We want to give you a peek inside our Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program. Coaches taking part in this academic-year-long journey have graciously given us permission to post some of their learning and reflections from the private coursework they are undertaking during this program. Where possible, we have shared the course and the action task to give context for the guest post.

Watch Ben’s Video

Read Ben’s Reflection

What goals did you set for yourself at the beginning of the program?

To gather an active knowledge of coaching, building my coaching repertoire and practice my skills. We had been asked to help the develop the coaching provision across our campuses. And I was quite excited to start.

How did each milestone support you in reaching your goal?

The milestones did not so much support my goals as help to redefine them. Each section offered something new and quite often I found myself ahead of the coach program. At school it became a tool to review what had worked and focus on an area that had been less successful.

What has been your biggest area of growth in the program?

My main area of growth has been creating more meaningful interactions for my teams, but also to take my foot off the gas. I really appreciate those who are around me and what they can bring to the conversation. Rather than feeling that I have to move the conversation forward and at times feeling like it’s success or failure is on me.

Which milestone had the most impact on your professional growth this year & why? Paste your original (or an updated) reflection from that milestone in your response below.

Milestone one – the exploration stage of the program allowed me to enquire about others listen to their responses and develop trust and build relationships. This paid off as I needed greater support in the program later.

Where do you still have room to grow?

I could really work on building the number of people that I work with across the school, not just in my area of comfort but would be great to get out of my comfort zone and work with people with him I do not have regular contact.

What surprises and/or challenges have you had along the way?

Lots of things, people’s preconceptions and misconceptions about coaching, on the idea that coaching doesn’t involve much (we don’t teach). I think it’s also been great to see that there’s a wide variety of coaches out there and there’s not one set way of doing it.

What would you do differently next time? What did you learn?

Begin early, record early, comment early, Do the steps, finish it in timely manner.

How did the Coach support you in your learning journey?

I had always planned on looking into coaching and taking time to learn more about it. The course added impetus.

How has your learning inside the Coach impacted your coaching practice & program in your school setting?

The coaching program has affected my day-to-day conversations and how I interact with others. It is allowed me to build relationships and change the quality of my communication.

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Level Up Your Coaching with The Coach!

If you are ready to dive deep into your coaching practice, to help you #coachbetter and build a thriving coaching culture in your school, please join us for our next cohort of The Coach!

Wherever you are in building a coaching culture in your school, The Coach will give you the strategies, skills and tools you need to make coaching a success and will empower you to confidently apply instructional coaching strategies in any situation – from building a coaching program, to having coaching conversations, to being a leader in your school community. We facilitate only one cohort each academic year so we can offer individualized support for each participant.

Coaches of all levels are welcome: you’ll start the program with a self-assessment to determine exactly what the next steps are for you!