First Staff Meeting

...It went well!

We started with a simple activity that went better than expected...

-Each person grabbed a green note card on their way in to the meeting and wrote down one "success" from the first week of school. We then had a brief, informal, shareout (one per grade level). Many of the successes were small and lighthearted, but it set a nice mood. I collected all of the cards and posted them on the window of my office, which is, conveniently, right near the copy machine. Many teachers will, hopefully, read them as they wait for the copy machine. And lots of parents walk by as well and should be able to take a look at some of the things we're working on.

-We went through a bunch of procedures for fire and evacuation drills. The page that I worked on and photocopied had some misinformation on it about the ways that some classes evacuate. It's very hard to get every single detail right. Thank goodness for the patience of the teachers. I think it helps that we're solving a lot of other issues. It makes the little things seem less important. Although, I suppose, evacuation routes shouldn't be considered a little thing...

--Last week we asked teachers to prepare (during their common planning time), some sort of simple poster presentation which presented at least one common team goal. We had no idea how much effort teams would put into this task. A couple of groups got really creative and made some great posters, which they wanted to hang up in my office. It did remind me a little of teaching--you know, when the kids give you their work and you say, "Thanks! I'll hang it right here...." But really, it was a great way of creating community. Many teachers shared aspects of their work that others were interested in. Great setup for a year of staff meetings, hopefully.

Each group will put their goal on a card and hang those on the windows of my office as well. And as we meet those goals, they'll move them over to the "success" side of the window. It will be important to follow up with these postings and keep them fresh. I'm wondering if the green cards activity would be a good way to start each meeting--at least for a while.