Five sheets · US Letter · Print the whole pack, or select pages 2–4 for learner cards.
SkillRise Spark · Facilitator guide · 1 / 5
Kesterly College Front Desk
Education · Student services · Kesterly
A form, an enrollment queue and a conversation that becomes something else: help learners practice support without taking over.
Before learners arrive
Choose one of the three cards. Read its opening and try that workday online so you can discuss the consequences. Print one card per pair; keep this guide and the discussion sheet for yourself. No account is needed.
A 35-minute session
- Frame · 3 minutes. “We are practicing decisions, not grading people. Explain what you would do and what it might cost.” Do not announce the skills beforehand.
- Notice · 5 minutes. Read the card independently or aloud. Separate known facts from assumptions; allow a private written response.
- Decide · about 12 minutes. Play the selected workday, or discuss the printed opening offline. In pairs, alternate decision-maker and observer. Offline cards cover the opening only, not branching consequences.
- Discuss · 10 minutes. Use the matching question on sheet 5. Invite two defensible approaches, then name the trade-off and the boundary.
- Reflect · 5 minutes. Use the exit reflection. Learners may pass or write privately; do not require personal workplace disclosures.
Keep the boundary clear
Protect student privacy and avoid assumptions about literacy. Offer choices discreetly; refer needs beyond the desk role to qualified support rather than promising counseling or outcomes.
Observe without grading
Listen for a learner distinguishing facts from guesses, explaining who is affected, and naming a next action. Record only what was actually said or chosen, not confidence, personality or assumed competence.
Suggested timings are flexible. Most practice scenarios take about 12 minutes; exploration and reflection add optional time.
SkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 2 / 5
Kesterly College Front Desk · Workday 01
The Form He Can't Read
Monday · 9:14 AM
Enrollment week hasn't started yet, so this Monday is almost quiet. A man is standing at the counter with a clipboard, a pen, and a form that hasn't moved in about four minutes.
you: Morning. First time enrolling with us?
Yeah. Forklift course. My supervisor said to come in.
He says it fine, easily. It's the form he keeps having trouble with. He's filled in his name, then stopped. He picks the pen back up, turns the clipboard slightly, as if the light is the problem.
What do you do?
- Ask him directly if he needs help reading it
- Offer to just go through it together, no reason given
- Let him keep trying — step back and wait to be asked
- Start reading the form aloud as if that's just how you do it for everyone
My next action and why: __________________________________
What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________
What I still need to check: __________________________________
No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.
skillriseapp.lovable.app/work/kesterly-college-desk/the-form-he-cant-readSkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 3 / 5
Kesterly College Front Desk · Workday 02
Enrollment Week
Thursday · 8:05 AM
The queue is already past the bulletin board when you unlock the doors. Enrollment week, the two weeks a year that decide the college's numbers for September, and by all appearances it started without you.
Priya: Printer's jammed again. I've got a paperclip in it, don't ask.
you: Great start.
You remember the man from Monday, the form, how much time that took and how there was nobody behind him to mind. Today there are eleven people minding, visibly, and the system hasn't even loaded yet.
A student's midway through entering their details when the screen goes to the login page. It's happened three times already this morning. What do you do about it, right now?
- Log back in and start her details over, staying visibly unbothered
- Message Tomas now — if it's happening this often, IT needs to know before it gets worse
- Switch her to a paper form as backup while the system's unstable
- Try to power through faster to beat the logout timer
My next action and why: __________________________________
What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________
What I still need to check: __________________________________
No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.
skillriseapp.lovable.app/work/kesterly-college-desk/enrollment-weekSkillRise Spark · Learner scenario card · 4 / 5
Kesterly College Front Desk · Workday 03
Something Else Entirely
Tuesday · 2:10 PM
You recognize her — she's been in most days this two weeks, always with a small question, always a bit longer at the counter than the question strictly required. The queue's finally clear.
you: Sure. What's up?
It's not really about enrollment. I just — things at home have gotten pretty bad. My stepdad. I don't really have anyone else to say this to right now.
She says it fast, looking at the counter rather than at you, like she's been holding it and it came out before she'd decided whether to let it.
What do you say, right now, at the counter?
- Just listen for now, without deciding anything yet
- Suggest moving somewhere more private before saying anything else
- Gently tell her you're not the right person, and want to get her someone who is
- Reassure her it'll be okay and steer the conversation back to something manageable
My next action and why: __________________________________
What it protects — and what it costs: ________________________
What I still need to check: __________________________________
No grades. Real consequences. Explain your reasoning; safety and privacy boundaries still apply.
skillriseapp.lovable.app/work/kesterly-college-desk/something-else-entirelySkillRise Spark · Discussion & reflection · 5 / 5
Bring the decisions into the room
01 · The Form He Can't Read
How could you offer help with the form without naming or exposing someone's difficulty?
02 · Enrollment Week
When does a repeated enrollment problem need escalation rather than another workaround?
03 · Something Else Entirely
What tells you a student's concern needs support beyond your role?
When the group disagrees
Ask: “What is the strongest case for the other option? Who carries its cost? What fact would change your mind?” Explore the reasoning without endorsing unsafe action. State the relevant boundary plainly.
Reveal the skills after practice
Ask learners to name a skill in the action they actually chose. These are discussion connections, not automatic evidence:
- The Form He Can't Read: Reading a situation · Dignity · Offering help without naming the problem
- Enrollment Week: Pace without cutting corners · Patience · Keeping track under interruption
- Something Else Entirely: Recognizing your limits · Judgment about disclosure · Passing something on responsibly
Exit reflection
What would a discreet, choice-based offer of help sound like at a busy counter?
“In this practice, I chose to ______ because ______. Next time, I would check ______.”
Adapt to your learners
Read aloud or allow silent reading. Explain unfamiliar terms without choosing for learners. Offer spoken, written or partner responses; never require acting or personal disclosure. Use one card for a short session, or compare workplaces in a longer class.
Evidence, not a credential
Separate skills practiced, actions demonstrated in actual choices, and areas still developing. Offline discussion does not generate a platform evidence card. Neither a discussion nor an online evidence card proves real-world competence or awards a certificate, credential or grade.