Back when I taught, one of the members of our faculty had the brilliant idea to produce a newsletter for circulation among teachers in the school.
Over time, it evolved an excellent platform for all of us to communicate and share ideas, apart from partaking in the occasional friendly gossip.
Tee-hee.
Thinking about starting one? These are the things that made ours stand out.
1.
We had an advice column from one of the faculty's most respected veterans.
We lucked out, of course, having a respected teacher who was willing to contribute to the newsletter.
At any rate, an advice section for teachers should be a staple for any faculty-circulated newsletter.
2.
We kept things on topic (majority of the time).
A well-defined purpose was one of the things we strived for when we first decided to start the newsletter.
We knew what we wanted ("A monthly resource that helped and inspired teachers") and added pieces that fit the mold.
Sure, we did occasionally stray with a funny gossip or two, but those usually came in passing.
Everyone knew what the publication was about and what to expect from it.
3.
We delivered news in bite-size chunks.
News is good.
Too much of it, however, is just plain boring.
That's why we rewrote news pieces into bite-sized chunks for the newsletter and simply added links to websites where they can follow up.
4.
We focused on positive events in the campus.
Any place you go, there are good things and bad things going on.
Our newsletter didn't strive to be CNN - we were more like Ellen's talk show.
We put a spotlight on positive events that went on in the campus and really brought them to light.
On a last note, don't forget to use a writing correction software for your faculty newsletter.
Some of those English professors can be damn ruthless!