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 Gwen’s Video

Read Gwen’s Reflection

I have so many ideas and next steps! I think I can continue growing in coaching leadership by continuing with systems, thinking about my interactions with new positional leaders and being strategic in WHO I coach next year among the teaching staff. Coaching leadership potential will be key to stability at our school I think.

This year had many surprises and challenges most of which I had no control over. I think it helped me consider how my resiliency is a key factor in leadership here. I’m thinking about how to coach up on that using Elena Aguilar’s strengths of resilient leaders and principles in Onward.

The Coach supported me in having that piece of accountability to get things done that, at times, I already knew needed to be done. It pushed me to make the time and space to do it and to reflect on my own growth and learning.

While some things in The Coach were things I’d already worked through personally, coming in thinking with the lens of the program and systems helped me to learn something from each step. My perspective was different.

The learning has impacted our work in that we have created systems which can go beyond me. We have something to speak with administration and new leaders next year about. We have a clearer vision of what our program is and how we can be strategic.

In terms of my professional learning, I had briefly considered going back for my PhD, but I need a break for a bit 🙂 I will continue my “informal” learning by reading books, listening to podcasts, and taking things in. I want to be more purposeful about goal setting, reflecting and following up on my next steps in the upcoming school year. I think meeting with other coaches (outside of my school) is super helpful for me as well, but I’m not sure what that would look like.

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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!