ORGANIZE YOUR MEETING NOTES {Teacher Tip #12}

Teachers teach.
Teachers inspire.
Teachers touch the future.


And teachers go to meetings.


Lots and lots and lots of meetings.


These meetings all have different purposes. Sometimes you listen. Sometimes you contribute. Sometimes you leave with a list of things to do. Sometimes important information is shared.


Sometimes some not so important information is shared, but you may still need to follow-up or reference those tidbits of info at a later time.


So it is important that you create a system for documenting the meetings and their outcomes.  There are a few ways to do this:

• You may wish to use a multi-subject notebook and designate each section to a different type of meeting.
• Some teachers get a journal and write everything sequentially into that one little book and flip back by date to find what they need.
• Another option is to take your notes on the back of the paper agenda that is passed out, hole punch it, and keep them all in a binder.

Like all methods of organization, it really comes down to what works best for you and your style.

{Click to access and download my Organizing Meeting Notes packet}

Here's what works well for me:

• I've created printable templates for each of the types of meetings that I need to attend each year. 
• I made several back to back copies of each and slid those copies into plastic page protectors (with each type of meeting having one designated page protector)...this means I have one page protector labeled "faculty meeting" with 5 two-sided copies inside, I have one page protector labeled "grade-level meeting" with 8 two-sided copies inside, etc. I place these in my teacher binder.
• During any given meeting I take out the corresponding template, write in the date and any important info (location, special presenters, etc) and use that page to take notes.
• If there is a "call to action" that must be addressed after the meeting I make note of it in the follow-up column.
• I keep the most recent page on top and store the others underneath in order.  The reason for doing it this way is that it keeps all related meeting notes together without adding extra pages to flip through in my teacher binder.

{Click to access and download my Organizing Meeting Notes packet}

I have created a resource that includes over 20 templates for organizing meeting notes. It was designed as part of my Blackline Design Collection.  You can access and download it here: {ORGANIZING MEETING NOTES}

What types of meetings do you need to attend at your school? 

For more tips and ideas on organizing and managing your classroom please check out my Clutter-Free Guide. This post is part of:

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