By: Izzy G. ‘28

For tri-school students, late start Wednesdays are a great way to get through a busy week, with many using the time before school to get Starbucks, do homework, or sleep in. However, not everyone in the Bryn Mawr community is afforded this privilege of an extra hour. Almost every Wednesday, Bryn Mawr Upper School teachers gather in the library from 8:00 to 8:45 AM over a Panera breakfast spread. “I really don’t think there should be a meeting without food,” Ms. Fetting says. These meetings are where many decisions have been made that affect students - such as the phone ban, test correction/retake policies, and late penalties.

First, the meeting starts with announcements. These cover everything from lacrosse games to Mock Trial wins to advisory plans. After announcements, there are shoutouts, which are “opportunities for people on the Upper School team to recognize their colleagues for things they’ve done that have been helpful, or where they’ve gone out of their way to really contribute,” says Ms. Fetting. Recognizing and learning from each other is an important feature of Wednesday meetings. 

Outside of shoutouts, a main way this takes place is in ART groups, which stands for Action Research Team. ART groups are new this year, created by Ms. Fetting in her first year as Upper School Director, and she says that they are a way for teachers to “pick an area of interest for them and get in a small group… and then hopefully, by the end of the year, propose some kind of improvement or enhancement to the way we operate as an Upper School.” Mr. Amann describes his ART cohort as “a group of AP teachers…thinking about best practices for AP teaching in general and [preparing] for the transition to AP Exams being online.” Ms. Fetting emphasizes how ART groups have teachers make an impact in ways that interest them. “It’s really important that teachers feel empowered to make decisions that affect their classes and their students… they’ve been really great partners in this work.”

Not all Wednesday meetings are the same, though - sometimes, there are guest speakers, who often also speak to students. This is a very intentional choice, and Ms. Fetting says it’s done so that “we’re all on the same page.” For example, every year, faculty meet with a college admissions representative “to get a reality check on our students’ futures,” as Ms. Eisler puts it. Another guest speaker last year discussed how to better accommodate neurodivergent students. Some Wednesday meetings are split by department or by grade advisors, or when there are 2-hour delays instead of the usual 1-hour, teachers from all three divisions meet.

In conclusion, Wednesday morning meetings are equally beneficial for both students and faculty, who are able to flesh out and discuss their plans for how to make Bryn Mawr even better. While improving might not always be easy, Bryn Mawr’s Upper School faculty are dedicated to supporting their students. Mr. Amann says “This is a very thoughtful group of people who care deeply about our students and our profession.” According to Ms. Fetting, “the teachers have been very creative and flexible.” While the Wednesday meetings do make classes 20 minutes shorter, Ms. Eisler says, “I like knowing that students get a breather while we work… so I’m okay switching up my routine to celebrate that.”