Creating Professional Boundaries with Colleagues

Professional boundaries allow colleagues to work effectively together with limited personal conflict. This means that colleagues can be friendly without being friends so that personal disagreements do not distract from the completion of work. This blog post will discuss examples of professional boundaries and specific tips for how teachers and teacher leaders can navigate the…

The Importance of Providing Onboarding for Educators

Onboarding is essential for staff be able to do their role effectively. Onboarding establishes expectations and offers support. Dictionary.com defines onboarding as “the action or process of integrating a new employee into an organization or familiarizing a new customer or client with one’s products or services.” Onboarding should be the entry point from which all…

Characteristics of an Effective Teacher Mentor

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…

What I Wish I Knew about Being an Instructional Coach

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…

294: Reignite Your Passion with Ashley Hubner

Tune in as you listen to this special Summer Series episode on the Empowering Educators Podcast. In this episode, Gretchen interviews Ashley Hubner. You will feel empowered as you hear Ashley’s story of being a classroom teacher, instructional coach and curriculum specialist. You’ll love her advice on how to reignite your passion, listen today! Quotables…

Get Organized for Coaching!

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…

Managing the Implementation Gap

When teacher leaders do not understand and plan for the implementation gap [i-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.…

5 P’s of Meaningful Conversations as a Teacher Coach

Having meaningful conversations with teachers as an instructional coach is key to their growth and development. Providing professional development, facilitating professional learning community meetings, and engaging in coaching cycles are the bread and butter of instructional coaching. However, teacher leaders often leave little room for authentic conversations in their support plan. These conversations can be…

Organizing a Successful Assembly at your School

An assembly at a school is a great way to bring an entire student body and staff together. It is a time to celebrate and learn in an engaging way. Often times, assemblies can be chaotic and disorganized. This limits the impact the learning opportunity during the assembly could have on all participants. Therefore, it’s…

7 Things to Remember when Switching Curriculum

Switching curriculum is commonplace in schools. Sometimes funding or a contract runs out, new best practices force a change in direction for how to instruct students, or schools just want to try something new. Regardless of the reason, switching curriculum occurs on average every few years. This can be a frustrating process for both teachers…