Teacher Responsibilities

       The role of community volunteers, most of whom are not trained teachers, is to heighten the impact of the Junior Achievement program by bringing the reality of the workplace to the classroom. However, because every group of students is different — even in the same school and at the same grade level — classroom teachers like Barbara Bernard of Benton Harbor Charter School (pictured here) are crucial partners in the JA experience.

       The teachers are the ones who recognize the special needs of individual students or of the classroom as a whole, understand which methods of communicating concepts and activities are most effective in their classrooms, and can reinforce lessons learned in JA by integrating the information into regular classroom teaching. Below are the basic reponsibilities of the classroom teacher to maximize the success of the Junior Achievement program for his/her students:

Before the sessons start:

• Return phone calls from your volunteer promptly to ensure a timely start for your JA program.
• Share the best time to reach you and if possible, share your home phone number. Calendar all JA lessons with your volunteer, coordinating your schedule.
• Provide a tour of the school, information about parking, school rules, and school check in and out procedures.
• Share information about the make-up of your class, including student roster and number of students.
• Pick up your JA teacher packet at the school office and familiarize yourself with the curriculum.

In the Classroom during sessions:

• Be in the classroom at all times, taking a supportive role and assisting as necessary.
• Maintain discipline of the students and a respectful environment for the volunteer.
• Have the students prepared and ready for the volunteer's visit, continuing your classroom's positive learning environment.
• Maintain any workbook or posters and have them available when the volunteer arrives.
• Provide overhead, tape player, paper, and pencils as needed.
• Give your volunteer positive feedback about their visits and any tips you might have.
• Help the volunteer move the students into groups as needed.
• Interpret unclear communication between the students and the volunteers.

Outside the classroom:

• Develop a partmership with your volunteer through clear communication and consideration.
• Notify your volunteer when you will be absent to give him/her the option to reschedule.
• Always reschedule any missed visits, attempting to stay within the established time frame.
• Have your students send a thank you to the JA volunteer.
• Invite your volunteer to any school celebrations or functions to continue the relationship. If possible, recognize him/her for a job well done.
• Let the Junior Achievement staff or school coordinator know of any difficulties immediately.
• Complete your teacher survey and return it to the Junior Achievement office.

       Communication between the volunteer and the teacher is critical. Please return your volunteer's phone call as soon as possible. Volunteers are excited to get started and expect a call within a day or two as they are taking time out of their work schedules and must plan accordingly. Once you have made contact, set up your meeting day and time, leaving room for a class observation.

       JA provides all materials, curriculum support, and training for teachers and volunteers. However, due to staffing limitations, we cannot visit each and every classroom, so we depend on teachers and volunteers to contact us if there is a difficulty or concern.

       Please call us at (269) 983-7579 or email us at info@michianaja.org to let us know how your JA program is going. Junior Achievement's goal is to bring your school the highest quality economic program possible to integrate with your classroom curriculum. We welcome suggestions for improvement and will pass them along to other teachers and volunteers or to our national curriculum development staff. Revisions are made regularly to our curriculum, and, as one consultant recently noted, "Book improves each year. Thanks for actually listening to our recommendations — it shows."