3 Reasons Teachers Should Not Meet

by Guy E. White on 7 October, 2014

Teachers are afraid to say that meetings are largely a waste of time.

Meetings pervade the life of an educator. One friend of mine told me that he once attended a meeting to schedule more meetings. Meetings can cost the taxpayer thousands of dollars per educator per year. When should teachers not meet?

Teachers will attend hundreds, if not thousands of meetings during their careers. When you speak to educators, many will tell you that it’s one of the most mind-numbing aspects of the job. However, through some digging, it’s clear to me that not all meetings are made the same. Some meetings are quite productive and enjoyable.

Here are three reasons teachers should not meet:

1. To Communicate What Could Have Been Emailed

A mentor of mine said that the only reasons to meet are to “create” and “relate.” If the information could have been in an email, why did we not simply communicate it that way? Sure, there are times where some information is so critical or dire that it needs to be discussed in person. However, if it can be communicated through text, why don’t we?

2. To Simply “Have” A Meeting

Forced meetings that do not have required “results” (like creating something or relating with someone) only serve to perpetuate the ongoing calendar of almost meaningless gatherings. If ninety-nine people in the room have to stare at one person and download their words audibly for an hour, something is probably wrong (unless you’re listening to a professional speaker or are in one of those dire circumstances referenced above).

3. To Repeat A Failed Strategy

Sometimes, meetings are a “do over” for a previous meeting that failed to yield results. Sadly, the do-over meeting repeats the use of the same strategy that failed the group in the first place. In some cases, new strategies are needed.

Meetings are part of life as an educator, but they do not have to be a mind-numbing experience. If the expectation is that meetings are for creating and relating, then the results of these meetings will be quite different than an informational meeting.

What did we miss? Tell us about the most useless meeting that you have sat through (no school or district names, or names of any kind please).

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