Saturday, October 26, 2013

The Logic of Respect

If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them become better than they are.
                                                                                                         John W. Gardner

Trust and respect are intertwined.  Where there is mutual trust, colleagues develop an understanding of each other’s views, strengths, and needs.  This understanding leads to respect.  We can usually understand another’s actions better when we take the time to find out about what that person values and has experienced and when we respect their individual attributes.  Inquiring about teachers’ past experiences gives you a window into their instructional actions.  If you respect the individual, things will eventually make sense. 

One of the teachers I’m working with provides a good example.  Erica is a quiet beauty.  Somehow, I’ve come to associate beautiful young women with outgoing personalities, but this is not the case for Erica.  She is serene and thoughtful.  Her lesson plans are detailed and well-envisioned.  I’ve watched her in the classroom, moving from student to student with quiet comments that elevate students’ thinking.  She will never be the sage on the stage, the entertainer-type of teacher.  I wouldn’t want her to be. 

When coaching Erica, I started by acknowledging the powerful conversations she was having with individual students, labeling them for her as “conferences.”  We initially talked about structuring those conferences for increased impact.  I tried to build from where she was and the unique assets she brought as a teacher before making suggestions that might have been a bit more outside of her comfort zone.  We were well into our coaching work before we talked about bringing more exuberance to her read alouds.  A buoyant read-aloud, with lilt in her voice, dynamic volume, and pregnant pauses did not come naturally to her.  But she recognized the need and was willing to work on it because of the mutual respect we had developed.  Unprompted, she even began adding different voices for each character, and admitted to practicing in front of her mirror (after shutting the door to keep her roommates on the other side!). 

Instruction is most likely to improve when we respect the teachers we are working with and have earned their respect.  Don’t be in a rush to recommend; work on building respect and understanding first.  The simple equation for those in a rush is:  no respect = no change.* 


*Powers, B. (2011).  Choice Literacy Newsletter, September 27, 2011.  Downloaded from choiceliteracy.com. 


This week, you might want to take a look at these ideas for using technology in coaching and in the classroom:

A video about using technology to coach:



A site with reviews of educational websites and apps that is searchable by subject area, grade, and cost (including plenty that are free!):



This Pinterest Board on using technology in the classroom:


An NPR podcast about how social media boosts literacy:


Online reading & writing tools:


That’s all for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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