Teacher mentorship is essential for the growth and development of staff. Oftentimes, mentorship is an afterthought and poorly executed. This leaves teachers struggling to make an impact in the classroom. Before designing a mentorship process or program, it’s important to hand pick the perfect candidates to perform the mentor duties. They are the ones that…

Moving from a school to district instructional coach can be an adjustment for educators. There are many similarities and differences between the roles. This post will outline those as well as provide overall tips for making the transition successfully. Similarities in Roles Purpose– Instructional coaching, whether at a school building or district level, is the…

Being an instructional coach looks different based on the needs of your school and/or district. This post will outline my experience coaching new teachers in a large urban district in Charlotte, NC. Vision– Coaching was so new that many leaders didn’t know exactly how to use a coach. Not understanding how you want to utilize…

To collaborate with colleagues requires intention and a systematic approach. Collaboration, if done well, is a powerful technique that can support the growth of teachers. Collaboration can: Increase one’s knowledge-base Model skills and strategies Multiply innovative ideas Bond a team together The problem is many schools require teachers to collaborate without providing training in how…

Getting organized for instructional coaching is one way to increase the likelihood that you can have an impact on teacher growth. If a coach is unorganized, it is hard for them to be able to maintain a strong growth plan for a teacher, let alone multiple teachers. This post will help instructional coaches get organized…

When teacher leaders do not understand and plan for the implementation gap , they will not be able to best support the growth of teachers. This post will help teacher leaders (mentors, cooperating teachers, instructional coaches, PD facilitators, etc.) manage the implementation gap so that teacher expectation is adjusted and performance can reach its potential.…

Educators attend conferences as a means of obtaining professional development. Engaging in ongoing learning is essential for educators to stay current in research and instructional best practices. No matter what type of conference educators attend, there are many ways to get the most out of attending a conference. This blog post shares ways to maximize…

Working with resistant teachers as an instructional coach can be challenging, but not impossible. A resistant teacher can be defined as “one who is unwilling and/or unlikely to participate in a requirement.” Requirements vary, but could be school-wide initiatives or new technology tools. Teachers could have problems with curriculum topics or instructional best practices. Additionally,…

Instructional coaches can be school, district, or state based. If they serve a single school, then they have a home base. If they serve multiple schools in the district or across the state, then they do not have a home base.  A home base can be described as a central location to work from on…

Instructional coaches wear many hats in the school building. If a coach were to record “A Day in the Life” it would look like a random list of never-ending tasks. It’s exhausting and frustrating. This post will uncover why this is happening in schools all across the nation and what instructional coaches can do to…