Or was it?<\/p>\n
Getting creative about Town Meeting<\/h4>\n
Like many other schools<\/a> in Vermont, the Town Meeting at LTS had multiple purposes, including:<\/p>\n Once the leadership team thought through these purposes together, they realized two things. First, Town Meeting was an awesome tradition that they needed now more than ever. Second, perhaps they could capture enough of this magic using a different format to make it worth it.<\/p>\n They resolved to do what Vermont educators have done so much of this year, by necessity: they put students first and, one way or another, made it work.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n After kicking around some ideas, the outlines of a plan began to emerge. Each homeroom (advisory group) would join virtual town meetings via Zoom. The new schedule allowed only 30 minutes (compared to nearly an hour in past years), so they shortened the announcement section considerably. But they would do it every single week rather than once a month.<\/p>\n As the group considered this new format, they began to see some potential benefits. For one thing, more frequent\u00a0 meetings may lead to a stronger community building routine overall. For another, the new format might allow more student leadership than in the past. When the whole middle school gathered, it was often tough for students to effectively address everybody due to shyness, microphone awkwardness, etc. And the announcement portion of proceedings often took up a lot of time.<\/p>\n The new format could potentially solve some of these problems. The team designed it to be tightly structured and easy to engage with in terms of planning, facilitation, and participation.<\/p>\n A key priority for the leadership team was to avoid overwhelming colleagues with another planning task. Time for collaborative planning amongst teachers was at a premium.<\/p>\n They created a structure that would allow homerooms to “plug and play” on a rotating basis:<\/p>\n The leadership team wrote up the plan<\/a> and shared it with colleagues via email. Homerooms signed up for roles, filled out the corresponding part of the slide template<\/a>, and they were off and running.<\/p>\n The new Town Meeting format seems to be working pretty well. Some people even like it better than the old format. Like many things during the pandemic, it requires adaptability and a commitment to making the best of the situation. As one student noted, “I don’t really like having to do it online but we kinda have to.”<\/span><\/p>\n Mollie Falk, guidance counselor extraordinaire, summed up the requisite attitude this way:<\/p>\n Recognize that it will be far from perfect, but for kids (and adults) craving connection, it doesn’t have to be. Embrace mistakes, laugh at yourself, go with the flow.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A few particular lessons have emerged.<\/p>\n When asked what they enjoy most about virtual town meetings, students were pretty clear that the activity portion is the star of the show. So far this year we have seen quiz competitions, an estimation math challenge, Scattergories, and an on the spot haiku contest.<\/p>\n The most straightforward format for interactive portions such as greetings and activities is for most of the action to take place within the homerooms themselves. As one teacher put it, “Something that works well, is to give a task or activity for each advisory to complete, then they share out with the whole group via chat or one at a time.”<\/span><\/p>\n For some students, this allows them to feel more connected. Several students echoed this comment: “I love being able to work with my homeroom to try and win at games.”<\/p>\n Teachers agree that the smaller groupings draw some students in more than the larger gatherings of the past. “Being in separate spaces make it easier to compete in competitions and get full participation. It’s easier to see if someone is not participating, since each group is smaller.”<\/p>\n The “plug and play” structure serves its function well. On a busy week, if necessary, each of the three homerooms at a grade level can plan separately for their role and the meeting can come together fairly seamlessly.<\/p>\n But some weeks demand a little something special. For Halloween, for example, music teacher Johanna Fournier designed a themed Town Meeting. Allied Arts teachers introduced themselves with Halloween themed facts about themselves.<\/p>\n\n
![\"virtual](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Town-Meeting-Agendas-2020-2021-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDe-centralized planning<\/h4>\n
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![\"virtual](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Screen-Shot-2020-11-13-at-4.36.57-PM-1024x822.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSo far, so good<\/h4>\n
Focus on fun<\/h4>\n
Keep it fresh<\/h4>\n
![\"virtual](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/LTS-Town-Meeting-10-26.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n