It isn’t easy sometimes to understand where you are in this game of teaching and learning. We all need a coach, feedback and checked on to let us know we are doing okay. Teachers, leaders, parents and students, we all need some coaching!
I write my blogs to reach someone who needs a little encouragement, inspiration, motivation, resources, or guidance. I am not a famous author(yet). I do not have unique letters in front or behind my name. The letters before my name are Mrs. that I have proudly had for 36 years. My special title is grandmother but my grandchildren call me MooMoo. You can ask me how I got the unique name another time. An exceptional student gave me the name HoHo early in my career so I always make a big deal about Christmas! All of this and my years of experience with thousands of children and staff provide me with a passion and purpose to continue to help anyone I can. My expertise comes from on the job training, studying and my continuous learning.
I have studied all of the expert’s John Hattie, Jim Knight, Todd Whitaker, Jay McTighe, Anthony Muhammad, Richard DuFour, Grant Wiggins, Michael Fullan, Eric Jensen, Thomas Guskey, Carol Dweck, Robert Marzano, Charlotte Danielson, Peter DeWitt, Baruti Kafele and my list could continue to many more! I love to read, listen to podcasts, watch webinars and YouTube videos. I am always on the lookout for more solutions, asking more questions and ready for new innovations.
We are in this together! If you have read some of my previous posts, you will understand, I will never give up on any child or individual. Many will choose to give up on themselves, but that is when the coach can send in supports to help. We have to ask ourselves are we seeking compliance or exceptional? In one of my previous posts I referred to the poem “Pretty Good.” It is always great to revisit that poem when you are working on improvements. I always strived to have everyone be exceptional! Why not?
If we perceive ourselves as the best, we will be the best. I made the statement often, “Only the best walk the halls of this school.” It is tough to change the tones of conversation and to have others believe in what is said. Understanding how others see things means we have to take a step back and look through a different lens. Right now, everything seems to be strange, unusual, and not ordinary in any way. Teachers are being asked to do things differently, and so are students, parents, and leaders.
At this time, it is essential to establish supports and coaching. Having the right kind of coaching, the best-trained individuals, and an implementation process to move forward. Jim Knight is the right person to help guide you through what you need. It is critical to not only focus on academics but also other areas of needs like social-emotional.
In my previous position, we were able to secure individuals to help support families and students. This new role was family liaisons. These individuals worked closely as a group to establish community connections, organize activities to address needs, and provide information as well as resources to families.
I served as a coach for the Illinois Principals Association, and one of the principals I was working with took coaching in her elementary building to a new level, students. Looking over data, talking with staff about it, we decided some important people were missing from the conversations, students. A student leadership and coaching group were formed. They organized meeting times with students to review data and to talk about how to improve. I am leaving out many of the steps we took to get the students prepared, but I wanted to end with letting you know having coaches at every level, providing feedback, taking action steps will equal positive outcomes. If you want to know more about coaching tune in to Jim Knight or contact me. Just like Jim tells you. We have lots of free things to give to you. We want you to succeed in what you are doing in the classrooms.
Listen to Jim Knight in a short video clip about coaching!
Thank you for being a solution daily to all you serve! I am always here to help you; just let me know what educational, leadership, or support you need. It would be great to have some feedback!
