Teach Secondary - Issue 14.6

Stop wasting our time If it feels like you’re being pulled into one too many staff meetings, it may be because someone’s trying to conceal a lack of vision, dynamism and clarity... ABOUT THE AUTHOR ‘I, Teacher’ is a secondary teacher, teacher trainer and writer challenging binary teaching narratives. For more information, visit theteacherfiles exposed.wordpress.com or follow @i-teacher.bsky.social ‘don’t act’ and call more meetings to compensate. In turn, staff disengage because the messaging is constantly shifting, and back around we go. It’s the illusion of action – being seen to do something – over actually doing something meaningful. As such, meetings are the go-to tool for performative productivity, where outcomes take a back seat to optics. Teachers, stuck in this loop, are burning out. Old initiatives are recycled, rebranded and presented as ‘revolutionary’. Everything old is new again (at least until the next version comes along). Through it all, we’re expected to nod, take notes and pretend this is the silver bullet we’ve been waiting for. Box-ticking theatre But here’s the truth – we are not powerless . This isn’t a call for walkouts or rebellion, though; it’s a call for questions. Thoughtful, direct, professional questions that cut through the noise and demand clarity. I once sat in a meeting where a head of department proudly shared her solution for raising challenge while reducing workload: every Y11 class would be taught the exact same lesson, at the same pace, using the same resources, regardless of what individual teachers thought their students needed. This systemwas introduced just six weeks before exam leave, the day after students had completed their mock exams. The real aim of this initiative? To cover for underperforming teachers and silence complaints about inconsistency. It looked neat on paper, but required skilled teachers to suppress their judgement and teach to the lowest common denominator. I looked around at the staff, everyone thinking the same thing: What was the point of marking mocks if we couldn’t act on what they showed us? But no one spoke up. So I did: “ What’s your success criteria? ” It’s a deceptively simple question, but it stops nonsense in its tracks. A credible plan should have measurable goals, clear metrics and a grasp of variables. The answer? A shrug: “ Their grades will increase. ” Right. And the Easter Bunny will be marking their mocks. So I asked again: “ Why should your staff do this? ” Another empty response: “ It’s in the Teaching Standards. ”Which, roughly translated, means: ‘ Because I said so. ’ Or, more honestly – ‘ Because I want to be seen as doing something. ’ That’s not leadership. It’s box- ticking theatre. Trust ismutual So here’s my plea to teachers – ask questions . Don’t be rude or confrontational, but do ask for clarity. If you’re expected to implement a new policy, change your teaching or sit through yet another hour-long meeting, you have the right to understand why. If the answer is vague or circular, don’t drop it. Ask again. And to leaders, if your answer to ‘ Why are we doing this? ’ can’t withstand basic scrutiny, if your response leans on buzzwords or tired phrases –maybe don’t do it. Teachers are professionals. They deserve policies driven by evidence, not fear. And please , stop scheduling meetings just to be seen as active. We’re all busy. Respect our time. One final note – trust is mutual . If you want staff to act on emails, thenmake those emails matter. Keep your messaging consistent, your intent clear and your policies rooted in reason. You might be surprised at how much work can get done when people aren’t stuck in endless meetings... Y ou’ve probably heard it in the staffroom: “ This meeting could have been an email. ” Maybe you’ve said it yourself –muttered under your breath while watching another hour disappear as someone reads out a PowerPoint you skimmed days ago... What used to be an occasional frustration is now a recurring symptom of something deeper infecting school culture. Let’s call it what it is – a trust issue. Stuck in the loop Leadership doesn’t trust staff to read emails, or follow through unless they’re rounded up and spoon-fed instructions. They don’t trust that teachers will pay the tiniest bit of attention to their grand schemes and plans unless they’ve heard the details whilst packed like sardines in a boiling hall. And actually, to some extent, they’re not wrong. But here’s the catch – staff don’t follow every directive, because experience has taught them that Monday’s policy may well be reversed by Friday. So why invest time and energy in something that’s so volatile? And thus begins the cycle. Leaders panic when staff 23 teachwire.net/secondary O P I N I O N