Meeting Survivalist

I like meetings. Not a popular stance- but I do. I have always liked collaboration- when the teacher ‘put us in groups’ I was excited. It was a green light to talk with my buddies! A group grade is an easy ‘A’ and nothing but fun every step of the way. That is how I saw it anyway. Now, at my job, when we get together for meetings I look forward to the gathering. Still a chance to spend time with my cohorts. There is always a joke or two thrown into the mix of the agenda..and usually, there are snacks. A meeting to me is almost a party. Sure, there are serious work issues to discuss, and a good side effect; when a group is together I feel less pressure; like I am a Borg- a part of the whole.

I noticed how unhappy some of my colleagues are with the meeting system. They get so sarcastic and make fun of the group-think process. Can’t they see what I see? A blessed moment in the day where I don’t have to be alone in my work. I love the camaraderie of the meeting, I love to watch the others reactions to the information being distributed. Some people stay quiet the whole time, and when asked a question act like one of my students by pretending to know what they are saying. “What she just said. I agree.”

I just want to burst with happiness! I want to raise my hand and say, “Some one did not do their home work!”

I admit, I am the jokester. I will throw out a joke and make the room rumble with some laughter for a few seconds. I feel like we workers deserve a chuckle in between all of the new directives. Brainstorming rocks! Such power in the collective! Collaboration- what makes the work world go round! Then there are the people who know MORE than those in charge. They are a wonder. How can a person just hear of a new policy and then have a better idea of what it means than those who wrote in within 2 minutes of hearing it? The same people who were in my college classes who HAD to reiterate whatever the professor had to say. Those people really want to be in control, but those who have the reins KNOW that letting the know-it-alls have the podium would destroy them. They would implode…see, there would be no one to left in the crowd to repeat what is being said. Meetings would end in five minutes. There is always a group leader (I try NEVER to be a group leader) the serious get-down-to-business workers, the quiet ones, the people who just do not care one bit, and as mentioned earlier the fakers (they act like they know what is going on) and then those who dream of being in control. Meetings resemble the classroom. Assembled together the same personalities that make a classroom its own personality- so goes the gathered educators.  

For some strange reason, education is not being run by educators. Senators, presidents, lobbyists all have better ideas on how Americans should learn. The effect has been a test which has become the alpha and omega in the classroom. If our President could attend some of our meetings, he may ask, “Why aren’t these amazing minds being consulted as to how and what we teach our children?” I concur Mr. President. As a group, we could straighten this country out in one maybe two meetings tops. We are the front lines, we know our students- we teach them and assess them and teach them some more…we KNOW what we are doing. Yep- in one meeting we would toss out all that stupid legislation created from the meetings of non-educators. Let’s face facts, those meetings are full of the same people – but I think the ones who are only pretending to know what is going on are making the policies!

And while we are at it- I could personally assemble a group of educators who could, in just a few meetings, figure out the health care issue, the food issues, create new parenting laws (Like if you have a child you MUST actively engage in their life and raise them) and probably create a plan for world peace.

Meeting after school. Agenda: Save the World. Make-up meeting in the morning.

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