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 Brandon’s Video

Read Brandon’s Reflection

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

Just to learn as much as I can, learn from those around me, and listen and take in as much as possible. Also, building as many relationships as possible at different schools.

How did each milestone support you in reaching your goal?

It was incredible. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I realized that there is so much intentional work that goes into being a good coach to support all educators in our district.

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

My biggest area of growth in the program would be having coaching conversations and listening to understand. Being able to ask the right questions at the right times and put my advice monster away.

Which milestone had the most impact on your professional growth this year & why?

It would be the second milestone which is our 2 pager of our coaching document that has been presented to our leadership and to the board (in 2 weeks). It was great for our team to come together to clarify all that we are doing and put something together to expose all the staff in the district to. Really powerful to have it all so condensed and easy to distribute.

Where do you still have room to grow?

I have room to grow in collecting data. Making growth in it, but more to grow for sure. Along with documenting coaching sessions. Really trying to find the perfect way (for now, which I’m sure could change) to have something to show history of conversations. I have changed it probably 3 times this year, ha!

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

Lots of them! Just to name a few, how hard it is to be a new coach in a district you have been with for 10 years, peoples perceptions of you and your job and what you do all day, and pushback from peers about contractual things.

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

Really hitting the ground running with a plan for next year. Having a survey go out and have something to act on right from the get go at the beginning of the year. With each conversation I have will have some kind of feedback attached to it. That is something that would change from this year.

How did the Coach support you in your learning journey?

The Coach supported me in every single way possible. Being there for so much learning, a sounding board during our conversations, being intentionally focused on the needs of me that changed week to week or month to month. All the content was really easy to take it and act on right away.

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

Greatly. Really made us come together as a team in a lot of ways. Being that our team grew this year, having 6 coaches in our decently small district, there was a lot to figure out, especially because there were 3 seasoned coaches along with 3 new coaches. All that learning together really helped me individually and as a member of the team.

What’s next for your professional learning?

Continue to put all of this into practice and refine everything, week to week, and month to month. Continue to read and educate myself in this field, learn from my past experiences, and grow from those around me.

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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!