It has been widely known and agreed that educators need more knowledge, skills, practice, and support after they enter the profession.  Most teachers and administrators want professional development.  Most teachers want to improve their craft, be more effective, implement new skills, and see students learn more.  Unfortunately, that sometimes isn’t readily available when you are a brand-new teacher.  So, the real question is, what can coaching do for a school?

Coaching is an essential component of an effective professional development program.  Coaching can provide opportunities to build will, skill, and knowledge.  But it also can help create relationships with fellow teachers and administrators which in turn makes teachers feel cared for and more likely to implement new knowledge.  This can help foster teachers to reflect on their daily teaching practices, take risks to add or change their practice, and generate powerful conversations where growth can be recognized and celebrated.  Coaching at this level can help the morale of the school, student and teacher engagement, and community building within staff, students, and parents. “Coaches hold a space where healing can take place and where resilient, joyful communities can be built.” (Aguilar, 2013)

Building strong ties with teachers is key to being able to support them in improving student outcomes.  We know that building relationships with teachers is essential, but why do teachers rarely purposefully take time to develop relationships with other teachers?  The truth is coaches cannot get anywhere with teachers unless they trust us and know that our true goal is to support them and their students.  As coaches the focus should be on providing focused feedback on the practices that they devote so much of their time to improve.  Be vocal about the good you see.  Keep students at the center of support.  “If coaches see a place where we want to encourage change in our teachers, it must make it all about the students.” (McGrath, 2019) Teachers tend to be motivated when they know that they are impacting students in a way that matter.

Finding the resources to hire coaches can be tough, but they can play an essential role in spreading great practices throughout a school.  For myself, I know that had I not been paired up with a coach my first year, I probably would have quit after my first year.  My coach provided me the support and encouragement I needed to survive my first year and become a strong and confident teacher.  I am the teacher I am today because of the opportunity of having a coach that took the time to show she cared while providing me the tools and resources I needed in order to provide a quality education to my student.  I will forever be grateful for the opportunity that it gave me to learn from one of our district’s best teachers. 

References:

Aguilar, E. (2013, March 25). How Coaching Can Impact Teachers, Principals, and Students. Retrieved September 07, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/coaching-impact-teachers-principals-students-elena-aguilar

E. (2020). Coaching for Change: Teacher-Centered Coaching. Retrieved September 07, 2020, from https://eleducation.org/resources/coaching-for-change-teacher-centered-coaching

McGrath, S. (2019, June 05). 5 Relationship-Building Tips for Instructional Coaches. Retrieved September 07, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-relationship-building-tips-instructional-coaches