Coaching
Relationships-Relevance-Rigor-Reflection
When I think about Coaching, a picture like this comes to mind. Since learning about the "4 R's" of Coaching at a presentation at NCTIES, I have a new perspective of this work. When building relationships, I must be present. Coming into a space, meeting with a coachee, asking questions, listening. To do the work, I must be there.
As I take a metaphorical look into what's going on, the coachee and I can build relevancy to make connections. These ripples can be far-reaching, and when done well, extend farther and deeper than we imagined.
These ripples lead to the rigor. I know that an indicator of good work with a coachee is that they leave our time a little bit challenged, disrupted. When looking at a scene like this, there is a difficult boulder, but it's about finding the right path to conquer the challenge.
This work has the potential to lead coachees to reflect in powerful ways. It is easy to look at the reflection of the landscape as a whole, but if a coachee can focus-in, see their part really well, it is then that they are best equipped to look carefully at the entire reflection. Finding themselves first is key.
Relationships-Relevance-Rigor-Reflection... the rhythm of our work that allows us to gain the beauty of the entire picture.
1.
The Art of Coaching, The Art of Coaching Teams, and Coaching for Equity by Elena Aguilar; Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain by Zaretta Hammond
These books (and online course and webinars) have greatly added to my skills and knowledge of coaching. These books have caused me to reflect upon my leadership style and have offered activities and self-assessments to immediately use in my coaching work. The Ready 4 Rigor framework aligns with my philosophy of teaching and learning and how our ultimate goal is to help students become independent learners.
2.
My Coaching PLC and mentor
I wholeheartedly agree that no one grows alone, and my PLC and mentor have been invaluable in my coaching journey this year! In our times together, we debriefed our coaching responsibilities, engaged in discussion about mentor texts, and tried protocols with one another. We have a reliable and consistent way of communicating, and I love that we used our core values to create norms in year 2 of our work together.
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Make a commitment to new learning.
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Participate fully and responsibly.
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Collaborate with no expectation of replication.
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Hold each other accountable while maintaining balance (and TO maintaining balance!).
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View all of our work through the lens of equity.
3.
NCDLCN
As a part of the North Carolina Digital Leaders and Coaching Network, I gained invaluable experiences and knowledge. My participation in this program specifically developed my knowledge and skills to coach teachers in personalized learning. This professional learning opportunity was innovative and equipping.
4.
NCTIES
I attended NCTIES in 2018 as a teacher attendee. However, in my first year of coaching, I came with the coaching lens and presented a session with former colleagues. I attended some outstanding sessions presented by staff at the Friday Institute. Their work inspired by coaching and pushed me to consider new perspectives. In 2020, I got to attend with my Coach PLC! In 2021, at the virtual version of NCTIES, I presented and attended with colleagues from Wolfpack WORKS!
5.
Podcasts!
I'm always inspired and challenged by the content featured on The Cult of Pedgagogy blog and podcast. Some of my most innovative lessons have come as a result of learning from this work! As a coach, I've learned so much from The Bright Morning (Elena Aguilar) podcast. Getting to hear coaching conversations has really impacted my language and questioning. I listen to Brene Brown's Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead podcasts, as well as Adam Grant's Work Life podcast- all of which help me to become a better educator, coach, colleague, and human.
6.
Twitter/my PLN
A former colleague and I were recently talking about the time we taught together. We came to the realization that Twitter was the leading factor in spurring our growth as educators. I cannot recommend connecting with educators via social media enough!
7.
Time
At the beginning of my coaching journey, this is what intimidated me the most. While I there's never enough of it to work with all the people in all of the ways, I learned the power of using my time to reflect, to plan strategically, and to invest in myself so that time together with others would be multiplied by my efforts. For me, sometimes this means scheduling time for my professional learning and growth. It always means using efficient tools, such as my Google Calendar and Calendly to use my time as a superpower!
