What Do Instructional Coaches Do?

What do instructional coaches do? That’s a question I’ve heard a lot. Why? Because I’ve lived it. Over the course of my career, I’ve served as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, assistant principal, and now, district leader. Each role has shaped me, but stepping into the role of instructional coach allowed me to see beyond …

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Coaching Leadership: Great Questions Build Bridges

“The way we attend to others determines the kind of person we become.” – David Brooks As I embark on my 19th year in education and my 4th year in a formal leadership role, I remain deeply committed to remembering what it was like to be a teacher. I believe that understanding and responding to …

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Leading Through a Coaching Mindset: Shining the Light (Part 4)

This is the conclusion of a four part blog series that took you on a journey to delve into six foundational practices that embody how leaders can embrace a coaching mindset. Let each practice serve as a stepping stone, guiding you towards instructional change and student success. I hope you have found it meaningful to …

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Leading Through a Coaching Mindset: Lean into Learning – Part 2

This blog series will take you on a journey where we'll delve into six foundational practices that embody how leaders can embrace a coaching mindset. Each practice serves as a stepping stone, guiding us towards instructional change and student success. Together, we'll explore how coaching builds will, skill, knowledge, and capacity, breathing life into the …

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Leading Through a Coaching Mindset: Practices that Transform Dialogue, Instruction, and Student Growth – Part 1

In the realm of education, leading through a coaching mindset has proven to be a guiding force that gently steers dialogue, instruction, and ultimately, impacts student growth. Leading and learning is a privilege and as I have navigated over eighteen years in education, I have been fortunate enough to be able to explore many roles, …

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Coaching Leadership: Two Ways to Make Others Feel Truly Seen

There are several aspects about education that ignite my passion and inspire me to reflect on the leader I am continuously becoming. My primary focus lies with the most important stakeholders in our schools: our kids. Regardless of the role you are gifted to serve in, if you are in education, you are a leader …

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Observing Through a Coaching Lens II: 3 Ideas to Leverage Learning Inside the Classroom

The Leap Taking the leap into leadership has provided me with opportunities to expand my impact and broaden my influence in ways I couldn’t have imagined until I started living them. Through my progression from teacher, to reading specialist to instructional coach and now administrator, I have dedicated a substantial amount of time thinking about …

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Instructional Coaching Mindsets Move Practice

Recently, I was asked, “what did you like about being an Instructional Coach?” It took seconds for the words to roll right off of my heart.... “When you are deeply passionate about education, the students, colleagues, and community you serve, coaching is the most meaningful opportunity to make an impact on instructional practices at the …

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Observing Through a Coaching Lens: 8 Ideas to Lift the Level of Conversation and Transform Practice

Reflecting on Observations This is my 16th year in education and it is safe to say that my growth and development as a human being and educator rests on the shoulders of those who generously took the time to ask me about what worked well and what didn’t. They gave me the time and space …

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