The professional development/staff meeting before the school year begins

  • Welcome back, I hope you all had a good summer.
  • I know that you are anxious to get into your classrooms.
  • There have been some changes, so me let me introduce your new staff members.
  • Now you will sign the forms promising to report child abuse.
  • Test scores. (Everybody groans)
  • In and of itself, the test scores were a little up in some areas, a little flat in others, and lower in some.
  • If you will turn towards the wall, our coordinator will show our scores with her analysis.  (Teachers start to draw, cutout, and prepare materials)
  • Wow, you have sat now for two hours, please return in 15 minutes.
  • 25 minutes later the entire staff has returned.
  • Now we will break up into grade level meetings in which you will discuss what went right in testing and what you can do to improve the test scores and each grade will complete a report to be turned into the coordinator.
  • Please return in one hour to share.
  • 75 minutes later not all of the teachers have returned, the sharing has begun with most teachers not paying attention.
  • 4 hours into the day, the veteran teachers are all looking at each other wondering who will remind the principal that it is past lunchtime and that they are entitled to a full lunch break even on a pupil free day.
  • The principal finally gets the message.
  • You may take your lunch break, work in your classrooms, and we will conclude this discussion at our first faculty meeting which is tomorrow after the first day of school.
  • The teachers walk out, in a daze, spaced out, worrying if their rooms will be ready for the students tomorrow, and wishing summer was weeks longer.