Keeping the committee on track
With so much going on in schools and academies on a day to day basis one of the hardest jobs for a teacher or yearbook editor is to keep the student committee on task. Over the past 15 years we have had the pleasure of working with over one thousand committees and have compiled our top tips for organising yours. Feel free to comment on this post with your own tips and advice!
Make sure the committee is committed - make it clear to students from the outset that they are committing themselves to help with the project, and that if they aren't prepared to do the work that now is the time to walk away.
Make a list - collect the names and email addresses of all of the students in the committee, so you can send reminders for future meetings and chase up missing content.
Make another list - when you decide on the initial content for your book, make a note of the content and decisions that are required for each page. From this you can derive a list of tasks that need to be completed to get the book finished.
Set an agenda - it is very easy for students to run off at a tangent during a yearbook meeting, so set an agenda with one or two points that need to be resolved during that meeting and stick to it. Appoint a chairperson who is able to control the group to get things back on track if they start to drift.
Make a note - appoint someone to make notes of what is discussed and agreed at each meeting, and make the notes available to all committee members. You could email a copy to everyone, or make them available in a shared area on the network, or on Google Drive if you are using it to co-ordinate your yearbook content.
Set and record deadlines - set deadlines for all of the action points and ask students to record them in their homework planners and, if they have one, in their smartphone calendar too.
Wave Ed customers can always rely on their yearbook advisor for additional advice and support, if in doubt ask, it’s what we’re here for!
Not sure what role make up a committee? Just click here