Why
can two coaches use exactly the same approaches and protocols and have
different results? I’ve been thinking a
lot about this as I’ve observed coaches who have varying degrees of
success. In doing so, I’ve recognized
that protocols and structures are important, but there are personal attributes
that can make a difference between a successful coach and an unsuccessful
one. The good news is, these attributes
can be cultivated.
One
important attribute is humility. How do
you know if you’re humble enough? At the
risk of being too proud, I’ll tell you two stories about when my humility
gained important attention and respect.
Two
summers ago, I had the chance to go to China and teach a children’s writing
camp. It was an awesome experience! The children, of course, after they got over
their surprise, treated me just like they would treat another teacher. But for the adults, it was different. I have to admit, I didn’t mind being treated
like royalty! Everyone wanted to make
sure their international visitor was having a good experience. Well, that was nice, but I tried not to let it
go to my head.
One
day, we did a really messy lesson where students earned frosting and decorations
for their sugar cookies based on how descriptive their writing was. We hurried to finish up before students left
for the day, and afterwards there was quite a sticky mess! There were four student teachers and one
university professor (the hostess for my trip) who all began gathering and cleaning. I grabbed some frosting covered trays, headed
to the sink, and started scrubbing. My
back was to the others as I cleaned the trays, but I heard whispering and
turned my head to see the student teachers tipping their heads together and
murmuring to one another. Their professor had her phone out and was taking a
picture – of me. I wondered what was up
and was a little self-conscious, but I turned back to the sink and kept
scrubbing.
Later,
when we met to debrief the day, the professor held up her phone with the photo
of me. She said to her student teachers,
“This is what I want you to understand.
See how Vicki serves?” The fact
that I did not sit there and watch them clean up, but pitched in and helped,
made them all more ready to learn as we continued our work together.
A similar experience occurred when I
was working as a district literacy coordinator and was assigned to support
teachers at a school that had just been labeled, “Turnaround,” meaning that if
they didn’t turn things around, they’d be taken over. Needless to say, it was a tense environment! When I showed up for the first meeting, Ellen,
the instructional coach, welcomed me from atop a folding chair, where she was
putting up a bulletin board border. “What can I do to help?” I asked, knowing,
like she did, that the superintendent would be making a “surprise” visit in
about an hour. Between the two of us, we
quickly finished the bulletin board, stapling up statements of district and
school goals to greet school visitors. I
noticed several teachers pause in their treks down the hall and look up at me,
questioning. Later, Mary Ellen told me, “You
won a lot of trust that way.” Rolling up
my sleeves and stapling a few papers before the superintendent’s visit helped
teachers feel that I was on their side,
working with them, not on them.
The
gist of being humble is how you position yourself. Side by side works better than directing from
above. This is true both literally and
metaphorically. If I stand in front of
the screen while teachers are sitting at the table, I’m not taking a humble
stance. If I hold my ideas above those
of others, I might be a bit arrogant.
Oh,
yes – and don’t be too proud about your humility! 😊 Just when you think, “I’m there, I’m humble!”
you may start to feel a bit too good about yourself for it to actually be
true. That’s why this is such a tricky
attribute to maintain!
Coaches
are often hired because they have extensive knowledge and experience. But the
truly wise coach will recognize that keeping her ego in check is necessary for
developing and sustaining coaching relationships. It’s wonderful to be confident about what we
bring to the table, but we must always acknowledge that others bring valid and
valuable knowledge and experience, and coaching is a learning journey we
undertake together.
Attributes
like humility can make or break a coach’s work, even if she has all the right
procedures in place. I’m working to grow
these attributes myself, and I hope sharing these ideas will support you on
your own personal journey.
This week, you
might want to take a look at:
Supporting
healthy reflection:
The case for
independent reading:
Preserving teachers, preventing
burnout:
Why gamification is worth considering
as an instructional approach:
Storifying social-emotional learning
(the article specifies the EL classroom, but the ideas work all around):
--------------------
I’m
starting a new Facebook book group for my book, Collaborative
Lesson Study. For a free, downloadable Quickstart Guide to Lesson Study and an
invitation to join the closed Facebook group, go here.
Each week between Jan. 27 and March 27 we’ll discuss
one chapter (and I’ll add a quick video).
Read or comment as much or as little as you’d like.
--------------------
That’s all for
this week. Happy Coaching!
Was this helpful? Please share!
Want to know about new posts? Click
“Follow” (bottom right)
No comments:
Post a Comment