The first staff meeting!

A principal, at least this principal, wants to have a beginning staff meeting with just the right amount of information, discussion, activity, and engagement so that the staff isn't just sitting there thinking about the mountains of work they might have to do to get ready for the first day with students. What a tall order sometimes!

There are certain procedures we need to review each year. Going over the school's guiding principles is always a good idea. Modeling activities that you would like to see in the classroom is a way to present these guiding principles and any new ideas for engaging students. Finally, if there are any changes from the previous year to timetabling, discipline procedures, technology, and/or resources, there should be time to present, discuss, and answer questions. Sounds easy, doesn't it?!

In my experience, the staff meeting doesn't always go as planned, and I do tend to go over time. Therefore, I usually give a draft agenda to the staff the week before a meeting and invite staff items. The first staff meeting, however, is more critical, as I feel it is necessary to begin as I want to proceed. I usually begin thinking about this meeting's agenda in May and June, listing items that need to be addressed, then adding to it after much reflection regarding last year's meeting. Then, during the principals' meetings in August, I add still more as new and different topics arise. Once I have that list, I create a PowerPoint with the topic headings, cutting out what can be addressed in subsequent meetings. I interject video clips, hyperlinks to online resources, and provide time for discussion. I leave it for a day or two and then revisit the PowerPoint, cutting and revising. I am getting better at it.  :-)

One way to determine how the staff meeting went and to gather a bit of information about your staff is to have staff fill out an evaluation. I like to do the exit card.

This year my exit card reads: 3 pieces of good news I've heard today; 2 ways in which I plan to serve the students; and 1 personal life passion I have. It's best to hand this out at the beginning of the staff meeting: you won't forget to do it; and the staff can fill it out as we go along. I also have them sign and date it so that I know if and how I need to give support.

What do the rest of you principals do to spice up your staff meetings and, at the same time, make it all count? Please comment.

What kind of principal do I intend to be?

No one asks this type of question of themselves unless they hope to improve.

I believe I was better last year than the year before. I was better organized; I did more teaching, and I spent more time in the classrooms.

Where I felt less effective and/or efficient were in the areas of recording and reporting. I still need to spend more time in the classrooms too and I need to become better at teaching the classes I'm in charge of. It also does not need to be said, I could always improve the organization of my days.

How many of us take the time to sit down and reflect upon our practice? Sure we wonder how we could improve. We also wonder what went wrong when things don't turn out. We might even pause to think how we could do things better. What I'm talking about is actually dissecting the planning from beginning to end and taking the day to day and analyzing what it is that did go right and what went wrong, with using that analysis to gauge how you will change for the better.

An analysis of this sort does take time, but it has been in my experience that it is time well spent. Researchers like Whitaker, Sergiovanni, Dufour, Fink, Hargreaves, and many more all take the time to analyze how and why things happen the way they do and what is important in the big picture as well as the day to day. I also have found that when I take that time to think and reflect on the day's events, I am able to put on a perspective that assists me in returning to my guiding principles. As a result I am able to make sound decisions that are best for students and staff in the school.

Last year, I was getting better at reflection and analysis. However, it was not as methodical or as routine as I would like it to be. Therefore, this year, I intend to be a principal that reflects weekly and think about how we do things at our school. I plan to be a better recorder and communicator of expectations. I also will continue to hold staff and students accountable to our guiding principles. I also want to expand the circle of leadership within the school so that I have more time for this reflection and analysis. Hopefully at the end of this coming school year, I can look back and say, "Yes! We did it!"