I LOVE Faculty Meetings...said no teacher EVER!

As a new teacher, you are full of excitement and ideas. This may be your first teaching job or maybe you have been teaching for a couple of years. You are in love with your classroom and your students. You might even still be excited whenever there is a faculty meeting or a professional development session--although that excitement will be squashed soon enough. However, as a new teacher, there are a few rules for these wonderful meetings. Your mentor teacher may tell you some of these rules, but usually they don't want to kill your joy. Your administrator (principal, department chair, etc.) will not tell you these rules. It goes against their DNA. You might be lucky and have a veteran teacher who will explain things to you. You may not have anyone say a word to you--until you break one of these rules.

This is the problem. We would never have rules for our students, then never tell them the rules, then punish them if they broke these invisible rules! That doesn't make any sense. Yet, we that is what we do to new teachers. We just "assume" that new teachers know these rules by "picking them up" along the way but, in most cases, these rules were never communicated to them. Hence, the reason for this blog...

Here are the rules, boldly stated, for new teachers during meetings.

#1 NEVER raise your hand! I can't stress this enough--NEVER. If you have a question, write it down and ask it later, one-on-one, to your mentor. Then go to your admin if your mentor says to do that. Don't raise your hand and "contribute" to the discussion during the meeting. Nope--we do NOT want to hear from you at all. You have nothing to contribute. Now, I know that sounds mean but we have been to hundreds of these meeting--no lie--and we have heard it all before. All you are doing is increasing the time we are in the meeting--that is a huge no-no! Again, talk to your mentor later, and if your mentor encourages you, then go to your admin with your idea. Keep your hands in your lap and keep your mouth shut!!

#2 Bring only these things. When you go to any meetings, bring these items: laptop, paper, pen, cell phone, and something to drink. Do NOT bring your backpack, colored markers, food to eat, etc. You need nothing else unless specified in the email about the meeting.

#3 Arrive on time to the meeting. Go with the other teachers and sit with them. Try not to sit with admin if you can help it. AND go to the bathroom BEFORE the meeting. You do NOT arrive late, leave during the meeting. or leave early from the meeting. Not Ever.

#4 Keep your laptop closed. Take notes on paper. ONLY open your laptop when told to buy your mentor or administrator. People feel it is rude to be on your laptop--even if you are taking notes--during a meeting. If others have their laptops open, keep yours shut until otherwise instructed. You have not earned the right to be on your laptop during a meeting.

#5 No cellphone. Yes, I told you to bring your cellphone (rule #2) but put it on vibrate and put it away. There is no reason for you to check your messages or texts. Everything can wait until after the meeting or on break.

#6 Your volunteer roles. If you have to break into smaller groups (all teachers are rolling their eyes right now!), volunteer to be the note taker, if one is needed. Then you are contributing to the group, but your mouth is shut. Just listen to all the experience in the group. Also, if someone in the group needs to "report out" to the entire meeting, volunteer to do that too. You're the newbie and need to pay your dues.

#7 Say as little as possible for ice-breakers. Here is another eye-roller---if admin wants to do an ice-breaker in the beginning of the meeting, make your response short and sweet. "Tell us what you did this summer." Keep it 3-4 sentences max. This is enough to satisfy the admin that your are participating but short enough to keep the teachers from frowning at you because you are taking too long. "I really enjoyed my summer with my family. We traveled to Wisconsin several times and I got to catch up on my reading. Overall, it was very relaxing." That's it--no more details. Not to be mean, but we really don't care during a meeting. When we are all by ourselves, give us more details so we can have a proper conversation.

#8 Do nothing else during the meeting. Along with rule #2, do NOT bring papers to grade, lesson plans to complete, etc. Admin wants your total attention. Take notes only. If other teachers are doing other things, they earned that right to make that decision. You are new and want to make a good impression on the person who is deciding your fate for next year!

#9 Listen, listen, listen. Listen to the admin, what they want, what they want you to do. Write it all down. Listen to all the experience in the room. You will learn A LOT from your fellow teachers--and it is this shit that matters as a teacher (versus what you learned in college!)

#10 But use your common sense. If admin tells you to do something--then you do it. If they "suggest" something, then talk to your mentor to see if it is a good idea or not. Teachers hold more weight than admin does. Listen to them when they make a comment or suggestion at the meeting. It will be good advice for you. But always listen, evaluate, and get others' opinions outside of the meeting. This will help you make good decisions.

Follow these rules and you won't hear veteran teachers groaning or rolling their eyes at you during a meeting. After five years of teaching, then you can start making your own decisions in the meetings. Until then, good luck!