Whether a teacher or school leader, we all do “check-ins.” These could be with students, colleagues, teachers, administrators, or a host of other school stakeholders. These are even good to do with family members to continue having conversations as kids become less talkative teenagers.
A simple check-in is vitally important for this reason – without regular check-ins, we all tend to check-out. To be our best for our students, we need to be fully present (aka “checked-in”) and consistent conversations help maintain that focus.
A simple check-in is vitally important for this reason – without regular check-ins, we all tend to check-out. To be our best for our students, we need to be fully present (aka “checked-in”) and consistent conversations help maintain that focus.
Other than not having check-ins, the biggest problem is that we fail to truly leverage them. We spend most of the conversation chit-chatting about life and the latest school situations but use little time to course correct, thereby, increasing our chance at goal attainment. In short, you and I need an intentional plan to shift from simple meetings to structured motivations.
A consistent format is but one way to keep these check-ins focused and short – only about 10 or 15 minutes. To be both effective and efficient, you must simplify and structure the process. We have a free template that you can download for you check-ins. It includes the purpose, topic, questions, and responses; so, let’s discuss each quickly.