At Saga Education, each school site (whether in-person or virtual) has a Site Director. The Site Director drives student learning in Saga Math Lab by consistently improving the effectiveness of tutorials for the students that we serve.
A big part of the role is to supervise and support our Fellows throughout the year. The support systems and professional development of our Fellows is central to this program’s success. Site Directors supervises a team of AmeriCorps Member Math Fellows through weekly observations and coaching sessions, as well as consistent collaboration with school administration and teachers to ensure an effective and healthy partnership. The role is a bridge between public school stakeholders and Saga.
Every Day is Different
Site Directors usually begin their day with a motivational team meeting at about 7:20 in the morning, often with unexpected changes to their daily routine. They collaborate with the team of Fellows to prepare the students with icebreakers, illustrations and best practices in Mathematics.
Depending on the day, Site Directors have meetings with the Math department and/or school administration. During those meetings, it’s important to remember that Site Directors represent Saga Education and the students that we serve.
Improving the Team and Students
A big part of the job is to take notes and think ahead for how to improve the team's output, recognizing that the students are part of the team. Improving the team’s output starts with a positive attitude, and communicating that all things are achievable in assisting the students to reach their personal academic goals.
The job involves planning ahead and looking at the big picture to create a conducive environment that will yield the highest results. Some ways to do this include planning incentive days and activities to reward the students and team members for their efforts, as well as motivating the tutors to master their end of year goals, and ensure that we impact students in a positive way daily. Site Directors also create newsletters, information stations, bulletin boards, and so much more.
Site Directors work with a Learning Coordinator, and the two roles coordinate, plan and execute together. While a Site Director organizes the team, the Learning Coordinator creates a learning environment that includes working with remediation groups and utilizing online learning platforms such as Khan Academy. The two roles work side-by- side to bring out the best in each other and creates an in-person coalition that everyone can respect.
But more importantly, the role of a Site Director is to have positive attitude that becomes contagious, allowing your team to flourish in their gifts, lead by example, and accept challenges gracefully.
Changing the World, One Student at a Time
Being a Site Director has allowed me an opportunity to impact not only my team, but my school district. We have the opportunity to change the world, one student at a time, by impacting the quality of professional development, collaboration, and coaching that is offered to the Fellows and Learning Coordinators that we serve each day.
