Coaching to Extend the Gratitude

In the U.S. this week, we celebrated Thanksgiving – a time to remember the things that fill us with appreciation. Thanksgiving offers a natural pause – a time to take stock of the positives. Let’s carry that positive lens with us when we head back to school on Monday by looking for things to applaud: small wins, acts of generosity, and evidence of learning that we can celebrate. Instead of letting these things slip by unnoticed, let’s carry forward gratitude as an ongoing practice, not just a holiday.
 
Gratitude Matters in Coaching
 
Expressing gratitude is more than just a feel-good extra. Coaching is relational work, and expressing gratitude can be a trust-builder. Genuine and specific gratitude helps teachers feel seen, and they are likely to respond with openness. Appreciation has a place in our professional routines.
 
Collaborative Praise
 
Praise isn’t indulgent – it’s a performance strategy. Teachers benefit from praise offered by coaches, and coaches can also create opportunities for teachers to provide praise to one another. Carrying the holiday forward, you might start the next team meeting by suggesting a gratitude circle – going around the table with each person sharing something work-related that they’re thankful for. Collaborative praise gives teams the relational fuel needed to problem-solve together.
 
Another way to cultivate praise is to rotate a “spotlight” each week, with a teacher sharing a small victory and colleagues respond with what they learned from it. You could also create a digital “shout out” board in Padlet (or another easy-to-add-to app) so that teachers can celebrate each other.
 
Overt plans for sharing praise can be complemented by quieter expressions, as you model your generous appreciation during coaching conversations, notice and name what teachers do for one another, and send a quick note to acknowledge admiration. Activities like these support a culture that recognizes service.
 
Enduring Gratitude Structures
 
Instead of being just a holiday novelty, tangible reminders to give thanks – like Gratitude jars, Gratitude breaks in agendas, and a Wall of Thanks in the staff room – promote connection and contribute to a sustainable school culture. And connection supports collective efficacy, which research suggests is closely tied to student achievement.
 
When adults in the school feel and express gratitude, teachers collaborate more effectively and students feel the difference, too. Positive teacher relationships can create contagious calm that benefits everyone. Appreciation is an investment in both teachers and students.
 
There is no bad time to express gratitude. Besides increasing optimism, improving health, and boosting productivity, gratitude opens the door to new relationships and bolsters existing ones. As we return from Thanksgiving tables to teaching tables, let’s carry forward feelings of gratitude and invite others to join us.
 
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Did you know My Coaches Couch is also a podcast? (with different content) Find it in your favorite podcast app or at MyCoachesCouch.podbean.com
 
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This week, you might want to take a look at:

Establishing an (early childhood) classroom culture of writing:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/exploring-writing-preschool
 
 
Setting the stage for hard classroom conversations:
 
https://mismatch.org/2025/06/03/navigating-difficult-conversations-576/
 
 
First grade family history inquiry project (with meaningful technology integration):
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/family-history-inquiry-project-integrating-technology-with-social-studies-in-first-grade/
 
 
A digital compare/contrast map:
 
https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/compare-contrast
 
 
 
The role of identity in learning:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/video/when-social-brain-misfires
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
Want more coaching tips? Check out my book, Differentxiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner, available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: FDNF25 for 15% 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!