Orientation day

OK, it's probably pretty obvious that I have been pushing education a lot recently.  Well, today my daughter is attending an orientation day at her new Junior High.  When I think back to when I was her age (yes, the world was black and white back then) going to Junior High was a big change.  Instead of staying in one classroom for most of the day I switched from one room to another and even the people I was with changed throughout the day.

I no longer had the advantage of staying with one teacher a little bit longer and picking up on a concept I missed.  I was no responsible for learning it on my own and, in the event I still couldn't get it, only then was I going to talk to the teacher.  This was a big change in how my world operated up until then and it was really scary.  So, I empathize with my daughter.  I know what she is going to be going through and I will do my best to support her. 

This orientation day my daughter is attending is going to go a long way towards making her feel comfortable in her new school and comfortable with the process.

Now, fast forward ten years.  She's graduated from school and has her degree/diploma and has come to work for your project.  What do you have in place as orientation material?  What do you have that will help her get over the initial fear of a new experience?  What processes are in place to help her become as productive as possible in as short a time as possible?  If you're like most of us, the answer is probably "not much".  We all know the need is there, but filling that need just never seems to be a high priority.

The next time you've got a few minutes, think of my daughter, think of other peoples children, joining your project this year, next year or the year after.  What needs to be in place?  What can you do to help?