By Melissa Payette, Director of Professional Learning and Customer Success
Morning Meetings, once thought of as a routine that best served early elementary grades, have been redefined as a framework that can support learners at any age. In a recent article, Edutopia presents a new approach: administrator-led morning meetings for middle school students, and this approach aligns closely with LessonLoop’s community-building philosophy, as well as what we’re hearing is important to students.
Students, especially middle school and high school students, value nurturing relationships, both with peers and adults at school. Morning meetings provide opportunities for relationship-building, and a chance for students to feel seen and heard, which prepares them to be more active class participants throughout the day.
Another benefit of administrator-led meetings, as opposed to traditional teacher-led meetings and circles, is transformation in how students perceive the role of their administrator. Rather than being seen as disciplinarians or far removed from the class experiences of students, administrators can form relationships with students and proactively get involved before misbehavior occurs. Crystal J. Caballero, middle school assistant principal and author of the Edutopia article, reports that facilitating these meetings has created a noticeable reduction in misbehavior. She also shares that the teachers have appreciated the extra prep time during the meetings with administrators. Adding in these morning meetings to her school’s daily schedule has improved school experiences for students, teachers, and administrators alike.
LessonLoop is excited to see creative and innovative uses of meetings and circle formats in schools. Research has shown that devoting time to building culture and community creates both better academic outcomes and higher student engagement (Pittman & Richmond, 2010). Often, teachers feel pulled in so many directions and a constant race against time to meet all academic standards and reach assessment and testing benchmarks. It can feel counterintuitive to devote time to community building work during the school day with the pressure on teachers to focus on academics, but we know stronger communities result in happier and more successful students and teachers.
