This #coachbetter episode is another in our series of coaching case studies, with one of Kim’s amazing clients, Tina Bhatia, Second grade classroom teacher at the American Community School of Abu Dhabi. Tina is a graduate of The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program, working with Diana Beabout as her mentor – and when we recorded this episode she was almost finished with her coursework.

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. 

We are so excited to share this episode with Tina with you because it’s always wonderful to hear about a classroom teacher who is inspired to become a coach – and it’s important to unpack all of the different aspects to consider when moving from classroom to coach. Tina learned a lot during her time in The Coach, and she is so ready to make the move!

In this conversation Kim and Tina talk about: 

• What attracted her to coaching
• What coaching looks like in her school setting right now
• What she’s thinking about as she’s considering the move from classroom to coach
• What teachers need to know to opt-in to coaching
• Her advice for teachers wanting to move into a coaching role
• Some “aha” moments she’s had over the past academic year, learning about being a coach in The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program

Connect with our Featured Guest

Subscribe to #coachbetter via your favorite Podcast Player!

Bonus! Watch the Spotlight Version on YouTube!

Show Notes

Please tell us about your journey as an educator

Started when I was in 4th grade. Struggled with writing and then I met the most amazing teacher in 4th grade, she helped build my confidence and take more risks. That’s why I became an elementary teacher, I wanted to empower my students. First school was Awty International School, then pioneered a position to be a Language Arts Coordinator. Balancing those two roles, taught me a lot about me, and I realized even though this was really challenging, I could do. Have been teaching at ACS for 9 years. Been a learning leader. All my experiences and training have led me to coaching. I still have the same aspirations as a teacher, all about improving student learning.

You’re considering making the move from classroom to coach, what first attracted you to the role?

To me, collaborating with other teachers really motivates me, because you get different perspectives. It opens up my thinking, sometimes you get stuck in one way of doing things. I feel like I have a lot of tools, I can now use in coaching, and that’s where I can maximize those tools. Going through The Coach has taught me the backbone of coaching. I’ve been coached, and I’ve thought it’s “just having conversations”, I didn’t know how much preparing goes into that, until I went through your course. This journey that I’m on right now, with you, with the cohort that I’m in, it’s the glue that brings everything together for me. The course is putting it all together. It helps you reflect, it’s not starting from scratch, but it gives a structure, without too much structure, you can personalize it. You can have your niche in coaching.

What does coaching look like in your school setting right now? What makes that work? What makes it challenging?

Coaching is really supportive and encouraged, we have weekly newsletters that remind us about coaching cycles. It’s really approachable. We have coaching beliefs: it’s about a partnership and its’ student-driven. Most of our coaches are instructional coaches. We also have some individuals in the tech team that are coaches, and there are some others that are spread out throughout the school. We have a coaching menu, which gives teachers a lot of flexibility.

Given that you’ve been at the school for a long time, what are some things that you’re thinking about?

I know the culture, I have relationships and trust, I know the coaching program. But it might be challenging because I need to transition into a new role. As a teacher you’re so focused on instructing your students, but as a coach you’re supporting and giving tools to adults. I want them to see that I’m still there to support, I’m not evaluating. That needs to be communicated.

As a classroom teacher with a long history at one school, what do teachers need to know to be able to opt-in to coaching? What might you consider if you transition into the role in your existing school?

They need to know it is a partnership, it’s not top-down, it’s teacher-driven, it’s about their goals for their students and what they’re seeing in their class. Even if you don’t finish the full cycle, you’re still getting gains. Sometimes teachers don’t feel like they have time, so they need to know that coaches are willing to work around your schedule.

Conversation with structure

---

What’s YOUR level of coaching mastery?

All coaches go through various stages of coaching mastery. Once you identify where you’re at, you can begin to build the skills needed to move to the next stage.

This quiz is based on real-life case studies compiled from years of working with coaches inside The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program!

When you receive your results, you’ll also get your matching case study from the STRIVE Case Studies to see where you fit in the stages of coaching mastery.

Ready to tackle your challenges and move on to the next level in YOUR coaching practice?

The STRIVE Model of Coaching Mastery quiz will help you identify your level of coaching mastery by matching you with case studies compiled from years of working with coaches inside The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program so you can easily see where you fit!

You’ll go straight to the Quiz, and get the Case Study Document via email.

---

Show Notes continued…

What is the goal for your work as a coach, when you move into the role? What do you hope teachers get out of their work with you?

Create an environment where teachers feel valued, supported and inspired. I want teachers to feel that I’m approachable and they can come to me anytime. Give them the tools that they can dive into their goals. It’s a team. I would want teachers to think of me as a partnership.

What might be some barriers?

I think they might think she was just a teacher last year, so how will she coach me. How is she more qualified to be a coach when I’ve been teaching the same amount of years. It comes back to the communication and the coaching community. I would love for

Before your course, I thought coaches were an expert in the subject area, but then I learned that coach is a support system that you have, you should use it. As teachers we should use it. Coaching may look different in different schools . need annual reminders.

What advice would you share for other classroom teachers looking to move into a coaching role? 

Start by reflecting. We’re so busy, we don’t stop to think about all our strengths that we have that they might not realize they already have. Think about all the experiences you have, the training you have, that’s what you can bring to coaching.

Practice, practice, practice, have coaching conversations, that also gives those teachers a chance to reflect on their practice too. 

Get trained, get certified. This course has been a great learning experience. You think you know what coaching is, but going through a certification you get all these tools. Even if you decide you don’t want to be a coach, you would walk away with so many collaboration tools.

Get a mentor – at your school if you can, so you can practice, to build up your confidence.

What have been some “aha” moments in The Coach so far this year?

I didn’t know there were 3 different coaching approaches, I didn’t realize that there were different approaches that you take within the coaching cycle. You can live in one and it’s ok, it can be a dance with your coaching partner, you may stay longer in one, it’s based on the teachers’ needs and their goals. For me, I thought it was linear.

The type of questions that can also guide you as to which approach you take, preparing those ahead of time. These questions are so powerful. It taught me how to reword those to make them more open. Questions can be intimidating for some, so it’s really important to form those questions.

---

Ready to Learn More about the Path to Instructional Coaching?

If you’re ready to dig deeper into what your path to instructional coaching might be – or if you’re new to instructional coaching and you’re curious about getting started, join us for one of our courses for coaches!

To learn more about these options, we have three FREE workshops to share with you today.

For New or Aspiring Coaches

If you’re just getting started as a coach, and you want to be successful in your early years, watch our New to Coaching Workshop, which highlights the key mindset and skill set shifts you’ll need when moving from the classroom to a coaching role. The workshop will also tell you all about our online course, Getting Started as a Coach. This course is specifically designed for classroom teachers who are moving into a coaching role so you’re prepared for the transition. It’s focused on exactly the skillset & mindset shifts you need to so you can be successful in your first years as an instructional coach. 

For Experienced Coaches

If you’re already a coach & you want to think about being more intentional & strategic in your practice, watch our workshop on the Thrive Model for Coaching Success which will help you evaluate your program and your practice to see where you may have room to grow. You’ll walk away with a clear picture of exactly what you need to focus on to build a thriving coaching culture – and help you decide if our year-long mentorship and certification program, The Coach, is right for you, right now. This program is designed for current coaches who are focused on building a coaching culture through intentional and strategic coaching work at all levels – with teachers and school leaders.

For Coaches Ready to Lead

For experienced coaches ready to look at the bigger picture of the school to see what might be supporting or hindering the sustainability of the coaching program, and you want to make sure your school has all of the systems and structures in place, watch our workshop: Scaling Your Impact as an Instructional Coach. You’ll get a bird’s eye view of what’s needed to make coaching sustainable for you as an individual coach and for your school. When you’re ready to put that learning into action, join us in our online course for coaches ready to lead: Coaches as Leaders and put it all into practice – with support from Kim and our global cohort! This course is designed for experienced coaches, ready to lead.

You can find all the workshops on our coachbetter website at coachbetter.tv/workshops

Wherever you are in your coaching journey, we can support you!

For All Coaches

Connect with us!

• Subscribe to the podcast iTunes  |  Spotify  |  Stitcher 
• Follow us on social media: Twitter  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn
• Join our #coachbetter Facebook group
• Explore our courses for coaches