Must Meeting Minders

When I speak to heads of school, I am not amazed when they tell me that their board meetings may go on for hours . . . and hours. Be they committee meetings or board meetings, volunteers' precious time at meetings should not last more than an hour and a half with the understanding that some designated meetings may need more time. Here is some sage advice on the structure of a meeting.

"THE STEPS TO CONDUCTING A BOARD MEETING ARE:

• Recognize a quorum
• Calling meeting to order
• Approve the agenda and minutes
• Communication and reports
• Old/new/Other business
• Close the meeting"

To read more on this important skill read the full article from BoardEffect.

Also, I recommend that all meeting goers read Patrick Lencioni's book Death by Meeting.

Emotional Intelligence — Importance & Resources

"The Emotion Revolution: Enhancing Social and Emotional Learning in School" by Marc Brackett in the summer 2016 issue of  Independent Teacher confirms all that I have been living and reading on emotional intelligence. From Howard Gardner's work on multiple intelligence and book Frames of Mind, to John Mayer's work on personal intelligence and book Personal Intelligence; to Daniel Goleman's book Emotional Intelligence; and to Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Jean Greaves and Travis Bradberry, emotional intelligence plays a significant role in our lives. Learn as much as you can.

Advice for Teachers

Excellent clip from the NAIS Bulletin 

"Three 2016 NAIS Annual Conference speakers share tips on connecting with students, teaching the class you wish you could take, and using technology in the classroom."

Doing Good Better -> A Clear Path to Good Governance

I have read many resources on good governance practices, and I recently stumbled upon one of the best. Best because it is very readable, easy to understand, provides several great resource documents, and is especially volunteer friendly to new board members.

This new and improved 2015 paperback edition of  Edgar Stoesz's Doing Good Better has excellent reference as well. Much of Stoesz's knowledge comes from his many years working with non-profit boards.