Sometimes we just need to say it - the team meetings suck.

Think about your team (it doesn’t have to be a Professional Learning Community, of course). How much of the list below resonates?

I feel like it’s a waste of time.

I’m not sure what the purpose of the meeting is.

We talk but never seem to actually go anywhere.

Most educators operate with high levels of emotional intelligence. I think you’ll struggle to find someone who disagrees. As teachers, we are attuned to our students, can quickly read the room to detect when something is off, and strive towards bigger social goals like developing our students into skilled leaders and members of a larger community. These are all workings of high emotional intelligence.

If you’ve been in education long enough, you’ve probably experienced tensions around contract negotiations - maybe even a full-on strike. Heck, in 7th grade, I watched my teachers stand outside of our school as the morning buses pulled up, wearing red t-shirts and holding signs to demand a fair contract. Despite active teachers’ unions in many districts, it seems we are never actually granted a contract that serves us and our students.

There is no controversy in saying that schools should prioritize student learning. Schools should do their best to help students grow as people, master information, become curious, self-sufficient, capable, and independent. We may not fully agree on the content of all that learning, but we certainly agree that the purpose of schools is to educate our children. It’s curious then, that many people would say our schools have become no more than glorified babysitting operations. Many are unhappy, disgruntled at the state of our schools. And as someone on the inside, I can understand why.