3 Tips to Help You Prepare
After 5 years coaching teachers at a Christian school in Atlanta, I have moved to a new school in Fort Lauderdale and started my new job as an Instructional Coach. As I think about launching an Instructional Coaching program at this K-12 Christian school, I have been reflecting on what I have learned about coaching. One of the first things I need to do is meet with the three principals I'll be working with and begin an important partnership with them. My goal is to share with them the key principles and practices of coaching that I've learned and how I provide support for them as principals.
Here are Three Tips for Your Meeting with the Principal:
Step 1: Inquire about Initiatives
One of your main goals for meeting with the principal is to identify where you can offer support to help her meet instructional goals. If you are hoping to hear direction from your principal in this meeting, asking about initiatives is where you will likely find clear direction. If you have the opportunity to ask these questions ahead of the meeting in an email, go ahead and do that. That allows you to better prepare how you will present your role as coach to the principal. It will also give you time to think about how you can best support her initiatives.
Try to focus the meeting on how you can support the principal by asking her questions like this:
If your principal isn't able to provide clarity or has too many initiatives at once, then focus in on the one that are most closely related to instruction and student learning. Staying close to those goals will help you stay focused on supporting teachers in instruction and not getting pulled into other support roles that can pull you away from instruction and student learning. This ASCD article titled "The Instructional Leader's Most Difficult Job" provides guidelines for how instructional leaders should use coaches, so read it before your meeting so you can help your new principal frame your role when she presents you to teachers. Jim Knight frames the role of a principal and how she can support a coach in the powerful video below. Watch it before your meeting! But rather than share the video with her (which you will be tempted to do), use Jim’s language as talking points for how the principal can set the stage for the initiative and then position you as an available resource for teachers to help them meet the goals for the year. Step 2: Be Prepared to Set The Expectations for Coaching
The meeting with your principal is a very important early step in your journey as a new coach. You are looking for expectations to help define this role and you are hoping that your principal can provide them. While some principals out there may know exactly what they want from a coach, I have found that many need YOU to define the role for them. Also, some principals have the perspective of the coach's role being support only for low performing teachers. As you dig into many coaching books, you will see a very different message around coaching, so it is your job to set the stage clearly for your work.
You may be tempted to ask the question “What expectations do you have for me as a coach?” But before you jump right in, share with your principal the deep thinking you’ve been doing about your new role. Then, after you’ve shared some of your thoughts, ask your principal to provide her additional expectations if she has any. Use the books you have read so far to consider the role of a coach and make a list of the core areas where you think you should focus. If you haven't had a chance to read anything yet, consider watching Jim Knight's video series on the Partnership Principals, because they can be a quick resource.
Also, Joellen Killion presented a great Keynote on Coaching Roles at the Simply Coaching Summit this week that would be helpful. There is still time to purchase this resource until July 31, 2019 and I highly recommend it - ask your school to reimburse your because it is relevant professional development!
When I wrote my list, I wanted my role to focus very intently on INSTRUCTION. I have found my role too often blurred with curriculum or technology, so as I considered my role at my new school, I created this image to emphasize how I will support Instruction.
I also wanted to share my foundational beliefs with my principals to be sure they know how I plan to partner and collaborate with teachers. This image below is a one page version of the Coaching Beliefs and Behaviors I anchor to. Read more about creating your own beliefs and behaviors in this blog post.
Step 3: Ask for Time to Share Your Role with Faculty
The best person to frame instructional coaching for the faculty is you. I know that ideally you want your principal do share that information with teachers, but the truth is, you understand coaching the best even if you are new to the work. You've read the books, you are passionate about the work of helping teachers, and only you can share what you have to offer. If you are going to convince teachers to work with you, they need to like you! Give them an opportunity to know you, your personality, and your strengths by introducing yourself and explaining how you can partner with them.
So, ask your principal for a time in her pre-planning or faculty meeting schedule to introduce the faculty to coaching. Even if coaching is not a new element in your school, I believe every teacher needs to be reminded that everyone can benefit from a coach. I know there is never enough time in these meetings, but fight for your spot. Ideally, you want 30 minutes, but if they only give you 15, take it and make the best of it! But be sure you ask for the opportunity instead of sitting in the faculty meeting hoping someone will introduce you to the faculty the way you want them to. I've been doing this job for 5 years, and no one has every really introduced me and my role the way I wish they would. Fight for the time - it is worth it! I will be sharing my tips for your presentation to Faculty in an upcoming blog post! Good luck in your meeting! Share other tips you would share in the comments or in our #NewtoCoaching Facebook Group ----- Allison L. Petersen @alcp Connect with me on Twitter and Instagram Join our #NewtoCoaching Facebook Group to find encouragement, resources, and support for new coaches!
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Establishing Beliefs and Behaviors
The role of the instructional coach is extremely unique. She is somewhere between a teacher and an administrator; she is an equal partner with the teacher she is working with; she is an expert in instructional practices; she is a change agent helping teachers to adapt their instruction to school initiatives; she is an emotional support to teachers.
Instructional Coaches have an amazing opportunity as leaders to impact teachers personally and professionally from this unique spot. But to do this effectively, coaches have to know what they BELIEVE about teachers. Once they have a firm foundation of BELIEFS, they must establish the behaviors and habits that will reflect those beliefs accurately and authentically. Outlining these Beliefs and Behaviors intentionally helps you react better in the moment when it isn't always easy to stand on your beliefs. Jim Knight shares in his book Better Conversations that "Often people act without even pausing to consider what they believe about how they interact with others. Unfortunately, when people don't think carefully about their beliefs, they can find themselves engaging in far too many unsuccessful conversations." In Better Conversations, Jim includes six Better Conversations Beliefs that are the foundational beliefs he uses to engage in any coaching conversation with a teacher. His six Better Conversation Beliefs are: Better Conversation Beliefs
Inspired by these Better Conversation Beliefs, my team and I developed this Instructional Coaching Foundational Beliefs and Behaviors document. We anchored it to scripture since in a Christian school environment, we believe we are called to respond to people as Jesus, Paul, and Peter advise.
While doing this work, we realized that Beliefs alone were not enough. We also wanted to include the BEHAVIORS and HABITS that would define how we responded to teachers. These were vital in times of dealing with negativity, toxicity or other hard situations with teachers. Rather than responding with instincts (which could appear as anger, frustration, wishing we could quit), we anchored to these behaviors and worked hard to respond using them. Or if we weren't able to do it in the moment, we revisited the behaviors and implemented them with the next encounter with the teacher. Once we embraced Jim Knight's content in Better Conversations as well as his Partnership Principles we engaged in the hard work of writing our own guiding Beliefs and Behaviors. (To read more about the Partnership Principals, read Jim's book Instructional Coaching or better yet, watch these videos where he explains them - much faster option!) Writing our own foundational beliefs as a team was vital for us to have a vision for coaching at our school. It also helped us define how we would measure success in our encounters with teachers. I encourage you to engage in this work personally or with a team because it will transform your coaching and your mindset toward teachers on a daily basis! I'd love to help you and/or your team dive into this work. Reach out to me to discuss ways to connect and options for virtual support!
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Allison L. Petersen @alcp Connect with me on Twitter and Instagram Join our #NewtoCoaching Facebook Group to find encouragement, resources, and support for new coaches! 4 Questions for Summer Reflection
Summer is a great time for reflection. You finally have time to clear your mind and think more deeply about your leadership.
As you are reflecting on your Instructional Coaching practice this summer, consider asking these KISS questions: *What do you want to KEEP doing? *What do you want to IMPROVE? *What do you want to STOP doing? *What do you want to START doing? Write down your answers to these questions to really reflect on how you want next year to be different. We are so often caught in the whirlwind of busyness that we find our days being consumed with the things we don’t actually want to be doing. If you can take some time to clarify what you want to Keep, Improve, Start and Stop, you will have more clarity about how you want to spend you time! I know many of you are coming out of the classroom and moving into an Instructional Coaching role for the first year! These questions can help guide your thinking away from planning for your classroom and toward how you want to use your time to support teachers. There are many thinking processes and habits you will be able to let go of now that you are moving into a new role! So take a moment of reflection this summer to be intentional about your priorities for next school year! As I start my new job launching an Instructional Coaching program at a new school, these are the questions I’m starting with as I plan my goals for the year! Check out Michael Hyatt and Megan Hyatt Miller’s Podcast Lead To Win to hear more about how to use these questions to set goals for a new year! These 4 questions are mentioned in Episode 53: “New Year, New You” ---- Allison L. Petersen @alcp Connect with me on Twitter and Instagram Join our #NewtoCoaching Facebook Group to find encouragement, resources, and support for new coaches! Faithful Leaders Seek Peace in Chaos
A faithful leader seeks peace. Jesus left us with a gift - a gift of peace of mind and heart. As a leader we are constantly in the swirl of problems and negativity from others - they come to us to solve their problems or to complain, but as faithful leaders we have the power respond differently - to respond with peace.
One of the things that makes a Faithful Leader unique is that they seek Peace from the Lord in every situation. Paul writes in Philippians 4:7 that prayer can bring God’s unexplainable peace on us, just as Jesus said. When we take an intentional moment to step away from the chaos and the swirl and Seek Peace, God promises to provide it. And with peace will come the clarity of mind that you need to make sound decisions as a leader. Next time you face the Swirl combat it with Peace. “A future awaits those who seek peace.” -Psalm 37:37 NIV “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” -Colossians 3:15 NLT Connect with me so we can seek peace together! Twitter: twitter.com/alcp instagram: instagram.com/allisonlpetersen Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
In his book Anxious for Nothing, Max Lucado quotes research that says that anxiety is the number one mental health problem in America for women and anxiety is second on the list for men behind alcohol and drug abuse. Despite the fact that we seem to have everything in our grasp, anxiety grips us with a tight palm. It causes outbursts of anger, lack of self-control, panic attacks, and the inability to function without worry.
As a leader, you may be faced with these anxiety symptoms yourself, especially as you work hard to lead others. And some of those that you lead probably struggle with anxiety as well. In Psalm 37, God provides clear direction for how he wants you to overcome anxiety - by trusting Him. In the chart below, see what God calls you to do in times of worry and what God promises to do in return for your faith in Him
Take a moment to read all of Psalm 37 and pray over this scripture any time you are overwhelmed. Once you have begun to feel God's unexplainable peace, pass on this scripture to someone you lead who is facing anxiety as well.
Connect with me on Twitter. We can overcome anxiety together with God's grace and mercy. In Him, Allison I thank God everytime I remember you. And this is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight (Philippians 1:3,9) |