The Four Rules of Meetings

I get a lot of inspiration from Audiobooks I listen to while doing other things. This post comes from Bossypants by Tina Fey. In the book, Tina Fey talks about the 4 Rules of Improvisation. They are:

http://bit.ly/1uz7cQI

1. Always Agree and Say Yes--Someone points their finger at you and says it's a gun. You say, No it's your hand. You have effectively killed the conversation.
2. Say Yes, And...--Instead of saying No,-- say 'Yes. And it's the gun I gave you for Christmas last year!' Now you can go somewhere with this. Not only has the person pulled a gun on you, but ironically it's the one you gave him.
3. Make Statements and back them with your voice and actions--If you ask questions, you put the pressure on someone else to come up with all of the answers. By making statements, you helping drive the direction of the conversation.
4. There are no mistakes, only opportunities--you may not have meant to say or do what you just did, but now that you did, where are you going to take it?

I got energized listening to this list (which I have heard before, but it never lit the lightbulb). Let's take those 4 rules and apply them to your next faculty/department meeting.

1. Imagine that your Principal announces that the school will be participating in a new initiative for the school year and no one groans or complains. Instead, they all nod their head and agree that this is something they could see incorporating into their classrooms.
2. The Principal decides to let everyone discuss what he has presented for 5 minutes in small groups. You turn to the teachers around you and start brainstorming ways that you could see this working with your students. Then, you start adding other elements to it, putting your own spin on the foundation that has been set for you. You decide to work with another teacher to develop joint lessons because you have a number of common students on your roster.
3. At the end of the meeting the Principal asks if anyone has any questions. You raise your hand and, instead of asking if it is ok to do something, you explain to the faculty what your small group had discussed and the methods you are planning to make this a success with your students.
4. During the course of the next several units, you realize that you have left out some key parts of the initiative and need to change what you are doing for the next unit. You work with your supervisor to make sure all the changes you are planning better align and your students are open to the changes because you have been invested in it from the beginning.

I know that my example is that pipe dream situation for all Principals, but why is it a dream? Could these 4 rules be used in schools? 

Sorry, I violated Rule #3.

These 4 rules could be used in schools to drive everything we do from classroom management, to curriculum, to discipline, to department meetings, to club meetings. Think of the possibilities if you were never allowed to say No, and had to be open-minded to what someone else had to say, no matter how crazy (read awesome) the idea is.

That's the way we've always done it

I hope you cringe at this phrase as much as I do.  The problem is, I think I am starting to become that person.  I have procedures, activities, labs, assignments that I love to do and believe they are meaningful for my students.  However, as the last year of teaching has taught me, sometimes you need to just change, to reinvent what you are doing.  

So, I have decided to make massive changes this year starting with my classroom rules.  For the past 5 years my rules have been:

1.  Be Respectful

2.  Be On Time

3.  Be Prepared

4.  Be Safe

While this is a pretty concise list, I realized that I circumvent most of them.  I allow my students to be slightly late for class because if I send them back to their previous teacher for a pass they are going to miss valuable parts of instruction.  I also keep my room stocked with pens, pencils, paper, etc. just in case they happen to forget their supplies.  After all, they are kids and there is no way I should punish them for forgetting a simple writing utensil.  The biggest problem is that these rules are no longer meaningful to me.  I rarely refer to them and they just collect dust on my bulletin board.

I wanted to make a list that was better aligned to my new goals and philosophy of education; a list that was less about procedural rules and more about being a better person.  Below is my tentative list:

1.  Be Respectful

2.  Take Initiative

3.  Be a Critical Thinker

4.  Dare to Fail

When I look at this list I don't see rules that incur punishments when disobeyed.  These are more about common sense and making sure you are the best person you can be.

Thoughts?