Monthly Principal Meetings

Monthly Meetings with your Principal

It's very important to establish a regular meeting schedule with your building principal(s). Even if there is no "hot topic" to discuss, regular meetings helps to establish a rapport that is essential to problem-solving should the need ever occur. Here are a few pointers/guidelines to help your meetings go smoothly:

1) Set up a regular time, like the first Tuesday of each month, to plan on meeting. Make sure to coordinate your schedule with your principal's so everyone can make the meeting. Make a "pact" that this day/date & time will be kept sacred for a SEA-Building Principal meeting.

2) Promote the meeting: Make sure to send a reminder email, phone call, etc., to all participants the day before to confirm.

3) Be on time and start on time. Arrive early enough to allow time for final preparations and start on time. Period. Your time is valuable, and your principal's time is valuable too. When practical, also announce an ending time for the meeting. If the meeting is running long, consider tabling remaining business until next time.

4) Meet in a "neutral" or comfortable setting. A conference room, your classroom, or an office space that can accommodate the amount of participants is vital. Sitting in a circle also helps break the tendency for "cliques" to form and prevents the "us vs. them" mentality.

5) Follow the agenda. Plan the meeting ahead of time and write down the sequence of events so you don’t forget anything important. List specific topics under general categories such as “new business,” “unfinished business,” etc. Include open discussion at the end of the meeting, and note the date, time, and place for the next meeting. Distribute copies so the attendees can track the progress of the meeting and take notes if desired.

6) Take notes. This will help you to listen, record any decisions made, and serve as a reference if questions later arise. Distribute copies of the notes to all participants to make sure everyone is on the same page.

7) If a tough topic comes into play, stay calm. If you can prepare notes in advanced to help focus your points, don't be afraid to use those talking points. If you are surprised by the difficult conversation, do your best to listen, take notes, and maintain a neutral emotional affect. Refrain from responding until you have had a chance to discuss the issue with your fellow Building Representatives and/or Association Leadership. You can let your principal know you will think about what she brought up and would like a chance to continue to discuss it with her at a later time. This will help to let your principal know you are listening and will follow-up soon without being reactive, which is vital to maintaining a healthy working relationship.

SEA-Principal Meeting at Agnes Stewart Middle School with Building Reps Nathan Klarr, Audrey Stepp, and Erin Whitlock