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A Publication Featuring The Information Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume V, Issue 9 | September 2002 |
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By Janey Barton
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"Anomaly...that fits my theme," said John McClintock, who is the Computer Training Room Manager, and anomaly here is meant something different or not easily classified. He is a man of many facets and has been, at one time or another, all of those things listed in the title. John is originally from Albany, NY, and a graduate of Harvard with a B.A. in history and Master of Education in curriculum development. After graduation and wanting to "find himself", he enlisted in the US Army and left as a second lieutenant, after attending Officers Candidate School. One enlistment was enough! |
His career has mostly been spent teaching at independent day schools: teaching history, serving as a director of admissions and also a high school college counselor. At one point he "retired" to write a book, 100 Top Colleges, published by John Wiley and Sons. He went back into teaching and counseling, then retired again and became a stay-at-home-dad with a newborn son, while his wife worked. Her career took them to several states, ending up in Brookline, MA.
John developed tracking software for high school college counselors and worked for a business and manufacturing think tank in Brookline. There he created and maintained databases, as well as ColdFusion web pages. He has extensive experience in MS Access, his favorite database software.
John says that his new job as the Computer Training Room Manager is one that "brings everything together from his past: teaching, counseling, administration, and information systems and technology." The Computer Training Lab currently has three teachers: two vendor teachers, as well as John himself. The current list of classes includes Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Project, Word, Windows, Office, and Dreamweaver. Other agencies may also lease the Training Lab; recent lessees include: Labor, BIS, the office of the CIO, TAMS, and Budget. Call him, if you are interested in such a lease.
In the six months that John has been working for the State, 631 students have enrolled for classes. With help from the program’s lead teacher, Sheri Pellerin, he has adapted training materials by Global Knowledge to suit our needs here. He is interested in how effective the training is, the growth of skills after training, and any ripple effect there may be on others that the students contact. If John can measure these things, then modifications will be made to the training classes and schedules. Volunteer "train the trainer" classes have been set up, which he hopes will increase skills of the trainer and also increase the trainer’s usefulness as a resource to others. Alternative forms of training are being explored, including online training. "I find it rather challenging," John says, of his new job, " but I am pleased to bring what I can to public service in my newly adopted state."
John is the father of four, the youngest of whom is nine. His older children are grown and scattered around the Midwest. John is involved in Cub Scouts, camping, magic, and O-gauge model railroading with his youngest son. His interests are eclectic: art, drawing, music (especially jazz and classical), reading (favorite author is Mikhail Bulgakov, a 20th century Russian author), and genealogy.
