Coaching Helps Teachers Stretch, Not Sprint

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When it comes it exercise, sprints work. They burn calories! When it comes to coaching for growth, though, we don’t want teachers sprinting. Sprinting leaves us exhausted, and it’s not sustainable for the long haul.  So, when it comes to coaching for growth, let’s ask teachers to stretch, not sprint.
 
In coaching, sprinting looks like going for it all in one shot. Stretching means inching a little closer to the goal. I’ve noticed that, if I’m consistent about stretching physically, I bend a little deeper and reach a little farther as time passes. A stretch feels good, and I can see the results, so I’m motivated to keep it up.
 
Coaching for Stretch
 
As coaches, we support growth. We hope to see new strategies, refined practice, more-responsive interactions with students – ultimately, more effective teaching and learning. But it’s a gradual process. That’s why, in coaching, we should go for stretch, not sprint. Physically, stretching is sustainable; similarly, coaching for stretch helps teachers keep up the good work.
 
Stretching is a just-right kind of challenge: we feel stretch with just a little extra press. Coaches can offer the just-right press that generates growth. If a teacher wants to improve classroom discussion, instead of offering multiple fixes, we might say, “I’m wondering whether giving students a little more think time might help.” It’s offering a gentle shift, a little stretch.
 
Teachers deepen their learning over time through adjustment and reflection. It’s not about one big push – it’s about repeated opportunities to lean in and learn. Coaches help teachers to find the right stretch.
 
Find the Right Stretch
 
Stretch does not mean ease. Stretching that induces progress takes a steady press. It’s not just doing what we’ve always done – it’s doing that, plus a little more. For a teacher, the stretch might be thinking differently, reconsidering a practice, or trying something unfamiliar. But it needs to be reachable when the teacher sinks in to give it a try. It’s the difference between restructuring class discussions and asking, “What if you tried a discussion routine with this small group?” The first could leave a teacher wondering how to begin. The second creates a way to begin.
 
Choosing the right coaching move can also create a just-right stretch. Asking the teacher to generate possible solutions is sometimes a sprint; if questioning is too much, we can recommend or offer to model a new routine. The right level of support creates a stretch, and as we revisit and reflect, we can go a little deeper. This coaching rhythm creates momentum without exhaustion.
 
Think Progress, Not Pace
 
Learning isn’t about visible speed. A teacher who spends three weeks thoughtfully experimenting with one new discussion strategy may be making more meaningful progress than a teacher who implements five strategies in three weeks without really examining whether any of them made a difference.
 
The goal isn’t to get teachers through a coaching cycle as quickly as possible. It’s to help them develop the knowledge, skills, confidence, and judgment to continue growing. Then we can help them identify the next stretch. Sustainable growth has a rhythm: try, notice, reflect, adjust, and try again.
 
So as you work with teachers this week, ask yourself, “What could be a meaningful stretch for this teacher? How can we avoid a sprint?” And ask the teacher, “What feels like a stretch you’re ready to try?”
 
Creating a stretch instead of a sprint helps teachers make meaningful progress that they can own, sustain, and build on.
 
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Time management tips for novice educators:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/time-task-management-tips-new-teachers
 
 
Book-choosing strategies for middle schoolers:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover-teaching-book-choice-strategies-to-middle-schoolers/
 
 
Trust – the invisible coaching element:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/supporting-teacher-growth-trusting-relationships
 
 
Learning grammar through discovery:
 
https://www.middleweb.com/54264/its-time-for-teachers-to-put-grammar-in-its-place/
 
 
Ideas for making anchor charts more student-centered:
 
https://twowritingteachers.org/2018/10/10/co-constructing/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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! You can use the code: SEP2026 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!