Five Ideas to Reset a Table
In preparation for a dinner party at my home, I will pull out blank name tents and sharpy our guests’ names on the cards. I then arrange them on the table before our guests arrive. After everyone gathers in the kitchen to talk, we make our way into the dining room. Every time people say something or make a sound about having a name tent in front of their plate. Every time.
What is it about having a designated seat at a table? I think it’s a big deal. While most of the time we do not have a name tent at the tables at which we work, there is often a level of understanding of whether we belong there.
Setting the table is the first of six functions of a successful table. How is this done? It could start as early as the interview table; however, that is so often a given. It’s two years into a job that likely should be revisited.
What efforts are being made to welcome each teacher to the table?
While they may have a seat at the table, do they have a voice? Do they receive encouragement? Is there opportunity to celebrate the success of the actions done at this table?
These aren’t hard questions to ask. And yet we get lost in the whirlwind of school and people can sit alone in the eye of the storm.
Here are five resets that help a team of teachers move forward:
Start the week with a one-minute drill. Teachers have one minute to give the layout of the week. What will be taught? When are tests or quizzes? What should students be doing during work time?
Make and keep small promises. Each teacher leaves each meeting with a very small task. Remind this freshman about their Bio quiz. Acknowledge this freshman’s participation in the English discussion. Text a parent about an observed increase in absences. The next day, follow-up on those promises. It builds trust. It increases confidence. It moves the ball forward a little bit.
Bring a student into the meeting to talk about classroom behavior.
The whole team goes to visit a student for a brief meeting in the hallway to acknowledge a recent success.
Hint that a team should go to a local coffee shop during their team planning time. (Unproductive? Not likely.)