How to Address Tough Topics in Staff Meetings - Edutopia | iPads, MakerEd and More  in Education | Scoop.it

“At a school where I worked, when staff gathered for a meeting there were often more elephants in the room than teachers. These elephants—the things that no one wanted to talk about—included dysfunctional team dynamics, unsupported and struggling staff, and issues of racial inequity. In retrospect, I think many staff members really wanted to address these issues but just didn’t know how.


 


Why don’t we deal with the elephants? I think it’s simple: We don’t address the elephants in the room because we’re afraid. We’re scared that we don’t know how to talk about those sticky issues, or we’re afraid that we’ll say something terribly “wrong” and that our relationships with others might suffer.


 


So a good way to begin is to address our fears. But to do that, we need a plan. And that’s what I would like to offer here—the outline of a plan to address the “undiscussables” in your teams, schools, and organizations.”