Being An Instructional Coach Is Hard Work, So Find Your 'Why' And Stay In The Coaching Game!
If you’re a coach and you’re having fun, then it must be working. After all, why else would you continue to stay in this line of work? However, if you’re not enjoying your time at the office researching new ideas and techniques or in the classroom getting ideas from teachers, then you may still be searching for your “Why.” Let me just tell you, being a coach isn’t easy. Sure, it might seem like a wonderful job at first glance. You get to spend time with administrators, teachers, and sometimes other coaches but many times it gets lonely- especially if you don’t have another coach at your school. We spend most of our time creating professional development, building relationships, and working our way into classrooms. This job is not for the faint of heart and sometimes it can be difficult toeing the line between administration and coach. Sure, it might feel great having your teachers rely on you for advice on every new concept or curriculum reform but is that really enough to keep you going?
Decide “Why” you’re doing this and what makes you happy!
Start with your “Why” Simon Sinek
I love coaching because it makes me happy! I am a resource, and I learn so much from my teachers as they learn from me! I work hard to include them in ideas and help them every step of the way with new content implementation. So, why are you a coach? What are the skills you’re trying to develop? Why does what you’re doing matter? Why does it matter that your teachers are learning these skills? If you can find the answers to these questions, you’re a step closer to making coaching more fun and more fulfilling.
Build up your stamina
There are multiple times a year when it’s like starting over. There is the winter break, spring break, holidays, and summer. These are all times that you have to relax but they can also be a time to learn, grow, travel, and network. I try to involve myself in training, and coaching memberships, and identify top Instructional coaching books that were published during the year. If you’re excited to see your teachers, you have to show it every time! I try to express how much I miss them and many times I create a re-cap using a video of their successes (of course with their approval)! We come together and I share how they are doing important work and I couldn’t do it without them. Building stamina is a challenge because there is a particular skill set that comes from ‘reading the room’ and making a quick pivot on the spot. In every professional development session, I have an “accordion activity,” which means a breakout activity that reinforces the skill. I always have a review, a quick game, and small prizes that they can use. There are times when we didn’t go for the whole hour and that’s okay but it takes time and with the accordion activity the time goes by super fast!
Make it super fun for everyone involved
Coaching can be incredibly rewarding— As a coach, it’s important to not take yourself too seriously. There are many moments when I make a mistake in front of my team and they are so forgiving! Here are a couple of ideas that I like to incorporate in my professional development to ensure teachers are enjoying our time together.
Develop interactive polls during a presentation
Create a fun Kahoot to review a new concept!
Solve a problem together- Use large post-its and solve a problem
Snowball fight with solutions- Take the piece of paper and write down your idea (throw it read it comment, and throw it again) eventually read it aloud
Create a Padlet- ask questions, upload memes, and engage your audience
Share a lesson- teachers get 15 min to role-play a lesson for teachers and provide handouts for others
Create mini videos- flip the PD and have pre-learning before the actual activity and teachers spend the time together planning it into their lessons.
Conclusion
Instructional Coaching is hard. It’s sometimes stressful but it is so rewarding, I am able to take ideas from teachers and develop mini-steps for them to incorporate these ideas into lessons. I am able to take a group’s idea and seek out funding for our school. I once helped three teachers develop a school-wide makers space that had local funding from our community. So, if you want to make instructional coaching a more fulfilling line of work—one where you actually enjoy going to work every day—you have to get creative, get feedback from others, and continue to grow.
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