We would like to introduce you to one of our graduates of The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program! With over a hundred graduates since 2019, educators taking The Coach come into the program with different backgrounds, experiences and goals. Because the program is designed to be flexible and practical in nature, each graduate is able to customize their learning experience for exactly their needs – with the support of a mentor and the global community the whole way!
The Coach follows the Thrive Model for Sustainable Instructional Coaching, a proven framework for success in developing your coaching practice – for you as an individual coach and for your coaching program in your school. These educators have graciously given us permission to post some of their learning and reflections from the private coursework they are undertaking during this program.
Meet Kelly
Kelly came to The Coach in her second year as an instructional coach. The coaching team she was working on had recently grown from a team of two (both prior The Coach graduates, meet Becca and Ashley here) to a team of four. She joined The Coach with her colleague Tracey McGillian (meet Tracey here). Because two of Kelly’s colleagues had already graduated from The Coach, she came into the program with very well defined goals.
She says.
“At the beginning of the coaching program, one of my primary goals was to improve my communication skills as an instructional coach. Specifically, I wanted to become better at communicating my role and how I could help coachees continue their work with me in coaching conversations and/or cycles, rather than just being a provider of resources. In addition to this, I aimed to improve my ability to use data to drive decision-making in my coaching practice and become more proficient in using various coaching strategies to support the growth of my coachees.”
She made huge progress during her time in The Coach. She says…
My biggest area of growth in the program was creating clarity in my role as a coach. Initially, I was seen more as a resource provider, but through creating a mission statement for myself, creating a coaching menu, and sharing success stories with Building Thinking Classrooms, I was able to clearly explain my role in supporting teachers on their journey. This helped teachers better understand what I could offer them and led to more successful coaching experiences and continued.
Now that’s she’s graduated, Kelly says:
The coaching program had a profound impact on my coaching practice and my school program. It has given me greater confidence and ability to engage in coaching conversations and use questioning techniques effectively. Additionally, my comprehension of the coaching stances has enabled me to deliver more purposeful and relevant support where coachees require it.. Through sharing my milestones and learning journey video with my administration, they have been able to see my growth and support my ongoing development. I feel that the program has helped me to become a more effective coach and positively impacted my performance.
Watch Kelly’s Final Project
At the end of The Coach, all participants complete a Learning Journey Video Reflection…
The Learning Journey Video Reflection is a chance for you to reflect on everything you’ve learned and/or discovered throughout this Certificate Program. You will create an 8-10 min video sharing on the goal that you set, documenting the process of working towards your goal, reflecting on your achievement and sharing the process/outcome with our learning community. The most important part of your personal project is that it’s relevant to you, and you can demonstrate, through documentation and video, the impact your work has had on your school.
Now that she’s graduated, Kelly says…
We would not be where we are now without our whole team having gone through The Coach. At first when they were going through it, I thought, “great, you guys went through it, you did the work for us”, but it’s not really like that. It really does feel like an ongoing journey that you’re never really done with. You’re constantly revising your craft. Developing a coaching program, and your craft as a coach feels like an ongoing journey. You’re never really done, you’re constantly improving.
Watch Kelly’s Learning Journey Reflection Video here!
Read more from Kelly
During the program, we often ask participants if we can share any of their reflections if they are especially insightful. Kelly had several posts we asked to share. These posts will give you insight into Kelly’s journey during the program, as well as what you can expect to be learning about when you join the next global cohort!
- Inside the Coach: Math Coaching Menu
- Inside the Coach: Focus on Equity
- Inside the Coach: Evaluating Your Coaching Program
- Inside the Coach: Seeing Yourself as a Leader
Learn more about Kelly’s Learning Experience
Kelly was recently featured on the #coachbetter podcast in a Case Study episode.
These case study episodes are designed to share the story of a coach, and the development of their coaching program and practice in their unique setting. At the time of recording, Kelly had graduated from The Coach the year before. In this episode we talk about what coaching looks like in her school now that all four coaches have been through The Coach, how her role has, and the coaching program at PASD has, evolved over the years, a big “aha” moment Kelly had in The Coach around equity and math instruction, the success of implementing Building Thinking Classrooms at PASD, how she’s refining her practice over this academic year, and what she wish she knew when she started coaching. If you’re curious about what it looks like working in an established coaching program – and programs evolve over time, this episode is for you!
Learn more about the PASD Coaching Program
Kelly was also featured on anther #coachbetter podcast with the whole PASD team (at the time). This episode highlights the intentional steps that school leaders and coaches took to build a coaching program at PASD.
Want to Learn in a Community Like This?
If you can see connections between your story and Kelly’s please join us for the next global cohort of The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program. Registration will open in early September and the program will run from the end of September – May.
The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program is a comprehensive academic-year-long professional learning experience designed for experienced educators who are ready to be intentional and strategic in their instructional coaching role so they can build a thriving coaching culture. This course on the essential foundations of instructional coaching and building an instructional coaching program.
In The Coach we’ll support you in developing your coaching practice and program following the Thrive Model for Instructional Coaching success.
Not only will you learn everything you need to be successful as a K12 instructional coach, with an entire academic year of curated coaching content, but you’ll also get the support of a mentor to adapt your learning to exactly your needs & experience level for the entire program!
The program is truly personalized – because we know you’re coming to The Coach with your own experience and expertise. So wherever you are in your coaching journey, we can support you in taking the next step forward.
Plus, inside our private community, you’ll learn with a global cohort of coaches from schools around the world, so you can see how coaching really works in other schools – and build your network of coaches!
Our global cohorts open only once a year (and it’s coming up soon!) – get all the details and join the waitlist for our next cohort at edurolearning.com/coach
If you’re not sure if The Coach is right for you, send me a DM at EduroLearning on social media and let’s talk it through! I’d love to support you on your coaching journey!
Find out more at: https://edurolearning.com/coach/
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