We had 7 junior high meets, this year our girls team won 4 of those meets and finished 2nd in the other 3. We also broke 5 different school relay records, some of which we broke several times with different girls running. And maybe even more amazing, we didn't set any individual records, it was all done through a team effort! Why am I telling you all this? Well because of what the girls were willing to do to be successful. We had a group of girls that were focused on what they could do to make the TEAM successful. In typical junior high fashion, everyone wants to run the shortest race possible, for some a 100 yard dash is too long. But this season we had girls that were willing to try any race, they would come and ask us coaches what race the team needed to try and get some points in: the 800, 1500, 400, shot put, etc. They wanted to help the team in whatever event they could. And because of their willingness to try different events, we discovered hidden talents that the girls themselves didn't know they had.
So how does this relate to instructional coaching and education. Well, for me personally this year I have discovered my own hidden talents. I have discovered that I do have a creative gene, THANKS MOM! My mother was an art major and taught art for 20 years, but I never really thought of myself as being creative. I am a math nerd, all about facts, numbers, and spreadsheets, which I do love, don't get me wrong. But this year my creative gene was put into action, and I surprised myself with how creative I could be. It all came about as our Instructional Coaching team was looking for ways to get staff more engaged and excited about attending PD. We have been working on making Professional Development more personal for staff by focusing it around a learning goal in 1 of 6 areas (The BIG 6) that staff feel will best help them implement high impact instruction. We also wanted to get away from the same sit and get type of PD in which staff tune out and don't enjoy. We tried our best to come up with clever engaging actives to help staff get more out of the professional learning. We did a game show themed PD, The Praise is Right, when present info to staff on developing a growth mindset and praising the progress of the learning, not the outcome. We did a Star Wars themed PD on May 4th, May the Fourth Be With You, when we introduced the idea of using video to set student focused goals. We did a scavenger hunt using ipads and an app called Layar. It was fun to see teachers racing each other through the hallways! So I feel like our efforts to make PD more engaging for staff is working, we still have areas to improve in and work on, but who knows, I might discover even more hidden talents as we plan and create PD for next year. It has been a great two year as an Instructional Coach, and I have learned more about education, teaching, and myself then I had ever learned in my classroom.
So now the question comes to you. What hidden talents do you have that you aren't using yet? What can you bring to the "team" that will help us be more successful?
So get ready, the talent search is on, and YOU BRING THE TALENT!!!!
New idea: TALENT SHOW themed PD coming Fall 2016?!?! TBD.... The possibilities are endless!
