What if? The Influence You Can Have as a Coach

We just finished our first quarter of school. As I prepare my quarter two goals, I reflect on new initiatives I’ve been able to implement, new teachers I’ve been able to coach and new relationships that have strengthened me as a coach. I absolutely love being an instructional coach. Some of the tasks I do with various people are so enjoyable to me; I don’t even consider it work. I’m known by some of my colleagues as Mary Poppins because I find the element of fun in every job that must be done. Yes, I try to look on the bright side of situations. But I wasn’t always this way. I definitely had to train myself to find the positive, to see the good in others, to persevere when things may block my path. And that’s why I want to share this blog you. Perhaps by sharing my thinking, it might encourage or remind you to realize the influence you have to positively impact change at your school and on your school’s culture.

When I went through the OCPS Advanced Coaching Academy, we learned how to conduct coaching cycles. It often came up that we as educators will say, “Oh those students won’t get it or they can’t do that.” And one of the best coaches I have the privilege of learning from, Claire Steele, countered this thought and taught us to say, “What if they can?” This is not only having a growth mindset, but having an outlook on what could be possible.

“What if they can?” comes to my mind when I’m in professional development sessions and learn amazing ideas. Sometimes I’ll hear, “Oh this teacher won’t do that.” However, I think “I know which teachers will love this idea and will jump on board right away.” When I learn new ideas, I tend to think of which teachers will immediately be affected by learning this idea too. And then, as I practice sharing it, I think, “What if I could reach more teachers?”

Recently I developed a new initiative at my school, which I’ll blog about in the future. Anyhow, many teachers jumped on board right away. Some didn’t. Some wanted to after they saw it in action. And maybe just one or two were not interested at all. So, what is my mindset when it comes to the few not willing to try new ideas or take risks? Well, first, I have to be mindful of what could possibly be going on in their lives. They may not have the knowledge, confidence, time, ability, enthusiasm, or “fill in the blank”. None of these are meant to be insulting or negative, it’s just that we as coaches have to be empathetic, sympathetic, understanding, compassionate, or “fill in the blank”. We become coaches to help teachers grow to be the best they can be. I find other ways to help the resisters and eventually the trust builds, or the time comes when they jump on board, or the knowledge is shared with them in other ways. Just as every child can learn, every teacher can learn. Sometimes it takes creativity and innovation to do so.

As I develop my goals for quarter two, I brainstorm ways to reach all teachers. I will conduct coaching cycles. I will develop teacher leader training. I will facilitate sessions targeted towards beginning teachers. I will organize online reading studies. I will create in person training, how-to guides and video tutorials. Eventually, my many outlets for sharing my learning will reach most, and sometimes all teachers. That is how I am a change agent at my school.

You too, are a change agent. Instead of saying, “That teacher will never try that”, train your mind to say, “Which teachers would love to do that and what if I get all teachers on board?” You are in a position to influence the culture of your school, to make the workplace more enjoyable, to help teachers become more effective, to share the latest research and ideas at your school. “What if?” is such a great question. What if they will try it? What if they would be excited to learn a new idea? What if I tried a new initiative? As you create some goals for this next part of your school year, what are some “What if” questions you could challenge yourself with? I know you, too, can find the element of fun in every job of yours that must be done.

Team Building and Building Teacher Leaders with a Fun Friday Gathering!

Are you looking for an easy way to host a low cost team building event that also provides an opportunity for teacher leaders to share their skills and ideas? How about implementing a monthly Fun Friday at your school?

I started this at my school this year and am loving it! I created a Google sheet with a tab for each month. The dates are set and I added a little fun by filling in the cells with the colors for that season. The first two columns are where staff members can sign up to bring in a breakfast item. Depending on the size of your school staff, each person will most likely only have to sign up once during the year. But I emphasize that bringing in an item is not required for attending the Fun Friday. The last two columns are used for teachers to sign up with a team building activity they would like to lead. This Google sheet is shared in edit mode, so that anyone can add to it. I send this through email and it is posted on our staff canvas course.

Here's what it looks like:

The first month of our Fun Friday, a third year teacher led an activity where we had to work in teams of four, each with a string taped to a single marker, and we had to draw our school mascot. The second month, a second year teacher led a “Who Am I?” activity, where each person had Disney characters written on an index card and they had to go around asking yes or no questions to figure out who they were. We have our activity lined up for October - another third year teacher is going to walk us through a calming technique she learned an at OCPS Trauma Informed Training and one of our veteran PE Teachers is going to lead us through stretching techniques.

When teachers volunteer to lead the activity, I meet with them ahead of time. I ask for the gist of the activity and how it enhances team building. Then I ask what questions will they ask their participants afterwards. Example questions include, “How else could you do this activity?” and “How could you use this in your classroom?” Not only are we team building, but we are giving teachers team building ideas to implement with their own students.

This whole Fun Friday takes just about twenty minutes. The first ten minutes are used for eating and chit chat. The last ten minutes are for the team building activity. The Fun Friday is an optional gathering and those who attend appreciate the time to build relationships and some enjoy sharing their amazing cooking skills! Pictures are posted on a Google Site I created for our staff, under the “Fun Stuff” page.

It’s a win-win use of time. While I’m the one to coordinate it, others chip in their help with setting up, preparing the activity, and getting food items - it’s a great way to build distributive leadership.

Do you have other ideas for a Fun Friday? I would love to hear them!!