The MYP Coordinator’s Job Handover Checklist

Introduction

When we plan to leave our current teaching job for the next, it’s important to make sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible after we’ve gone. The goal is not to disrupt teaching and learning but help main some levels of stability. It is especially vital when there is a significant shift in the leadership team. As a result of Covid, many schools are experiencing this challenge. I imagine many teachers want to just go home or go someplace else to start a new chapter of their lives. It is critical to ensure a smooth handover during such periods. However, this is easy to say, not easy to do. Factors like procrastination, tiredness can complicate this, and not feeling like we have the time to do everything that needs doing before we hand over the reins. Along with this, some of us will relocate to a new country and there are many different kinds of documentation that need to be processed. The closer a transition is, the less important preparation for handing over is, and the less of a priority it becomes. New staff of the school have often been handed to them various different folders, without any clear idea of where to start. It’s sometimes an intimidating and overwhelming experience for new teachers to begin their jobs. To make the transition a smooth one and to ensure that the incoming MYP Coordinator is fully in the know, I’ve prepared an MYP Coordinator’s handover list to use in my school.

Define the scope

When a new MYP Coordinator is appointed, they don’t need to mimic exactly what has been done before, just like teachers shouldn’t try to use an old lesson plan. This handover checklist is more of a resource to assist in the transition. I structure the handover checklist based on the IB programme four standards identified as purpose, environments, culture and learning to help the incoming MYP Coordinator identify what is already in place and what might be missing. My current school will prepare for the IB/CIS evaluation, so I also created a section to note down the evaluation process as of now.

Involve others and identify priorities

One way to identify areas for improvement is to ask heads of departments and/or teachers to reflect on the school’s progress so far and determine what went well, what needs improvement, and what will change during the following academic year. I scheduled meetings with all MYP teachers at the beginning of the school year and collected their feedback. Coming to the end of the school year, the school department heads might ask teachers for feedback and get clarification on what needs to be changed to be better. It can help ensure a sense of teacher ownership and encourage teachers to give input on how the school can continue to improve when leadership changes are in the works. The more returning staff are involved in identifying areas for further development and challenges, there more likely they are to stay accountable and continue improving those areas with the incoming MYP Coordinator. Additionally, they can help assess which tasks should be prioritized considering the school’s resources.

Document the process

To ensure a smooth handover is to have documented our job as well as possible. I go through my google drive folders, go through every document, and decide what might be helpful. As I go through this process, it also helps me identify anything that could be streamlined or improved. I think this can also help ensure my successor won’t need time away from their other responsibilities in order to get up to speed. Creating a shared folder that the incoming MYP Coordinator can access is important. Still, many different documents are located within the shared folders, making it difficult to find a specific document. It might be more beneficial if we share hyperlinks instead of folders.

Discuss in detail all of the unknowns

Looking at it from my perspective, I would appreciate any thoughts and advice on the new job. I added a column with thoughts and tips for my school’s incoming MYP Coordinator. You could also write them in bullet points for ease of reading. I’m hoping that the incoming MYP Coordinator will become more familiar with the school with this additional information.

Communicate with people Involved

Once the MYP Coordinator handover checklist draft is ready, my next step is to communicate and share it with the people involved – the incoming coordinator and school leaders. I hope the handover checklist will aid the new coordinator, who can then take it as a resource for discovering more about how things work in the school.

The MYP Coordinator’s job handover checklist template

Preparing the handover checklist allows me to pause and reflect on my role ad the MYP Coordinator. It was a daunting task at first as I have lots of documents stored in my google drive. Going through every folder and document is time-consuming. However, I am glad I am working through this. I’m grateful for the work my team and I have done together, and we overcame a lot of challenges along the way. Coivd has been brutal, and it takes away lots of our motivation and increases the speed of teacher burnout. We have gradually learned how to live with uncertainties even though we don’t enjoy them. I hope all educators regain their energy and enthusiasm in the upcoming new school year. I am sharing this MYP Coordinator’s handover checklist template that I made in case you might find it useful.

✨✨ If you like this resource, I always appreciate a cup of coffee. It will encourage me to ongoing creating and sharing. Thank you! 🙏

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