I have a love/hate relationship with meetings.  Because when they’re good, they’re very, very good and when they are bad they are horrid, as per the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem “There Was a Little Girl”.  Well organized meetings can inform, challenge and even inspire us while not so well organized meetings can cause you to look to your colleagues around the table and mouth the words “kill me now”.

I have sat through and led many meetings for various reasons, some live, some virtual, some big, some small.  Virtual meetings are an interesting concept.  They make me think of George Jetson calling in sick to Mr. Spacely on the cartoon “The Jetsons”.  You’re there but you’re not REALLY there.  This means that off to the side you can be surfing through Facebook, have anything in your drinking glass and be sitting in your underwear and nobody will be any the wiser.  Not like the meetings where “business” or “business casual” is the required mode of dress because you’re going to be discussing really important things (just like you were in your virtual meeting), except now people can actually see what you’re wearing or doing, so sitting in your underwear is probably NOT a great idea.

The biggest problem with virtual meetings is that it’s difficult to read body language, and I’m one of those people, especially if I’m running a meeting, that needs to see body language.  Does everyone understand, are they upset, bored, disinterested, excited? It’s hard to tell in a virtual meeting.  Is there someone who is typically really quiet who has that look on their face like they want to say something?  You would never catch that in a virtual meeting.  It’s important.  Everyone needs to be heard from in a meeting, otherwise, why would they bother to meet?

Informational meetings are fine (unless it could have been said in an email), but what makes them really bad is when you do nothing but sit for three hours.  Educators are the worst at this.  We would NEVER do this to our students for that length of time, but we do it to each other without thinking.  Oh sure, we can get up to use the restroom whenever we want, but inevitably, we have to re-enter a room in total silence, wearing flip-flops that say their name every time you take a step.  I should know better than to wear flip flops I guess.  And we could talk about how rude educators can be in meetings as well, but that’s fodder for another blog.

This all sounds rather negative I’m afraid, but remember, this is a LOVE/hate relationship, because when meetings are good – well, you know the rest.  I love a meeting where I have been challenged, where people have a chance to speak their mind in a safe environment and people can come to consensus.  I love meetings where you can make decisions that really make the organization better and help people.  I love a meeting that touches you emotionally, that inspires you to think outside the box, to be vulnerable, and  perhaps allows you to remember why you got involved in this profession/organization/cause in the first place.  Today was one of those days.

It doesn’t hurt, of course that I was gathered with MY PEOPLE.  My music people, where there were hugs and smiles all around, where you were encouraged by colleagues and invited to partake in multiple donuts, breakfast pizza and other delicacies while catching up on what everyone did over the summer.  Then down to business with someone who understands how to run a meeting in small chunks, several changes and with an ebb and  flow that was truly artistic.  We laughed, we cried, we pondered, we considered change and mentally took on the challenges of the new school year.  We all left knowing that as with all school years, there will be great times and hard times, but that we are surrounded by our music family who will be there for advice or to commiserate when needed.  Now THAT was meeting.

The meetings are finished now for the week and with two work days ahead, we will greet another group of students on Monday to begin another year of school.  Another year of team meetings, PLC meetings, MTSS-B meetings, BLT meetings, PLC leader meetings and staff meetings, to focus on the most important part of what we do and that is to build relationships with students and engage them in learning.  Here’s to another year of meetings.