Job Profile: Dorm Parent

Transcription

1 Job Profile: Dorm Parent Description Dorm parents are responsible to provide dorm students with Christ-centered parenting in a homelike boarding community. The goal is to help each dorm student reach his/her full potential, spiritually, emotionally, academically and physically. Dorm parents are responsible to provide Godly leadership and wise management for the dorm family, in accordance with the values and guidelines of the residence life program. As caregivers and mentors, dorm parents provide for the practical needs of students while promoting their personal spiritual growth, maturity and responsibility. This requires investing significant time in building growing relationships with each student. As the staff family serves as the foundation for the dorm family, dorm parents are committed to maintaining a healthy marriage relationship and training their personal children to grow in obedience and maturity. Dorm parent couples work in partnership as a husband-wife team, sharing the responsibilities of the ministry. Dorm parenting is a character profession that requires a high level of integrity and transparency. Therefore, a commitment to these lifestyle priorities is essential: personal spiritual growth, accountability, modeling Godly values and character, and cultivating Christian love and unity. Performance Areas A. Personal and Professional Development: Participate in ongoing professional and personal development. Engage in the evaluation process. Commit to living according to the residence staff team covenant. B. Student Development: Provide spiritual mentoring, Biblical parenting, daily care and nurture, and a healthy family life to boarders, so that each student is enabled to reach his/her fullest potential. a. Spiritual Mentoring - Model an authentic, Godly life that inspires students to become passionate followers of Christ. b. Biblical Parenting - Parent students according to Biblical values, providing unconditional love, nurture, encouragement, guidance, training, discipline and prayer. c. Daily Care and Nurture - Provide for the spiritual, physical, emotional and educational needs of boarders on a daily basis, enabling them to develop life skills, respectful attitudes, self-discipline and personal responsibility. d. Family Life - Share their lives and family in a generous, transparent way, so that the dorm family becomes a second home for boarders. C. Communication: Communicate effectively with students, staff, parents and others to achieve mutual understanding and cooperation. D. Community: Support the authority and decisions of the school and take ownership of the values and philosophy of the residence life ministry. Commit to love and support the members of the community, seeking to live in unity, healthy interdependence and mutual respect. E. Facilities: Provide a safe, comfortable home environment for boarders, with the resources and support provided by the school.

2 F. Finances: Maintain accurate records of dorm accounts. Task Inventory This inventory is a general list of most tasks and activities that dorm parents are typically responsible for over the span of a year. The priority and specifics of some responsibilities will vary depending on the unique and changing needs of the students and dynamics of each dorm family each semester. Personal and Professional Development: Nurture and develop their personal relationship with God. Model spiritual maturity and Godly values. Seek ways to grow personally and professionally. Participate in and contribute to team professional development sessions. Seek and maintain personal accountability relationships. Engage in ongoing evaluation. Attend weekly team meetings and regular meetings with the residence supervisor. Display good interpersonal skills and conflict resolution skills. Model self-care. Demonstrate fulfillment in ministry and display a consistent positive attitude. Student Development: Care for students whenever they are not in school. Seek to build honest, trusting relationships with dorm students. Provide consistent loving care, encouragement, and guidance to students. Provide practical assistance to dorm students through problem solving, helping students with homework, etc. Treat students as individuals, with flexibility and understanding. Value and appreciate each student and strive to meet their unique needs. Spiritual Mentoring: Encourage students to pursue God through Bible study and prayer. Regularly pray with students at bedtime (gender and age-appropriate.) Seek opportunities to disciple students. Make themselves available to students for prayer, counseling, guidance, as well as free discussion times which encourage the spiritual development of individual students. Provide spiritual leadership in the dorm, encouraging students to mature in their faith and to fulfill God s plans for their lives. Plan dorm devotions at least once a week and encourage students to pursue God through Bible study and prayer. Biblical Parenting: Maintain dorm family guidelines, according to Biblical values. Provide loving discipline when necessary. Extend grace when possible, while at the same time, teaching students personal responsibility and integrity. Exhibit patience with students at all levels of maturity.

3 Daily Care and Nurture: Prepare the dorm for the start of each new semester by assigning roommates and ensuring the dorm facility is clean, in good repair, and welcoming. Care for the emotional well-being of the dorm students through on-going nurture, being aware of symptoms which indicate emotional disturbance and working with the counselor to help students when needed. Promote good study habits and provide a quiet study environment for students. Oversee the academic well-being of each student by providing help with homework, as needed, checking Power School regularly to ensure students are being responsible academically, and attending parent/teacher conferences. Provide extra support and care for ESL and special need students, as needed. Celebrate dorm student birthdays. Purchase groceries and supplies to keep dorm well stocked and maintained. Provide meals in the dorm home as scheduled. Provide after-school snacks, weekly dorm treat and senior treat. Train students, through example and training, in the areas of personal grooming, etiquette, table manners and appropriate behavior. Supervise the dorm family table in the dining hall at all dorm family meals. Check student rooms regularly to maintain a reasonable standard of neatness and to teach personal responsibility. Provide supervision for evening study hall, on a rotational basis with other staff. Provide practical training in normal home activities; supervise students in daily chores. Attend dorm students activities, providing moral support and encouragement (i.e. sports events, drama productions, music recitals and concerts, etc.) Handle minor disciplinary matters and make recommendations to the residence supervisors regarding major disciplinary matters. Dispense daily medicine to students, as needed. Provide basic first aid and consult with the school nurse for medical assistance, as needed. Family Life: Provide a homelike atmosphere in their apartment in which students feel comfortable, welcomed, and at home. Invite parental input on decisions for individual students. Plan dorm activities to build dorm unity and relationships. Supervise the dorm housekeeper in fulfilling her job responsibilities in the dorm. Communication: Actively seek opportunities to interact with each dorm student. Allow the student the right to select others as their counselors. Share only what must be shared and keep student confidences. Seek to connect with students. Show sensitivity to students needs. Demonstrate good listening skills and an accepting, non-critical attitude towards others. Engage in communication with their students teachers and counselors, as needed.

4 Promote an open, trusting relationship with parents through regular and honest communication. Correspond with the parents at least weekly in a general nature, and with individual parents as needed. Send pictures regularly to parents or keep an updated dorm web site. Communicate regularly with the RS regarding progress, issues and concerns in the dorm family. Community: Develop and maintain Christian unity with their co-workers. Work with the dorm staff team to plan all-dorm activities and programs. Extend hospitality to visiting parents and friends. Assist the school community and dorm staff team by contributing in their areas of giftedness (i.e. - volunteering for secondary responsibilities as they are able). Facilities: Maintain a safe, secure and home-like environment for students. Perform basic maintenance tasks and submit work requests to the R&R department through the facilities manager. Finances: Dispense allowances to the dorm students in their care. Spend the monthly dorm budget money wisely for the benefit and enjoyment of the students. Maintain records of the dorm financial accounts. Fulfill other responsibilities, as assigned by the residence supervisor. Reports To Dalat International School Residence Supervisors Qualifications Required qualifications of dorm parents include the following: A personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ, A calling by God to full-time Christian ministry and a commitment to residence life ministry, A willingness to subscribe to the school's doctrinal, mission and lifestyle statements and the values and philosophy of the residence life ministry, A post-secondary education/training, A proficient knowledge and use of the Word of God, Strong, healthy marriage relationship that can serve as the foundation for the ministry, Extensive experience working with children and/or youth, Personal experience raising respectful and obedient children of their own, with strong parenting skills, Personal children should be at least school age or older, Satisfactory medical and psychological clearance.

5 Preferred qualifications of dorm parents include the following: Spiritually mature, Deeply committed to personal integrity, Nurturing, Love for kids, passion for discipling and mentoring, Desire to raise kids according to biblical values (not legalistic), Ability to submit to authority, Good interpersonal skills, Team player, ability to work with a wide variety of people, High energy and hard-working. (Dorm parents are responsible for students whenever they are not in school. On duty time is approximately 70 hours per week. Off duty time is one day per week, one five-day break per semester, and 4 weeks at Christmas/6 weeks in the summer.), Self-motivated, willing to take initiative and work independently, Good conflict resolution skills, Ability to work under stress, Flexible and teachable, Hospitable and welcoming, ability to create a loving home environment, Strong desire to share one's life and family with others, to live transparently, Aware that community living limits personal and family privacy, Organized, yet an ability to live with ambiguity and changing circumstances, Basic computer literacy and technology skills, Desire and/or ability to live cross-culturally.