Positive Assumptions

 
What we do when coaching is important, but who we are as coaches matters, too. The self we bring to coaching should be curious, humble, and courageous. Being open and having positive assumptions also helps us establish and maintain coach-teacher relationships.  
 
Coaches who have positive assumptions demonstrate confidence, hope, and trust in the teachers they work with. They come to a conversation with an open mind and heart. They assume the teacher has students’ best interests at the core of their decision-making and that they are doing the best they can in any given moment. They look for real root causes rather than assuming negative intentions.
 
For example, when Staci said that after-school team meetings wouldn’t work for her, her coach didn’t jump to the conclusion that Staci wasn’t willing to work beyond contracted hours. In a one-on-one conversation later, she discovered that Staci’s childcare arrangements required her to get out the door quickly at the end of the day. Staci was more than willing to spend the time necessary to plan with her team and to work independently – it was the proposed time that was the problem.
 
When coaches have positive assumptions about teachers’ abilities, they restrain judgment. During classroom observations, it’s easy to judge, so as we plan for debrief conversations, we have to intentionally step away from any judgments we may have made and instead ask questions that help us to understand the teacher’s thinking.
 
I was again reminded of the need to have positive assumptions and restrain judgment after observing a fourth-grade lesson on multi-step math problems. What initially stood out for me as I reflected on the lesson were a few observations that seemed problematic. I realized I had made judgments based on these observations, so I needed to shift my thinking to give the teacher the benefit of the doubt. When planning for the debrief conversation I would have with the teacher, Marjorie, I took each observation that concerned me and crafted a question. 
 
I had noticed that Marjorie put a star on the paper of a student who had an incorrect answer. I wondered why, and asked Marjorie what it meant. Rather than responding that she hadn’t noticed the answer was incorrect (which I’d incorrectly inferred), Marjorie explained that this student’s effort had significantly improved, and her star, along with her quiet affirmation, acknowledged that.
 
Having positive assumptions about teachers’ decisions and their desire to improve supports a respectful relationship between teacher and coach and encourages teachers to explore their own intention and enhance their understanding.
 
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Hooray!!! My new book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner is a fall release from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can order the book now and use the code: TCP2022 for free shipping. Click  here  and I’ll email you the free Book Group Study Guide that includes questions, prompts, and activities you can use as you share the book with colleagues.  I hope you’ll love this book as much as I loved making it for you!
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This week, you might want to take a look at:

6 principles for new teachers:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-teachers-6-principles-remember-year

High fives for teachers:
 
https://www.facebook.com/attn/videos/1479756855393102/
 
 
Ideas for building classroom community:
 
https://ncte.org/blog/2018/09/suggestions-building-classroom-community/
 
 
Tips for learning-as-you-go coaches:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/youll-figure-it-out-10-tips-for-literacy-coaches-who-are-given-little-guidance/
 
 
That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!
 
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