Just yesterday during our in-service, we had our eighth PLC meetings of this first semester . All of the team members had been given an eight-question survey about the first semester of this PLC process. They were to bring it to their meetings for a discussion with their team, and then the leaders were supposed to bring them to our leader meeting at 3:10. Since this group of thirteen leaders and three administrators had not met in a couple of months, we admins thought it would be good to get together again to discuss the first semester. We had a very interesting discussion, to say the least. Some teams are off and running, digging into data, being very cohesive, and are ready to write smart goals. Then there are some teams that almost feel like the process is just now moving along but are not ready for smart goals because they are not sure of their team's focus, let alone goals. Some secondary teams discussed how it is not always easy when your team is made up of not only different curricular areas, but also different grade levels. Also, PLCs are intended for teams to collaborate about data. Some teams have not gotten to a point to be able to do that yet, and they admit their meetings have been more like Building Assistance Team meetings.
So, what's the answer - or is there an answer? It is important for all of us to keep coming back to the fact that this is a process, and a work in action. We have thirteen different teams. It is unreasonable to think all the teams should be the same or even on the same page. Some teams will need more time to build a trust and cohesiveness, and that's all right. Some teams may not have to right mix, and team members may ultimately have to be switched, and that is all right, too. The important thing to remember is that collaboration can be a very valuable tool for any staff or team, but it takes time; it is a process.
