandra, or the Teachers.
    10. Ask Sandra to unmute a student, if she doesn’t see their hand raised. 
    11. Inform Teachers of anything that seems important, so they can address student’s issues.
    12. If you consider one question to be more important, and want to inform either Sandra, and/or a Teacher, send a direct message [click on text in chat and choose your recipient].
    13. If anyone has to drop out for a second, please coordinate/alert others, asap.
    14. Re-iterate important statements from Robert/Teachers/Teachings in the chat box.
    15. For any technical requests, direct them to either sandra@skillstochange.com, or support@skillstochange.com (please cc Sandra on every email).

     

    Our Head Assistant is Nelly Mezir (also spelled Nellie on FB). Nelly has been a Practitioner for about 10 years, and we are honored that she has become more active within our community, and has also been successful in her own business. As Assistants, you are to contact her for scheduling, to let her know your availability for specific times/dates. Her role is also evolving, as we move forward with more structure. 

    Please keep in mind that being an Assistant is not an assignment. It is not required to attend all hybrids. Prior to the beginning of each hybrid, Nelly will contact you to ask you if you want to participate. If you do not receive a contact from her, this usually means we have hybrid class time covered by other Assistants. If you would like to participate on a specific Saturday (Sunday, Australia time), or for the full 5 weeks for a particular hybrid, then you can contact Nellie, and we can see if this time is available. 

    If at any point, STCI notices that a specific Assistant is not behaving according to the aforementioned requests, we reserve the right to uninvite you to participate as an Assistant, in future trainings.

    Sandra Rojo has diligently and deliberately identified a chosen group of Practitioners as Assistants, and has created a cohesive Team of Assistants and Teachers, who uphold the mindset and values of STCI: teamwork, care, unconditional support, and respect, for the benefit of the students, each other, and STCI.