Creating Structures to Support Coaching and School Change, The Coaching Podcast, Ep. 9

Coaching is hard work. It’s even harder if the structures you need to make the most impact are not in place.

In Episode 9 of Buzzing with Ms. B I sat down with my first principal as an instructional coach, Lynn Musel, to learn more about what structures should be in place to ensure coaches are being as effective as possible.

Lynn Musel has been in education for the last 30 years as a teacher and an administrator. Although she has recently retired, she still spends time mentoring teachers who are new to the profession.

One of the first things I asked Lynn was a pretty important question: what is the role of a coach? According to Lynn an instructional coach is everything!

You live in two worlds: the leadership world and the team member world. While living in both worlds you are wearing all of the following hats: supporter, cheerleader, analyzer, researcher, and friend.

These helpful, multiple-hat-wearing people are a huge asset to the school. Because coaches are so essential to growth, we need the structures there to to make sure we can accomplish the work of coaching.

To start, you absolutely need to create a professional learning community (PLC). This is a place where teachers can get together, plan together, and grow together. In addition to teachers meeting together, leaders need to meet as well. Leadership meetings give administrators and other support staff, like coaches, the opportunity to sit down and celebrate growth and to pinpoint some areas of concern. What do you do in PLC and leadership meetings? How should each of these be structured? Tune into Episode 9 of Buzzing with Ms. B to get the full scoop.

Data is another area you need to look at when you’re trying to help a campus grow. You need to have a structure in place that allows you to look at the data from the district all the way down to the student level. You can do this in a variety of ways and you can learn all about them in Episode 9.

A big part of data is accountability. Don’t be afraid to post your scores for each classroom in a place where only teachers and leaders will see it. Knowing that you are going to reflect on your scores, and that people are there to help you is vital to setting up a supportive and growth-based system for your teachers.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Learn what Lynn means when she says, “Inspect what you expect,” – which she said all the time- and so much more from this experienced mentor! This episode is packed with amazing tips, anecdotes, and more! Check out Buzzing with Ms. B: The Coaching Podcast Episode 9. Happy Coaching!

Are you ready to make an impact with those hard-to-get-to teachers? Check out the Coaching Resistant Teachers Five Day (plus one) Challenge! It’s got everything you need to change the trajectory of your coaching relationship.