You Bring the Talent

I have coached junior high girls track for the past 10 years, it's "funtastic"!  Honestly, I do enjoy it, especially when we have a season like this year.
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!

Superhero Team Up

Avengers

Justice League

X-Men

Guardians of the Galaxy

In my last blog post I was reflecting on how we as educators need to work together as a team in order to become an expert.  This, along with the new superhero movie that is the beginnings of the justice league, got me thinking about superhero team ups could be a metaphor for teachers.  So hang on for a ride through my wacky brain.

Every superhero has their unique set of skills that are their strengths, aka powers.  But each hero also has their weakness, their kryptonite.  Therefore, the idea and creation of forming a superhero team.  The idea of having a team of uniquely skilled people working together, complementing each other, balancing each others strengths and weakness to form an unbreakable, unbeatable force that always conquer evil.

Most teachers are in education because they have a passion for working with the youth of the world in efforts to make a difference (#whyiteach).  Each individual teacher has their unique set of teaching powers that they used to reach students on a daily basis.  However, it is a long often unthankful task, which can cause even the strongest Superteacher to lose hope.  Each individual teacher also has some weakness in their teaching, whether it be working with the latest newest technology, creating differentiated lessons, attending professional development with a growth mindset, or sharing ideas with other colleagues.  

But what if, like the Avengers or the Justice League, teachers teamed up with each other.  Building off of each others strengths and weakness.  A teacher that struggles with using technology joins a team of new young teachers that grew up on tech.  A teacher that struggles with differentiating teams up with a special ed teacher who has to differentiate on a daily basis.  However, in order for the super team to happen, like the actual super team, each individual member must be willing to be vulnerable, open, honest, and trusting.  Because until they can do that, the is no team.  So while I am on the topic, here are some thoughts about teamwork.

1. It's all about teamwork.  Sometimes you are the superhero and sometimes you are the sidekick.
2. You have to work hard at being a great sidekick and teammate.  I tell this to my athletes that I coach all the time.  When we work hard to be a great team member we make everyone around us better.
3. It's not about who is the superstar.  It is about making sure that everyone on the team is valued and important.
4. Great teams have a great culture driven by great leadership.   Relationships are meaningful and teammates are connected.  The collective attitude is very positive and everyone on the team works hard to accomplish the mission.
5. One person can't make a team, but one person can break a team.  Make sure you don't let the "dark side" sabotage your team.  Stay positive.
6. Team beats talent when talent isn't a team.  The ideal behind creating a superhero team is that together they are stronger than any one individual superhero no matter how powerful they are.
7. Unity is the difference between a great team and an average team. 

You and your team will face challenges daily.  You can settle for average and choose the path of mediocrity and attempt it on your own or you can take on the evil as a team of superteachers and battle for a chance at greatness.  It's a choice you make, "With great power, comes great responsibility."  Which path will your superhero take?

NOT an EXPERT

Let me make this perfectly clear, I am NOT an expert!  I am not an expert teacher.  I am not an expert instructional coach.  I am not an expert brother, son, or man.
 
But my goal of this blog post is to show others that the biggest part of the instructional coaching program is about learning from our mistakes, and also maybe more importantly, letting others help us and learn with us through our mistakes.  So often teachers feel like they have to tackle this challenge on their own and that they can't let others know about areas they are working on or areas that they are struggling with.  This has been developed by years of teaching in isolation.  The goal of instructional coaching is to break down that isolation and to develop a team of teachers, that together as a team can become an expert.

I believe one of the best ways to do this is by allowing others to see our mistakes.  So that is why I have linked my teaching evaluation video.  This has been one of the biggest helps to my growth as an educator.  We don't get to "see" ourselves teach too often.  Yes, we can reflect on a lesson. I thought this lesson went really well...until I watched the recording!  In the lesson I was co-teaching with another math teacher, as the instructional coach I was going to model how to use Mental Modeling.  After the lesson, I thought I did a great job with my mental modeling, it wasn't until I watched the recording that I realized I made some grand mistakes.  I started off good, with using my "I statements" and explaining my thought process behind how I tackle new problems.  But as I went through the lesson, I stopped using the "I statements" and even at one point was asking questions that I was then answering myself.  It was confusing to the students, was I asking them a question or not.  At one point, a couple of hands even went up to answer the question I had asked, but I just kept on talking, answering the question myself and the hands slowly went back down.  Students were confused if I was instructing them, or if I was mental modeling my thinking because I had stopped using authentic "I statements".

What I am trying to get across is the idea that we are not alone in this journey.  Let others know we are not perfect, we have areas that we are strong in and areas that we are working on.  We should let each other know what are strengths and weakness are so that we can work together to support each other.

One of the great parts about my role as an instructional coach is that I have 3 other coaches to work with.  We each have our own set of skills and areas that we are strong in and areas that we are weak in.  But what has helped me grow is that I know I can trust them to help me with my weaknesses.

We should work together as a team, encourage others when they are struggling, celebrate successes together, and combine all our strengths and weakness in order to be an EXPERT TEAM of EDUCATORS.

Research Study

The pressure to provide high quality instruction that reaches all students may be greater today than ever before.  Teachers are challenged daily to deliver lessons that are engaging, thought-provoking, aligned to standards, differentiated, and will improve student test scores.  One word, WOW!

I recently just completed my master's research paper: What Impact does an Instructional Coach have on Teachers Incorporating Professional Development into their Teaching, in which I looked how my role as an instructional coach has helped the teachers I work with to better implement and incorporate teaching strategies into their classrooms.  If we are going to provide high quality instruction described above, Instructional Coaches are going to lead the way! Check the link to my presentation on some of my findings.

Research Presentation

It's a Long Road

The school year started with me not sure exactly what laid ahead.  I was beginning a new career in a new program as an instructional coach.  I was leaving everything I knew and loved to take on a role that wasn't even really defined yet.

But, after completely my first year as an instructional coach, I can truly say it is the best job I ever had.

I have taken the first steps, and I am very excited about what lies ahead on my journey.
Things I enjoyed this first year:
1) Building better relationships with staff.  In years pass I never really had the need to leave the math hallway.  This year, I was always out and about the building popping into many different classrooms and getting to know a lot more of the staff.
2) Still teaching and working with students and staff.  Opposite of what many people thought when the position was created, but I actually spent a lot of time in classrooms co-teaching with several different teachers, leading lessons, filling in and covering classes, and of course teaching/leading professional development for staff.  I also worked weekly with students struggling in math, something that wouldn't have been possible without my position.
3) Learning!  I learned so much from observing my colleagues.  My fellow coaches would agree, that if we did go back to regular classroom teachers we would be so much better from all that we learned through watching some of the amazing teachers that we have.

Things I didn't expect:
1) Books, so many books!  I would have never expected to get so many resources.  The running joke was that they should have given us an office key and bookshelf when we accepted the instructional coaching position.
2) Lots of meetings.  I have probably attend more meetings this year then all my teaching career combined.  But many of those meetings were very important and helpful to my role as instructional coach.  For example, we would meet once a week with the coaching team and administration.  Those meetings were key in helping support our teachers.
3) "I'm FINE"  The phase most often heard by coaches in efforts to support our teachers.  I was surprise by the resistance of staff to want to work with a coach and how many teachers felt like the instructional coaches were there to evaluate them.  BUT...

It's a long road, and the journey has just begun.  The first steps have been taken and we are looking ahead, and the future is filled with promise.  I am excited about the journey that lies before me!

Getting Closer

In order to make progress, we first have to be willing to make change.  Change is tough, plain and simple!  It is very easy to continue doing the same thing year after year, especially in education. But you have to be willing to ask yourself, are you really providing the best opportunities/experiences for your students?

In reflecting on my own teaching experience, I have never really had the chance to get stuck in a routine as I was making changes fairly regularly.  I have been in 4 different educational roles in my 12 years of teaching and almost yearly changing curriculum or level.  I have found this to be very rewarding and although there can be great rewards with teaching the same level/same curriculum for many years, that's just not my style.  I need a change of pace, a new adventure, a new challenge ever so often.  That was one of the driving forces behind me apply and taking this role as an Instructional Coach.  I wanted a new challenge, a change of pace.

In reflecting on the past year in this new role, specially this last quarter of the school year, it has been inspiring to see other teachers realize the progress that can be gained through even a little change.  Recently we had teachers reflect about something that went well this year through professional development.  It was rewarding reading the different comments that teachers had written and exciting to see how they noticed that with a little more effort and working on just even one specific goal (teachers created a SMART goal for the 4th quarter) that student achievement can be affected for the better.  Teachers were asking themselves if they were providing the best opportunities/experiences for their students.

It is not ALL there yet, but we are closer then we were before we had Instructional Coaches, and it is really exciting to look ahead at where this program can take our teachers and our students in the future!

TEACHCENTER

 

 TEACHCENTER

Working along side my partner coaches here at the Junior High, we have created and launched our own website, TeachCenter!  We were looking for a way to offer support and resources to help our teaching staff learn and grow.  It's kinda fitting that since we are "Coaches" everything has got a sports theme to it.

I hope that as we continue to grow and add to our website, that it will give others ideas, inspiration, and support as we teach and inspire the youth of today.