ANY school is established with the objective of excelling academically. Parents value schools that perform well. Attaining academic excellence demands strategies and plans as nothing good occurs by chance. As a Swahili saying goes—‘If you see things shining it means they have been moulded’.

For any school to excel academically, teamwork matters because when there is uniformity in performance of duties, desired standards can be met. The secret in maintaining the reputation of a school is in upholding standards that enable the provision of quality education which is the desire of every parent. 

Seriousness and commitment are essential in enhancing success of a school. Society considers a school as a furnace for shaping knowledgeable individuals who can work in various sectors of the economy.

It becomes a pride to the school when it produces individuals who become influential in organizing economic activities and social life in general. These individuals need to be shaped by teachers who must embrace quality in performing their duties. 

Sometimes individuals need to be reminded of their roles so they can perform well. Since the school acts as a centre for academic achievement it is common to see many meetings conducted at schools.

It is believed that the more something is spoken the more people internalize it. Teachers are of different nature and origin but they are expected to produce graduates of unique qualities. To achieve these objectives there must be efforts to enable teachers to deliver contents regarding school goals. Teachers get an opportunity to make their practices similar by attending meetings.

Individuals in an institution need to know the philosophy, policy and direction of the institutions they are working for so that they can work diligently toward accomplishing those objectives. As meetings provide a formal and systematic way of presenting ideas, teachers can easily learn new things and share views that help achieve intended goals.

There is a formal platform created by a meeting that enables serious discussions beneficial in the teaching and learning process. Meetings provide an opportunity for individuals to reflect on what they have been doing and what improvements can be made. Meetings also focus on the future, putting into place strategies that ensure credibility is maintained or improved. 

It is always a challenge to remain at the peak and hence necessary for individuals to share ideas on remaining influential. This is because society values individuals regarding the influence they create. To support this the Swahili people said earlier that an empty hand is not licked.

To some individuals it may seem time wasting to conduct many meetings but when one looks critically at the importance they carry, they will definitely support them. This is because the objectives of an institution need to be shared regularly to enhance better performance. 

Meetings enable teachers to critically discuss matters and reach consensus which creates a common way of looking at things and doing them. Teachers whose duty is enabling students to excel academically must have the same stand since the result of their work must be collective success as education is a system that combines many subjects taught by different teachers but expected to produce a uniform effect.

Teaching is like building the same house and therefore scramble for rods should not be encouraged. Teachers need to work in harmony so as to accomplish objectives. It is regular meetings that can promote harmony among teachers by creating common stands in the teaching and learning process to achieve collective success.

Teaching without meetings is something which can seem strange due to the importance meetings carry. To appreciate the importance of staff meetings in a school one can consider the following:

Sharing experience

Teachers’ approaches and styles of teaching may be different and yield different results in the teaching and learning process. This situation necessitates meetings where teachers share experience to improve teaching. Sharing of experience increases awareness and knowledge in the teaching and learning process. Teachers receive new perspectives from others who have tried some methodologies that worked. Understanding the nature of student learning increases the ability of teachers to organize teaching and learning more effectively.

Academic planning

Staff meetings create a platform for teachers to discuss ways to improve the teaching and learning process. The resolutions from meetings help improve philosophies and visions of schools. When more feasible policies are implemented the chance of excelling academically is increased. When school plans originate from teachers who interact with students, confidence in the teaching and learning process is enhanced. There are individuals with good ideas that can help schools excel. Involving teachers in improving teaching and learning makes them more comfortable and likely to increase effort in the process.

Enhancing common understanding

Staff meetings foster understanding among teachers making them speak the same language. Common understanding prevents division among teachers and promotes cooperation and teamwork. When teachers speak the same language they are motivated to work toward achieving common goals. Teachers’ efforts should aim at attaining the school vision. This is because success is the result of effort in attaining the vision of an institution.

Receiving important information

Education is among the sectors that undergo many changes which teachers must accommodate. It is during staff meetings that teachers can get detailed explanations of policy changes in education. Educational policies and agendas should be well known by teachers to enhance effective implementation of plans and strategies from those policies. This is why schools should prioritize staff meetings which provide the best platform for information.

Day-to-day operations of the school should be communicated to every teacher to promote school goals and enhance effective execution of duties. Staff meetings greatly help in achieving this aim. Effective teaching is facilitated by regular staff meetings. Let us meet.