Three Questions for Your First Team Meeting

Photo by Chris G. on Unsplash

Remember Back

You were in the 3rd grade. You had been so excited to start the new school year with your new ALF lunchbox and wrists stacked with jelly bracelets to harness Madonna's awesomeness. You were so ready for the year ahead. But a few weeks in, the idea of repeated addition veers sharply into multiplication, and you feel the wind knocked out of you, the year ahead looks daunting, and you wish you could just wither and hide. Your teacher and parents try to boost you offering platitudes and strategies. 

But by winter break, you see the writing on the wall. 

Everyone in the class seems to get it. 

You can't multiply. 

You are dumb. 

And Mrs. B, no fault of hers, can't seem to reach you. 

This is going to be the worst year ever.

If only there were another way.

Lessons Learned

There was a better way. Mrs. B wasn't the only option. Being in that classroom full of students you perceived as mathematicians wasn't the only place for you to be. The other 3rd grade teacher, who also doubled as your soccer coach, seemed to see/hear/know that. She even had everyone run laps the other day while practicing their 3x tables. And when you got in the car with mom, and she quizzed you for the billionth time, you got all your 3x facts right. You’re a genius. (Well, except 3x8… you’re almost a genius.)

So if that "worked" for you in grade 3, why aren't you applying that same lesson to your third graders? Or first graders? Or...?

I'm here to burst your bubble, dear teacher. You are not the end-all, be-all for each student in the classroom. There is another educator in the building who is better suited for this student or that. And likewise, you are too!

So let's do something about it.

Here are some questions you can ask your team as you dip your toe in the learning community pool. These are not a protocol. Not a framework. Just three questions worth sitting with before the year gets busy. This is the conversation that becomes the spine of everything logistical that follows.

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Question 1: The Students 

How do we ensure every student gets what they need? 

Why it matters: Naming this first keeps discussions from drifting into scheduling and routines before anyone's agreed on the actual goal. Every other decision should be traceable back to this question. It is, after all, why we do what we do.

Question 2: The Trust 

How do we share the role of teaching them — and how do we build the trust to know their needs are being met? 

Why it matters: This is where "my kids" become "our kids." Without trust, co-planning is just a bunch of shared documents, co-teaching becomes performative, and co-assessment doesn't exist. With trust, the team can actually share the load. And… we'll also meet our goal for Question 1.

Question 3: The Operations 

How will we co-plan, co-teach, and co-assess this year? And what does that look like in practice versus what it doesn't? 

Why it matters: Naming examples and non-examples early prevents the slow drift back into solo teaching once the year gets busy. It also surfaces disagreement before it becomes resentment.

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The Heartstring Turn

When things get tough, look back at your 3rd-grade self.

Tap into that moment when you wished there had been another way. Another teacher. Another perspective. Another grouping. Another person who saw what you didn't know you needed.

If we wish it had been different for us, why wouldn’t we change the system for the students in front of us now?

We don’t have to do it alone!

When we know better, we have to do better.

If these questions resonated, subscribe to the blog and be first to receive the completed Beginning of Year Toolkit to help teams turn this thinking into practice for the beginning of the year.

Your 3rd-grade self thanks you!

Note: This post was edited with AI as an assistant to refine structure and readability. My ideas, voice, and words remain intact.