Welcome!

This season of giving and receiving is a good time to think about what it’s like to be a gracious receiver, and how that applies to coaching.  A gracious receiver of a gift appreciates what they receive with kindness. Enjoying what you receive is an expression of gratitude.

How can coaches be great receivers who welcome teachers into the coaching relationship with acceptance and grace? A coach I spoke with this week talked about the importance of being open and accepting, of exuding the feeling, “You’re welcome here.”  This may sound strange, especially if you are meeting in the teacher’s own room, but it’s the coach’s job to put out the welcome mat for the coaching conversation.

Showing genuine interest in a teacher’s work and their experiences in the school and in the classroom is a welcoming gesture.  Ask them what gave them the greatest satisfaction at school that day or during that lesson.  When you find out what a teacher values, tuck away that information and look for opportunities to build on it.  For example, Rachel got great satisfaction when she saw how several of her students jumped to help when another student accidently dumped the contents of her chair pocket. Knowing that Rachel cares about student-to-student interactions, I can be sure to notice and note them.  By doing this, I’m investing in Rachel’s happiness and welcoming her into the coaching relationship.

It’s a welcoming gesture to broadcast a teacher’s strengths, even if she is the only audience.  Acknowledge what is remarkable about her.  When a teacher knows you see her good, she will be open to moving forward rather than digging in to where she is. Quickly noting an asset is more effective than a long explanation of something a teacher should not do.
 
We are welcoming when we position the teacher as peer.  Showing our own vulnerability and mistakes helps teachers recognize that we will allow for their weaknesses and doubts along with their certainty and confidence. They know they can show up to a coaching conversation as their whole, real selves, not as a perfect imposter.  The old Billy Joel song, “I love you just the way you are,” has relevance here.  Welcoming in this way invites vulnerability, which opens the door for learning.
 
Welcome questions and problems. Ask, “What are you wondering about?” Tolerate hesitations. Welcome teachers’ half-baked ideas, the parts of their work that they are still figuring out.  Encourage ideas.  Make sure teachers feel valued for who they are and what they bring to the table.
 
When a teacher feels welcomed and understood, there is a purposeful connection. Respectful willingness to receive a teacher and her intentions empowers her to attempt, and accomplish, things she may otherwise not feel driven to do. Feeling welcomed and valued inspires greatness.
 
I’ve noticed that two coaches may seem to be acting in similar ways but have very different results. They may be equally knowledgeable and dependable, even using the same coaching moves. But the coach who is friendly, reassuring and personable, the one who is there to chat as well as to offer support, is more likely to be effective.  Putting out the welcome mat opens the door for successful coaching.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Interactive literacy games:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/three-classroom-games-for-literacy-learning-and-laughter/
 
 
Rethinking homework:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/rethinking-homework/
 
 
This podcast about managing the ambiguity of teaching in the current climate:
 
https://www.bamradionetwork.com/track/managing-the-ambiguity-loss-of-control-and-fatigue-of-teaching-in-the-current-climate/
 
 
28 Student-Centered instructional strategies:
 
https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/28-student-centered-instructional-strategies/
 
 
The value of shared reading (and how to do it with digital books):
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/shared-reading-in-the-digital-age/
 
That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!
 
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