A Day in the Life of an Instructional Coach with Multiple Campuses with Mallory Martin, ep. 234

This episode is sponsored by IRIS Connect
When I first started coaching, I asked what my workday would look like. My principal said, “Whatever you think.” While that wasn’t entirely true, it showed me there was some flexibility in the role.
It’s a moment I’ve thought about often, especially lately since I’ve gotten quite a few messages from instructional coaches asking, “What does a typical day as a coach even look like?”.
Today’s episode kicks off a new mini-series exploring a day in the life of an instructional coach. Wherever you are in your coaching journey, this series will help you navigate your coaching role more effectively.
If you’re new to coaching, this series will help you get a clearer picture of what your year might look like. And if you’re an established coach looking to make adjustments, you’ll find practical insights here to fine-tune your approach.
A Day in the Life of an Instructional Coach with Multiple Campuses
In this first episode of the series, you’ll get an insider’s look into a day in the life of an instructional coach with multiple campuses. Mallory Martin reveals how she balances priorities, builds strong relationships, and makes an impact on every campus she serves.
She walks us through a typical week, explaining how she manages her time across multiple campuses. Mallory offers her top six tips for staying organized, describes what it’s like working with three administrators, and how she builds meaningful relationships with teachers while working at different schools.
Here are a few key takeaways from our conversation. Be sure to listen to the full episode for all the details and tips Mallory shares.
Being an Instructional Coach for 5 Schools
Mallory explains what it’s like to be an instructional coach supporting five different campuses. In her role, she works with all licensed staff, including teachers but also non-instructional team members like nurses, psychologists, and occupational therapists.
She says she feels lucky to work with administrators who understand the importance of protecting her time. This lets her focus most of her effort on instructional coaching, and she’s rarely pulled to do other tasks unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Before becoming a traveling coach, Mallory spent 16 years as a traveling teacher. That experience gave her a clear advantage because the logistics weren’t a surprise, and she was primed to work at multiple locations.
Managing A Week in the Life of an Instructional Coach with Multiple Campuses
During the conversation, Mallory explains that she built her schedule around the needs of her schools, working closely with different administrators to develop a plan that ensures she’s available to the staff who seek her support. She discusses her exact schedule and how she remains flexible so she can be where she’s most needed by her teams.
In her first year as a coach, she rotated between campuses, visiting one site per day. During her second year, one school required more support because they had more teachers, so she shifted her schedule to spend more time there. This year, she’s prorating her time based on the level of demand for coaching at each site.
She notes that each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, but what’s worked best is having a consistent weekly schedule that repeats. This way, both administrators and teachers know exactly when they can expect her to be there.
A Closer Look at Mallory’s Organizational System
Back when Mallory was a traveling teacher, staying organized was talked about a lot! Over time, she’s distilled it down to six essential tips.
- Have a home base – A desk at one location that you don’t have to share, so you can leave your stuff there.
- A plan for your physical materials and resources – She keeps a “traveling office” (a Rubbermaid tub in the trunk of her car) with coaching books, extra notebooks, and pens.
- Keep your computer healthy – Shut it down at least once a week and keep it charged.
- A coaching binder that stays in her backpack – Mallory initially tried to keep everything digital. However, she prefers paper and pencil and gave herself permission to have one physical coaching binder. It contains one tab for each coaching client, loose-leaf paper, and some of her favorite coaching cheat sheets with questions and sentence starters. She reviews and cleans it out every two weeks to prevent it from getting too heavy.
- Keep all to-do items in one place – Avoid multiple Post-it notes or lists.
- Maintain one database with all staff info – Mallory says it can be digital or physical. She uses a single spreadsheet to track everyone, which helps avoid the risk of forgetting any staff members.
Working with Multiple Administrators as a Traveling Coach
Mallory describes what it’s like working with multiple administrators. She discusses the importance of having supportive administrators who trust her to make decisions about her schedules. Her administrators have given her the flexibility to move between schools based on where she’s most needed.
Coaching on multiple campuses has been a positive experience, and she’s grateful for her administrators’ support because it allows her to focus on her coaching work. She acknowledges that this isn’t the case in all districts and there are challenges when working in a large district with multiple schools.
She recognizes that each school has its own culture and adjusts her approach based on who she’s working with. Mallory also understands that each principal must ultimately make decisions that are best for the school.
Building Trust and Relationships with Staff Across Multiple Campuses
During our conversation, Mallory shares her approach to building trust and relationships with her teams. These are the key strategies she uses across campuses:
- Being intentionally present and visible – Mallory walks around each morning and says hi to everyone. She also has spontaneous conversations in the hallway and at the copy machine.
- Check-in with everyone – She checks in with everyone and builds genuine connections, ensuring every educator feels seen and heard.
- Inserting herself in meetings – Mallory speaks up in meetings, so the staff perceives her as an important part of the school and sees her participation.
- Overcoming personal discomfort – It’s scary to put yourself out there, but Mallory says she had to coach herself through that. She stresses that it’s more important to make connections than staying in your comfort zone.
A Day in the Life of an Instructional Coach with Multiple Campuses
Wow! What an informative conversation with Mallory about a day in the life of an instructional coach with multiple campuses!
She shared many valuable insights into fundamental pieces of coaching, like the importance of talking to people and being visible. I especially appreciated the tips on staying organized and managing time across multiple schools.
You won’t want to miss the practical strategies packed in this episode! Listen now using the player below or wherever you get your podcasts!
Topics and Questions Discussed in Episode 234 – A Day in the Life of an Instructional Coach with Multiple Campuses with Mallory Martin
- A look at a day in the life of an instructional coach with multiple campuses
- Mallory’s weekly coaching schedule
- Balancing coaching and PLCs
- How Mallory manages her time across her five sites
- Mallory’s organizational system and her top six tips
- What it’s like working with different administrators
- Building trust and relationships with teachers across campuses
- Challenges and strategies for coaching multiple schools
Want to set up a strong foundation for your coaching role that lines up with your vision, goals, and priorities? Sign up for my free Jump Start Mini Course. It’s designed to help you create a plan that reflects your school’s needs, key goals, and effective strategies to support growth.
This episode is sponsored by IRIS Connect. IRIS Connect helps you streamline teacher development with the world’s most advanced PD facilitation system.
Ready to listen?
This post contains links to products from one or more of our advertisers. This means I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post when you click on links to those products. Thank you for your support!
Learn more
- Episode 69 – Organization and Systems from a Traveling Coach with Laura Williams
- Episode 148 – Tips from a Traveling Special Education Coach with Crista Smith
- Buzzing with Ms. B on Instagram
- Join My Facebook Group: Instructional Coaching with Ms. B
- Free Instructional Coaching Jump Start Mini Course
- Mallory Martin on LinkedIn @mallorymartin15
Helpful Resources
- Instructional Coach Binder Megapack – Editable Forms, Calendars, Planning Tools
- Instructional Coaching Binder Megapack – Editable Forms, Documents & Tools on TpT
- Buzzing with Ms. B TpT Store
- Instructional Coaching Start Up Course Waitlist
- IRIS Connect

Thank you for listening to Buzzing with Ms. B: the Coaching Podcast. Want more coaching ideas
Check me out at buzzingwithmsb.com and on Instagram @buzzingwithmsb.
If you love the show, share it with a coach who would love it too, or leave me a review on iTunes! It’s free and it helps others find this show, too. Happy coaching!
Podcast produced by Fernie Ceniceros






