I keep hearing over and over that staff meetings are boring. That many principals stand up front and give information that could be communicated in different ways. As I hear this, I cringe. I mean, school principals were teachers at one point. How come that hour long staff meeting that occurs regularly isn’t being used as an opportunity?
I would hope that after each staff meeting, at least 5 teaching strategies were modeled so that any teacher could go into their classroom the next day and use something they learned from their principal. However, as I work with educators all over the US, I keep hearing that’s not always the case.
How do we equip our education leaders with the skills to demonstrate and model effective meetings in a way that engages the staff? Who holds education leaders accountable for this effectiveness measure? How do we encourage physical activity and movement every 20 minutes in staff meetings and how do we model different learning strategies even if the content is dry? It’s not that challenging! It can be done.
Can we model staff wellness by not only incorporating movement into meetings, but nutrient-rich food that communicates to your staff, I care about your health? I also believe it’s possible for staff meetings to model a new app or technology that can be used in the classroom. Whether Kahoot.it or social media or education resources, let’s make sure our staff know what’s out there and how to use technology. That way, we are preparing our students for the field by encouraging the use of technology- appropriately and effectively.
If a principal stands up lecturing for an hour to their staff, do they expect their teachers to do the same the next day? I don’t think so. Let’s hold our education leaders to a higher standard!
If you know of an education leader that holds effective, fun, engaging staff meetings, let me know. I’m pulling together some ideas and success stories as a resource!
Leave a Reply