Training #8 Homework 1

The Meriam Webster Online Dictionary defines professionalism as “the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well”. Other sites note that professionalism encompasses specialized knowledge, competency, honesty and integrity, accountability, and self-regulation, and image. This relates directly to our duty as counselors. For us, our specialized knowledge is children. We are competent and able to get the job done, keeping kids safe while providing them with a fun environment. We can be trusted because of our communication and honesty with parents. We work as a unit to provide accountability. We can handle ourselves in high-pressure situations (field trips and conversations with parents). Finally, we look the part. We have our Kids Klub shirts on, in line with our image.
Another aspect of professionalism is timeliness. For me, that is a huge part of doing the job well. If you arrive somewhere early with maximal time to set up, there is a much higher chance of success. At our sites, we can encourage each other to be professional at all times. This includes enthusiasm and desire to be fully present at all times. Since we are working with youth these qualities are vital to create a fun environment. I strive to bring enthusiasm and excitement to our program!

To me, being professional means presenting yourself in the best light possible and demonstrating that you are willing and fully capable of completing the task at hand. With this job, it is especially important to portray professionalism because we aren’t just working with children but also with their parents. Even though this job is fun and often it is easy to forget that you’re working it is important to remember that we are being trusted with someone’s most precious asset. Being organized and timely as well as well prepared and calm in the face of crisis are all facets of professionalism. As a team at our sites we can work together to maintain a fun and engaging environment all while giving off a sense of professionalism. Personally, I am very organized and almost always on time. Hopefully I will be able to utilize these skills and make them into an asset at my site this summer.

Being professional means to me that you are representing yourself to the best of your ability. This means that you are there on time, you are dressed appropriate, you are able to preform to the best of your ability, and also you enjoy what you are doing. To become a well rounded professional you need to be able to be flexible with being able to find activities for the kids to make sure they are always busy and doing something. Also you need to be able to handle any situation that is handed to you, whether it is with your kids or with their parents or even with some of your co-workers. Being professional you need to be able to communicate and get along with anyone that is involved in your job. To make sure that everyone is showing a high level of professionalism you need to make sure that everyone is on the same page and knows what there role is and being able to work together will also help a lot. Some of my special abilities is that I love being involved so getting kids involve in playing and interacting with each other to make sure they have a fun summer. Also I am athletic and love being outside so I am hoping that will help in the summer to make the kids love being outside playing different games and activities.

To me, to be professional you have to feel that what you are doing is important and love what you do. The obvious answer is that being professional means showing up on time, treating fellow employees with respect, dressing appropriately, being prepared for work, and abiding by all of the rules of the job. To take it one step further I think professionalism is doing all of that, even when no bosses or coworkers are looking, that is what it truly means to be professional. When you are able to cover your responsibilities of a job without your supervisor having to question you, I think that is the ultimate measure of professionalism.

To me, being a professional means that you need to have your "work" face on at all times. It is important to be acting professional because parents do not want to see anything but professionalism. I have had some parents come forth and express that they feel that we do not know how we are doing our jobs. In my opinion, this makes me want to do my job in a bigger and better manner to show the parents that we know what we are doing and that their children are in great hands and can trust us. We do not want parents and family members to think that we are college kids who don't care about our job. We must be alert, caring, and responsible. We have to be ready and confident in handling all types of situations because working for Kids Klub you'll learn that you will be put in many situations that you have never been in before and you always have to handle them in a professional manner. We can strengthen areas in being professional by sticking to dress code, putting phones in the cabinet or away rather than having them out and texting and/or playing games, using appropriate language, and being involved with the kids and showing that we care. To make sure that everyone is using professionalism at all times, we should schedule weekly/monthly meetings to discuss the areas in which we need to strengthen or fix. This could mean that all staff stay after work, meet early, or picking a time outside of work to meet at a public place such as a restaurant or house to meet at to discuss the things going on at our sites that we could work on and/or improve. My special abilities are that I am very outgoing, which really helps when talking to the kids and the parents, and that I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my job. I want everything to be the best that it can be so the kids can have an awesome summer camp experience.