Coaching thru Tension

“We don’t resist change – we resist coercion.”  Peter Block
The tension is palpable when I walk into the room to meet with the 1^st-grade team. As an outside consultant, I’m used to walking into the unknown, but the intensity here catches me by surprise. Formulaic chit-chat and my attempts to restart our agenda where we left off don’t melt the ice.  
 
“If we can see the tension as energy and go toward it, big insights will follow.” Peter Block
 
We aren’t getting anywhere, so I’m going to have to face this, head on,
 
“What’s on your mind?” I ask. I’ve got enough of a relationship with these women that I hope they’ll let me know.
 
Long pause. They look at each other.
 
Then one of them tells me about a change that is coming (a coercion, actually). The principal told them that morning that they’ll be the district guinea pig for a new program. Not only that, using the program will change their schedule, disrupt their literacy block, and totally mess up their flexible grouping strategy, They are not happy. I am not happy.

“The tension points to where the resistance or doubt resides. Discussing the tension makes insights and resolution possible.”  Peter Block
 
As a consultant, I don’t have the authority to change or challenge this decision. We sit in the silence together. Then I remember to view this tension as energy. What can we do?
 
What follows is a discussion about the wiggle room in mandates. There’s often an over-assumption about constraints when an edict comes down. We don’t see the white space. It turns out, we don’t have to be subversive to uncover all kinds of opportunities that remain for responsive instruction, for teachers’ agency, for ways to meet their unique students’ needs. It’s there.
 
Before our 40-minute meeting is over, the ice is melting. There isn’t a total shift in energy, but there’s a start – a glimmer of possibility.
 
Coaches, don’t be afraid to pull at tension. Like a rubber band pulled tight, tension is full of energy. Rather than ignoring it, we can find the courage to harness that energy in productive ways.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Staying focused and keeping your leadership passion alive:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/staying-focused-how-leaders-can-keep-their-passion-for-literacy-alive/
 
 
The role of stories in teaching and change:
 
https://www.teachingchannel.com/k12-hub/blog/teacher-leaders-storytelling/
 
 
A 1-minute video for students that describes a concrete approach to short constructed responses (the R-A-C-E strategy):
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rXZr7n5qtE
 
 
Summarizing in science:
 
https://www.amnh.org/explore/curriculum-collections/integrating-literacy-strategies-into-science-instruction/summarizing-in-science
 
 
A short video about the value of plants in the classroom:  😊
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBIQDu5b5uM
 
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
Was this helpful?  Please share!
Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom right)
Follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/mycoachescouch and Twitter and Instagram @vscollet for more coaching and teaching tips!  You can also find me at VickiCollet.com
---------------------------------
Want more coaching tips? Check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner, available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! TODAY you can still use the code: DEC2023 for 20% off. 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!