Consistency

The last few weeks, our routines have been turned upside down. For many, lives have changed in markable ways. We are teaching remotely, supporting remotely, and making social connections while remaining physically distant. Last week’s news is old in a way it never has been before. Amidst all of this change, we miss and recognize the value of consistency: steadfast adherence to the same course.

There’s a saying about not knowing the value of something until you lose it.  Now that we have lost consistency in many aspects of our lives, we see its value with more clarity.  So this may be a good time to reflect on the consistency of your actions and words as a coach. Take a look at your coaching life and fill in the blanks:

If I was more consistent in _____________________________, I would be more successful at _____________________________________. 

Perhaps if I was more consistent in scheduling time for professional reading, I would be more successful at sharing targeted resources as needs arise. I would be nurturing my own growth as a professional.

If I was more consistent in meeting with teachers before an observation, I would be more successful at collecting feedback that targeted areas where teachers wanted to grow.

If I was more consistent in listening before recommending, my recommendations would be a better match for students and teachers.

Consistency brings dependability and nurtures trust. Consistency lets people know what to expect.  If a teacher knows you’ll always ask her to reflect on a lesson before jumping in with your own thoughts, she’ll be prepared to share insights.  If a teacher knows you’ll ask for evidence of student learning, he’ll come prepared with examples.

Consistency develops routines and builds momentum. It forms habits.  John Maxwell, an author and leadership coach, says, “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” Little by little, change happens.

Consistency is about setting and maintaining goals for how you are going to think, talk, and act. If the pandemic has created changes in daily routines that open time for introspection, this might be a good time for goal setting. What will you be consistent about now? What new routines will you put in place when life gets back to a more normal routine?

Consistency requires the ability to look at long-term benefits and stay focused. The more consistent we are in how we think, talk, and act, the more we will be able to accomplish.  What is one thing you can be more consistent about this week?

This week, you might want to take a look at:

Practice random acts of coaching:

https://stephanieaffinito.blogspot.com/2020/02/random-acts-of-coaching.html

Helping students find good fit books:

https://ccira.blog/2020/02/10/an-essential-tool-for-all-readers/

Approaching difficult coaching conversations:

https://barkleypd.com/blog/approaches-to-difficult-conversations/

Ideas for elementary students learning at home:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-support-home-learning-early-elementary

Tips for online learning (from countries that have been doing this for 6 weeks or longer):

https://kimcofino.com/blog/2020/03/14/6-weeks-counting-lessons-from-covid-19-school-closures/

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Restoring Joy!

Now more than ever, teachers need ways to restore joy to their work, their students, and their lives.  You may be feeling that an extra dose of joy is what you need as well!  Because I chose joyful as my word for 2020, I’ve been giving this idea a lot of thought the last couple of months.  Read on for a few ideas to implement and share.

Reflection.  Slowing down, making time to reflect can help to restore joy.  In the classroom (whether virtual or face-to-face), this means building in time to recapture an experience, mull it over, and evaluate in order to learn.  Where is the pause in your day?  How can you create space for reflection in your work with teachers?  How are teachers creating opportunities for their students to reflect?  Rather than letting the noise of technology fill all of the space during physical isolation, let’s include time to pause and ponder as part of our new routines.  When we are together again in the classroom, we will find that slowing down to reflect can also benefit classroom culture.  Remember, though, that joy is usually found in balance rather than extremes.  Reflection goes awry when it becomes self-criticism.  Recycling past mistakes makes one miserable!  Instead of constantly rewinding and replaying past mistakes, balance reflection with mindfulness. 

Presence.  Replace, “I should have’s” and “Why didn’t I’s” with active engagement in the moment.  Being present means being tuned in. Right now, that might mean pausing to feel the carpet under your feet or watching the trees sway outside your window.  In your coaching, it might be a calming pause, or even melt-in-your-mouth chocolates in a jar.  In the teaching moment, it might be really listening to a student’s answer, or playing soft music during writing time.  Including something to focus the senses can bring a sense of presence, and that mindfulness helps to renew joy.

Work.  While work can sometimes overwhelm, a balanced work renews joy.  Creative effort is thrilling and gives a sense of accomplishment!  Being engaged in meaningful work creates a satisfaction that we can’t find in any other way.  Joy happens when you are so caught up in what you’re doing that you forget where you end and something else begins. When joy is lacking in work, it might be because the work feels mundane. To add delight, mix up the routine, spark imagination, try an original idea.  At home that might mean cooking something new or getting your hands dirty in the garden. When coaching, co-planning a big project or unit could bring satisfaction.  Finding successes to celebrate also enhances the joy of work (in personal life, when coaching, and in the classroom).

Relationships.  Personal connections are a source of joy!  People with different perspectives can be important assets. Joy is when you really see, and are seen, by another. In your life and work, plan for relationship-building activities.  Teachers often include such activities at the beginning of the school year, but relationship-building activities are important all year long.  To boost joy, ask teachers about their favorite relationship-building activities.  Encourage them to share their favorites with one another.  Sharing not only provides everyone with more ideas, it offers an opportunity to connect in a meaningful way.  In your own relationships, your coaching work, and the classroom, giving personal attention shows that you care about others’ individual well-being.  Strong social connections increase happiness. 

During this time when we are increasing self-isolation for our own well-being and that of our communities, we may need to make an extra effort to create personal connections.  Dr. Ed Bengston, a professor of educational administration, suggests that we replace the phrase "social distancing" with "physical distancing" and be sure to practice "social connecting." I like his idea!

Even though our world is full of uncertainty, we can find joy in the beautiful and the surprising.  We can find joy through reflecting, connecting, and creating.  I hope today’s post helps you consider what this might look like now for you and the teachers and students you work with.  Let's aim for building an enduring culture of joy!
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This week, you might want to take a look at:

What’s working (and not) for distance learning:

https://symphonyofideas.wordpress.com/2020/03/15/emergency-distance-learning-whats-working-and-whats-not/

Encourage student journals as primary sources for future historians:

https://www.middleweb.com/42521/kids-journals-could-become-primary-sources/

Technology tips for teachers:

https://www.educationdegree.com/articles/technology-tips-for-teachers/

Cautions about virtual reality for young learners:

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-03-09-how-to-effectively-use-ar-and-vr-apps-with-young-learners

Self-care for coaches:

https://stephanieaffinito.blogspot.com/2020/03/self-care-for-instructional-coaches.html

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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Show Up as Yourself

Students need an authentic teacher.  They can sense when their teachers are not being authentic.  Authentic teachers fill their classroom with purpose and a sense of joy. They show up as themselves.  Because of this, their classroom is a better place for themselves and for their students. 

Values.  An authentic teacher is true to her values, to her students, and to her own uniqueness.  She is self-aware and has made a commitment to teaching. She has reflected on the purpose of education and her role in it.  To her, education matters. There is consistency between her beliefs and her actions. She has self-knowledge about her own identity as a teacher and is true to herself, even if this means being inconsistent with the expectations of others. 

Originality.  An authentic teacher is creative and teaches with originality.  He realizes that the lesson he is teaching has never been taught just this way before. His teach and is responsive to the uniqueness in himself and in his students. His instructional decisions match his needs and theirs.  Every time he makes a decision about teaching, it is original, because it is specific to his students and his setting.

Mindfulness.  An authentic teacher is present.  Both her mind and her body are in the room.  She is primed to listen. She is aware of what is going on right now.  She notices how things are instead of how they ought to be. A mindful teacher manages her own emotions better because she is paying attention to self and others.  Because mindful teachers are more aware of their own emotions, they feel the joy of a true connection with their students. 

Playfulness.  Play is natural, not just in childhood, but throughout our lives. As we grow older, we often suppress our playfulness, thinking it is immature.  Playfulness is one of the reasons I smile whenever I enter an elementary school.  The children’s playfulness is palpable.  It resonates with a need deep within.  Being playful doesn’t have to mean getting out the dolls or blocks.  It means bringing a sense of wonder to the task, rather than seeing it as work or punishment.  Instead of saying, “It’s time to do our math work,” what if we said, “It’s time to play with math!”  Joyful playfulness unleashes our inner exuberance.

When teachers don’t show up as themselves, they feel like imposters. Their instructional decisions don't match themselves or their students. They are distracted. Their actions feel robotic.  Their classrooms are missing joy.

As a coach, how are you helping teacher be true to themselves?  Beyond best practices, teachers need to bring their unique, purposeful selves to every lesson.  It may seem like an indulgence to coach for authenticity, but because of it, the classroom will be a more productive place.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

Modeling as an instructional strategy – how much?

https://barkleypd.com/blog/instructional-strategy-modeling-why-how-and-why-not/

Reflecting on your reflection!

https://newbycoachlive.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/5-good-reasons-to-become-a-reflective-coach/

Using author visits to support writing (in ELA and across the curriculum):

https://www.edutopia.org/article/inspire-students-author-visit

Study shows teachers prefer coaching for PD (and ideas for increasing impact):

https://thejournal.com/articles/2020/02/10/teachers-like-coaching-for-pd-but-impact-could-be-greater.aspx

National poetry month is coming!  Find ideas here for getting ready:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn

This post will remind you why teaching poetry is valuable.  Along with some wistful words, there are ideas for incorporating poetry into your classroom:

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/eating-poetry/

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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What’s On Your Mind?

Unless there’s an urgent need to do otherwise, it’s best to coach teachers on something they are interested in working on.  To figure out what that is, “What’s on your mind?” is a useful open-ended question to start a conversation. 

(If that question sounds familiar, it may be because it’s the prompt in Facebook to create a post.  I think the Facebook gurus are onto something!)

According to Michael Stanier, a business coach, asking “What’s on your mind?” can quickly move a conversation to what’s exciting, anxiety-provoking, or all-consuming for the person.  It’s a question that says, “Let’s talk about what matters most to you!”  This question invites teachers to get to the heart of what they care about and grants them the autonomy to choose the coaching path ahead.

Once you’ve gotten to a core concern, be sure that both you and the teacher understand why this issue is important.  Making this connection moves the conversation from coaching a specific situation to coaching for development, which ensures a broader and more sustained impact.

I recently met with Allison, a special education teacher.  When I asked, “What’s on your mind,” the conversation moved quickly to how her role as “co-teacher” in one class turned out to be a situation where she was basically being used as an aide, a role that was not satisfying for her and not as impactful for students as it could have been.  We got straight to a need and began looking at the people and processes that were constructing this situation.

A conversation with another teacher, Sarah, quickly became productive when I asked, “What’s on your mind?”  She wondered about how the new scripted curriculum they’d been given for reading comprehension was going to meet the needs of her first graders.  Although she saw the value of a focus on comprehension, the program took up much of their reading block, leaving little time for the foundational skills her students still needed to develop.  We were instantly talking about something that mattered.

Instead of letting a conversation drag on with small talk or telling the teacher what the topic will be, asking, “What’s on your mind?” demonstrates your curiosity  and concern, your trust for the teacher to have insights about her own needs.  It signals an open agenda rather than a pre-set coaching script. It cues reflection and sharing and sets you up for meaningful coaching work. Give this question a go and watch it launch a productive coaching conversation!

This week, you might want to take a look at:

Thoughts about mindful test-taking that can be applied more broadly:

https://choiceliteracy.com/article/mindful-test-taking/

Lessons learned as an instructional coach:

https://www.edtechteam.com/blog/2020/02/5-lessons-ive-learned-as-an-instructional-coach/

Read aloud ideas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq60ifhdQe8&feature=youtu.be

Building content knowledge as teachers of writing:

https://ccira.blog/2020/02/26/building-the-content-knowledge-we-need-as-teachers-of-writers/

Advice on co-teaching:

https://buzzingwithmsb.blogspot.com/2020/02/high-impact-coaching-teaching-with.html

That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!

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