In this #coachbetter episode Kim chats with Brenda Lee, Grade 4 teacher at Al-Bayan Bilingual School (BBS) Kuwait. 

We’re excited to share this episode with you because it’s a topic that’s been requested by you! We received a request to hear from educators (rather than coaches) about their experiences with coaching. 

In this conversation with Brenda, they talk about 

• How instructional coaching has supported her growth as an educator
• How instructional coaching fits within the context of educator professional growth
• What classroom teachers need to know to opt in to coaching
• How she makes time for coaching in a busy teacher’s schedule
• Why some teachers resist coaching
• How coaching works for her as a classroom teacher
• Why she’s hoping to make the move from classroom to coach

This episode is a fantastic example of why teachers chose to opt-in to coaching – and how you can articulate the value of coaching for your prospective coaching partners!

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Show Notes

Please tell us about your journey as an educator?

From the UK, all of my training and my first years of teaching were in the UK, classroom teacher, assistant principal, then I thought I wanted a different experience. Currently working in Kuwait. Been here for the last 9 years. Didn’t know anything about Kuwait, but I’ve had a fabulous experience. Been in 4 different schools: English school Grade Level Head, another English school, Deputy Head; american school taught enrichment; now in an another American school. Almost 30 years of teaching experience. Have enjoyed growing as an educator and a teacher.

How has working with a coach supported your professional growth?

Instructional coaching isn’t part of the British system, so I didn’t hear about it until I came to this school. It wasn’t until I came into this school and I actually saw instructional coaching in action, just working with my coach at the beginning. Thought I would immerse myself in the experience. I didn’t go in with the approach that I’ve been a teacher, what can they teach me. I went in with the mindset of “what can i learn”. 

When my coach came in and observed, I thought we would break down the lesson after, highlighting the things that worked well, and didn’t, but she didn’t. What I found was that I was much more reflective about what had happened. I talked about the lesson, what had happened and what I wanted to see happen – which was completely different. At first I was a little bit uncomfortable, wondering “what is this”, but it was so helpful to me. 

She didn’t do lots and lots of talking. She allowed me to talk it out, talk it through and hear myself. Just to be able to go back in with a different kind of approach and be more focused about what I wanted to see happen, and how those things can happen.

Being someone who’s gone in and observed, we have a list of things we want to see. This was so different, giving the teacher the opportunity to reflect, more often you do know, but you don’t have the freedom to say that you know. That was really eye opening for me as a classroom teacher and school leader.

You’re under such pressure to make sure you’re hitting the mark and ticking the boxes, but is that really allowing you to be the best teacher you can be? Coaching allows for so much freedom of self-reflection and processing, allowing people to see how valuable they are and what they know is powerful.

As an experienced teacher (and school leader), how do you see coaching as part of the professional growth of all educators?

The terror that observation strikes in people’s hearts about being observed because it’s all about hitting a checklist, but working with a coach and having someone come in to your classroom, that is completely different. Every teacher needs to have that freedom and that experience.

People are not more open to coaching because they don’t really understand it.

As a colleague, I speak to teachers all the time, and people feel the freedom to talk things through, and I want them to know that they can have those conversations with a coach with a goal in mind.

What do teachers need to know to be able to opt-in to coaching? 

When you’re in it, you don’t always see it – sometimes you don’t even see the things that are working well, that you can build on to help the students get to the learning you want them to have. Just knowing that when you’re working with a coach, having that time of reflection is really powerful.

It’s the questions that the coach asks, and you’re looking at the things that are working, that you begin to recognize what you’re doing well, and able to unpack why it’s working well as well as why other things are not working well. It’s those kinds of conversations that shift my development as a teacher and the way that students learn. We keep doing things that are not working because it’s what we know, but we can also do MORE of what does work well to move student learning. It’s through those conversations that coaching allows this to happen.

How do you make time for coaching conversations like this?

I’ve just decided to make it a priority. I’m looking at my class, and I know what I want them to achieve. Having someone work with me to help them get to that, is a priority for me. I’ve made a decision that I’m putting it into my timetable. I want to see that happen and I know my students need something more, and what I’m doing isn’t getting me the more that they’re capable of, so I know I need to make time for that.

How do you convince other teachers of this?

Though I have all this experience, I still need coaching. Sometimes people can think coaching is a reflection on them, but actually this is about growth. If you’re growing as a teacher, your children are going to grow.

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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.

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Show Notes continued…

Why do teachers resist coaching?

Time

Not understanding it

Thinking that someone is coming in to observe you and give feedback about what’s gone wrong

If schools had a timetabled option that said “coaching, optional”

What are you thinking about as you’re considering moving into the coaching role?

The “advice monster” lives within me, I’m always tempted to give advice. Talked about practicing conversations with Sasha. Just being that person who’s able to listen. They’re listening but they’re asking me the questions that make me have to listen a bit deeper.

What have been some of your “aha” moments?

Listening. Being somebody who listens.

Questioning. Having conversations.

Being a thinking partner – being able to sit with someone and have a conversation and do the “I wonders”, the freedom to do that is so powerful

On paper it looks quite simple, but actually it is so deep and it opens up so many things, and provides a way for me to be the kind of teacher that I wished I had growing up.

Anybody who would be considering coaching, being able to share the freedom

In what ways does coaching work for you as a classroom teacher?

Our coaches are visible. The fact that I knew the coaches, and had a personal relationship with them. They’re personable. They don’t just appear at PD. Because they are visible, people form relationships with them outside of coaching. Knowing that they’re coaches, people are more willing to opt-in.

The other person I was given was also visible, getting to know her.

People need to see you, they need to know what you do, show up, be around the place.

We have drop-ins, so other people being in your classroom doesn’t strike terror in your heart. Because it’s always linked to performance is frightening.

Making yourself available makes you approachable.

When you move into a coaching role, what do you want to do with it?

I want a teacher who’s going to work with me to feel free to have conversations with me, to feel vulnerable with me, and as we work together, have the freedom to be the best teacher they can be. Through those conversations, to be able to explore new ideas and have the confidence that someone is going to be backing you up, someone who’s on your side. Sometimes it can feel lonely as a teacher. Sometimes you just need to have someone alongside you. I want to be able to give that to teachers.

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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

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