Who do you coach/mentor?

[Carole Fuller]

I coach teachers of adult students, mostly teaching ESL but also Workforce content areas such as computer skills.

[Annie Palmer]

I am a lead teacher, which means that I am a classroom teacher and with whatever time I can find, I do some degree of instructional coaching.  I work with grade-level colleagues across our district (4 elementaries) and within my K-5 building. I've been in this role for three years now and though it has its limitations due to the fact tha I am a classroom teacher, it has offered me great PD and knowledge of how to work with adults.

[Carole Fuller]

Hi Annie! What would you say is the most common area you work on with your teachers in coaching? Is it student behavior?

[Scott H Snyder]

I'm a part time English teacher, part time instructional coach and part time department head. Somehow, I think those parts add up to more than 1 whole person at times, but I digress.

I coach other teacher on our staff of approximately 100 with the end goal of improving student learning; this year specifically, the other coach and I focused on literacy skills across all content areas. Teachers work with us on a voluntary basis; some choose to work with us while many others do not. Hoping as we move in to year three of coaching in the building, we can start to swing that tide.

[Carole Fuller]

Hi Scott - yes that sounds like a one-and-a-half-person job at least! The teachers at my school also work with me as a coach voluntarily, so it might be good for us to share ideas about how to get them on board and buy in to the process. It would be great to plan a strategy for the beginning of the next academic year too. I'm thinking about having teachers who worked with me this year, share testimonials focused on what they got out of coaching. Any thoughts?

[Sarenawati Jaafar]

Hi,I'm  a principal.So, I'm coaching my teachers who are mostly not from teaching background,but they are willing to learn.My school was set up 3 years ago.Still learning about instructional coaching.

[Scott H Snyder]

I think it's critical to have your staff clearly understand your role as an instructional coach and how that differs from the evaluative nature of an administrator. In fact, my co-coach and I would ideally like not to have our principal in the room when we talk about our roles and responsibilities to show we are not attached to their collective hips.

I like your idea of teacher testimonials too!

[Shannon Panzo PhD]

I teach Speed Reading/Photographic Memory of all ages.We help others with Dyslexia, ADHD,doctors, teachers, psychologists, corporate professionals, lawyers, parents and students.