Paul Erricsson

Hi everyone!!  I’m Paul (he, him), and I am really excited to be joining you all with the crew of coaches from the American School of Warsaw.  Prior to this, I spent time leading middle level education in the states (Buffalo, NY and Yarmouth, Maine, and St. Croix, USVI).  Currently, I teach MYP science, and I’ve served as both a data coach and a learning coach at ASW.  Prior  

coaching experience includes developing a peer coaching professional growth model at my previous school, and working with the University at Buffalo MBA LeaderCORE program as one of their mentor coaches. 

I’m really excited to be here as our school has committed to building a new model and approach to coaching, and there are many of us here looking for ways to pull all of this together.  

As for a super power, I tend to be a supportive and insightful person who values trust and works to build positive cultures in groups and schools.  I have learned to listen more, and talk less.  And, I bring many different experiences and failures to the group for us to learn from.

Reyna Lazarou

Hi everyone! My name is Reyna Lazarou (she/her), and I’m originally from the US. Home is currently Warsaw, Poland where I work as a K-12 Learning Coach at American School of Warsaw along with an amazing team who are joining me in this years’ cohort. My chosen social media platform for professional connection has been Twitter @MsReyna2 but I’m certainly open to a change if someone has a better suggestion 😬

I’ve been working as a coach for the last 7 years, but each year is different than the last- this year is no exception. As a school, we have changed our

job descriptions, titles and overall coaching program to align with our big picture strategic goals, vision and core values. 

We chose to join The Coach as a group this year to grow our individual and collective capacity, build/refine our coaching program, and make a measurable impact within our community. The inspiration for joining was partially the course offerings, partially timing, partially personal experience with COETAIL and the desire to connect with other coaches. 

I’m most looking forward to engaging in this course with others (in my own team and beyond) and applying what I learn to my current work. My goals at this point are at the systems & program level. 

My coaching skills & superpowers include being able to work at micro and macro levels, helping people make connections (to ideas/resources/others) and documentation. I’m very much looking forward to our work this year and can’t wait to connect with all of you!

Jen Kagohara

Hi, my name is Jen Kagohara (she/her) and I am from Brazil. I live and work in Taiwan now  at the Taipei American School. I am the lower school edtech coach for grades 4 and 5. You can find me on instagram and Twitter as @jkagohara. This is my second year in the coach role, but I am considering it year one again. As a school, we just redefined our coaching framework, and we’re working towards implementing and changing the

culture. All the possibilities and opportunities are way different than last year, so in my mind it makes a lot of sense to be starting fresh! I had a very positive experience participating in the last cohort of Women Who Lead with Kim, and I think this cohort will help me improve the skills I need and discover new things about myself.

My professional goal is to help my team see the potential of technology as a tool in class to empower students on their learning journey, working together to create meaningful and intentional learning opportunities.

I am excited to learn from the program and all the participants.  I want to be more aware  and confident of my strengths as a coach and how to grow in areas I am still working on.

I am always up for a challenge and I love a thinking partner. That’s how I learn best.

Zuzana Matusova

Hi everyone! I’m Zuzana (she/her), originally from the heart of Europe, the Czech Republic. I grew up in a bilingual family, which sparked my love for diverse cultures and led me to experiences in places like Barbados and the American School of Warsaw (ASW) in Poland – once a Warrior, always a Warrior! 🙂 Nowadays, I’m based in Seoul, South Korea, teaching a group of fantastic fifth-graders at the Seoul Foreign School. Besides classroom teaching, I wear the hats of a grade 5 team leader and the elementary school’s leader in training.

These roles have enriched my educational journey, paving the path towards my interest in coaching. In fact, our inspiring literacy coach at Seoul Foreign School introduced me to the world of coaching and specifically recommended Eduro as an ideal platform to start this endeavor in a more formal and structured way.

My aspiration is to delve deep into the art of coaching, understanding its methodologies, exploring its effectiveness in educational settings, and mastering coaching conversations. Additionally, I’m excited about collaborating with experienced coaches and learning from their insights. When working in the coaching cohort, I hope to utilize and share my skills in the realm of documentation and data collection that I have built throughout my career. 

If you wish to connect, you can find me on X @ZuzanaMatusova or on LinkedIn under my full name. 

I’m thrilled to embark on this learning journey with you!

Kira Fladager

Hi everyone! I’m Kira Fladager (she/her) and I am coming from the Prairies of Canada to Warsaw, Poland. I work at the American School of Warsaw in a blended role of PK – 12 Learning Coach and Teacher-Librarian. You can follow me on Instagram @fladagerk and Twitter @kfladager (but you’ll mostly see my travel pics lately).  I have been

an educator for 23 years with 15 of those years as a coach and literacy coordinator in Canada before joining the international school community. I am part of an amazing team of Learning Coaches at ASW who are learning and growing together into a new model of coaching at our school. Joining The Coach and taking this course is a collective goal of our team and I am looking forward to learning alongside everyone. The blend of the TL and Coach role is a unique opportunity to deepen the support I provide for teachers in literacy as a TL with the coaching role. My goals for this course are to stretch my coaching by continuing to develop new strategies and systems to increase my impact on teaching and learning. My strengths as a coach are that I try to find positive entry points into any coaching opportunity. I am a listener and a researcher and I work to bring clarity out of complexity. I am looking forward to being part of this learning community and connecting with all of you!

Shawna Carnahan

Hi to all! I am Shawna Carnahan (she/her) and I am currently one of the K-12 Instructional Coaches at The American Community School of Abu Dhabi (ACS), in the UAE. Although I love living overseas (15 years) I still  miss the mountain views from my home in Oregon. After 22 years of teaching ES and MS, I am beginning my first year of coaching. I’m loving it so far!

During this course, I really hope to learn and grow as a coach and supporter of teachers and students. My current role has me working with teams on curriculum development and in individual coaching cycles. I am excited to grow my knowledge and learn from others about the wide range of support coaches can offer. One of the reasons I was coached into trying out a coaches role was my ability to build strong relationships with others. I also love design thinking and am happy to try, (maybe fail), and revise. I believe this is where the real learning happens! 

I’m looking forward to learning from mentors, from one another, and from “the pros.” There are so many opportunities to grow during this year long course and I can’t wait to get started.

Heather Breedlove

Hello! I’m Heather (she/her) from Arizona, USA and have worked in Philippines, Korea (which I worked with Zuzana!) and now Poland at American School of Warsaw (just outside of Warsaw city center) as a Learning Coach PK-12. For the last 12 years I have been a tech coach, coordinator and everything tech related. This is my first year transitioning from a specific tech role to a curriculum based role and I’m so excited. 

I’m joining this cohort to grow my practice in coaching, alongside my coaching colleagues at ASW- Sara, Reyna, Paul, Greg, Kira and Brenda. As a school we are looking to create a culture of

coaching and are going through this course together to help us shape what we want coaching to look like at ASW. I feel fortunate to be working with a whole team of coaches!

I’m am looking forward to working with teachers in more of a learning capacity, not just about technology. I have always believed that learning is first and technology is second. 

My goal is to learn how to leverage the skills I already have and create some habits and structures to meet the needs of teachers and engage them in coaching. I have the ability to build relationships and trust, to break things down in manageable pieces and to see the bigger picture and help others make connections. 

Looking forward to connecting with all of you. I’m over at X on @hblove03 and Threads at @farfromaz. 

Picture is from a park in Poland, although it looks like it’s in Korea!

Brenda Rupp

Hi everyone; I’m Brenda Rupp!  I come from a small town in North Central Idaho in the US, but currently living in Warsaw, Poland, working at American School of Warsaw.  My current role at ASW is PK-12 Teacher Librarian / Learning Coach.  You can find me on Instagram (@brendysue28), Twitter / X (@brendakr28), and on Facebook and LinkedIn as Brenda Rupp.

I’m a new coach!  Apart from coaching sports for many years, I have no experience as a learning/instructional coach.  Our entire learning coach team at my school is taking this course together; we learned about it from other’s on our team and decided this would be a good course for all of us to enroll in.  I’m most looking forward to learning what a coach does, how they can be effective in schools, what a coaching cycle may look like, and how I can learn my strengths around coaching.  I’m also looking forward to working with others in this role and learning from them.  As far as “special skills”, prior to becoming a librarian and coach, I worked as a math, PE, and health teacher.  I would like to think I have skills that relate to teaching these three subjects, and that I could be a resource for that.  As a librarian, I have a variety of skills in the ways of information literacy, and that could be of benefit to some as well. 

I’m excited to be part of this journey and learning cohort!

Tina Bhatia

My name is Tina Bhatia, (she/her). Originally born in Canada, I’m one of the lucky ones who can proudly call two incredible places home: the heartwarming Houston, Texas, and the vibrant Abu Dhabi, UAE. My roots took hold in Houston, and it’s there that I not only “grew up” but also flourished in my career as an educator when I made the move to Abu Dhabi.

Presently, My days are filled with curious and energetic second graders at The American School of Abu Dhabi. This marks my ninth year at ACS, a journey that has seen me wear different hats,

from teaching 3rd and 5th grades to stepping into the role of a learning leader.

While this is my first formal coaching class, I’ve been fortunate to receive training in Adaptive

Schools and benefited from Joellen Killion’s wisdom as a consultant at our school. Now armed with both training and experience, I’m excited to implement these strategies and make a meaningful impact on the educational journey of both kids and teachers alike.

I find myself at a juncture  in my professional journey, where the wealth of experiences I’ve gathered is ready to be shared to provide valuable support to my fellow educators. The pursuit of knowledge and the exploration of innovative teaching methodologies are not just professional endeavors for me; they resonate deeply on a personal level. I’m thrilled to dive into this coaching adventure, fueled by a passion for personal growth and the empowerment of others in their educational endeavors.

My strengths lie in building meaningful relationships, applying adaptive school protocols, and being flexible. Currently, I’m navigating the joys and challenges of teaching in an open classroom setting, so I’m more than happy to exchange ideas and learn new approaches. Problem-solving is my jam, and I look forward to not only sharing my insights but also learning from the collective wisdom of this cohort.

Here’s to connecting and growing together!

Starr Green

My name is Starr (she/her) and I’m from the UK, but I live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where I taught French and Spanish in an international school for 6 years. I’m currently taking a year out to study MA English Language and Literature alongside this coaching course, and I’m applying for jobs as a teacher of French, EAL and English and/or as an Instructional Coach to begin in August 2024. If anyone works in an international school where there’s a suitable vacancy, please let me know! I’m happy to consider anywhere in the world – my priority is finding a school which genuinely cares for student and staff wellbeing and where I can use and further develop all of my subject teaching and coaching skills.

I did ILM coaching training in my previous school, where there was an ethos of peer coaching and professional learning communities, and a third of my timetable was spent on the Academic Coaching programme where I worked with students on their academic and personal goals. This was a really rewarding part of my job and I want my career to move more in the direction of coaching, so I decided to do further training this year and then hopefully find a post where I can use my new and existing skills.

I’m looking forward to learning new coaching techniques, and my goals for this year are to build up a bank of strategies to choose from in my future coaching work, and to learn more about making a success of the Instructional Coach role.

I have above average experience and knowledge of special educational needs such as ADHD, dyslexia and autism, so I’m happy to offer suggestions for how best to work with colleagues or students who face challenges linked to any of these. I can also provide information about the British and International education systems, if that’s useful to anyone.

Darby Sinclair

Hi all, I am Darby Sinclair (she/her) and I’m excited to join you from Taipei American School.  I am currently the Head of the Social Sciences department and teach IB Global Politics, AP Research, and a few other social science-related

courses.  Our school is moving in a new direction as we focus on deep learning and redefining what learning means for our institution.  I have had the opportunity to play a role in being an integral part of those conversations and I am eager for what lies ahead for us.  I love problem-solving and collaborating with colleagues.  I think my superpower is that I find I gain energy from these conversations and thrive with the challenges of problem-solving with like-minded colleagues to improve student learning.  As our school develops a culture of coaching my goal is to find a role for myself as we gain momentum. I really hope to learn instructional strategies that have been effective for others and benefit from these experiences.