Coaches: Be Where You Are

Coaches, did you fill the school year with inputting assessment data, ordering materials, organizing book rooms, planning family literacy nights, doing paperwork, and attending meetings? While these activities have some value, research demonstrates that the most impactful activity for coaches is working directly with teachers.
 
Even when you carve out chunks of time to work with teachers, your many other assigned duties can leave you feeling distracted as you and a teacher confer. It can be hard to be fully present because of the many concerns swirling in your head. It may take a concerted effort to be present.
 
One of my favorite books about being present is called, Practicing Presence. I like the title because it suggests that presence takes practice. This summer might be the perfect time to practice presence so that when school starts again, you can be less distracted, less preoccupied, more tuned in.
 
To be present, you must BE WHERE YOU ARE. Being present means deeply listening, noticing, feeling, and staying open to the moment.  It means less multitasking, less distraction, and deliberately slowing a frenetic pace.  Presence is an inside job, creating breathing space so that we can be aware, find focus and maintain emotional equilibrium. We practice presence by directing our full attention to what is happening in the right now, by observing with clarity.
 
Presence stems from full attention. We can ground ourselves in the present by noticing what each of our senses are taking in. When you are at the pool, do you see the sun sparkle on the water? Do you smell the chlorine? Can you feel the rough cement deck under your feet? What are you tasting? What is your own emotional state? What is the emotional state of others?
 
Practicing presence this summer will prepare us for being present as a coach.  As a coach, being present means we are constantly tuned in to teachers during coaching conversations. We recognize their successes. We are noticing their questions and their quandaries. We also sense whether teachers are engaged in the conversation, and we make adjustments as needed. During classroom observations, we are tuned in to both teachers and students. We notice what we hear, see, and feel and what the teachers and students might be hearing, seeing, and feeling. If our minds wonder, we can pull ourselves back to the present by paying attention to the details from each of our senses.
 
When present, our brains focus on what is currently happening rather than thinking about what we will say or do later – the now instead of the next. When we are present, we know, almost instinctively, what the next move will be. Action comes from a natural flow.  By gathering information with all of our senses, we understand from within the context.  Our next right move is responsive to others and to the situation. All of the dots are connected.
 
Wherever you are this summer, you can practice presence. Pay attention. Immerse yourself in the circumstances. Call on all of your senses. Be where you are. Respond within the situation. It is hard to be in the moment when there are many things demanding our attention. Practice now will help us practice presence later.

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Come spend 2 days (Aug. 1 & 2) with Jim Knight, Vicki Collet, September Gerety, Afton Schleiff and a host of other coaches at the NWA Instructional Coaching Conference. Be:

Ignited. Illuminated. Inspired.

For the cost of the included lunches ($35), you can take your coaching to the next level!
 
As a coach, I know how hard it is to find PD that is just for you. Well, this is it!  I'm excited to have received a grant to sponsor the conference, and I hope you'll join us! Register here:
 
https://tinyurl.com/CoachingConf2023
 
Check out this flier for details and reach out to me (collet@uark.edu) with questions and suggestions.
 
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This week, you might want to take a look at:
 
Why use humor in the classroom? Here are many reasons:
 
http://www.middleweb.com/5053/humor-in-the-classroom/
 
 
Making data review more personal:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/making-data-review-more-personal/
 
 
The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies (podcast or text):
 
http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/speaking-listening-techniques/
 
 
You’ll think of lots of uses for this book, 10-Minute Inservice:
 
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Ten_Minute_Inservice.html?id=fHTCBwAAQBAJ
 
 
A protocol for professional (or classroom) learning that uses discussion to recognize common themes (I’ve used it as a strategy for getting at the big ideas of a topic):
 
http://www.nsrfharmony.org/system/files/protocols/affinity_mapping_0.pdf
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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