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.
Read Roisin’s Reflection
What goals did you set for yourself at the beginning of the program?
At the beginning of the program, my goal was to better understand what coaching is and how to coach teachers effectively within my role as a Learning Support Coach at HCOS. I entered the role without formal coaching training, but with a background in relationship-building, supporting colleagues, and helping teachers problem-solve. I wanted to gain the philosophy, language, practical tools, and confidence needed to coach intentionally. I also went into the course hoping to better understand how coaching could fit within an online and homeschooling-based school environment and how it could support both teachers and students in meaningful ways.
How did each milestone support you in reaching your goal?
Each milestone helped me build a clearer understanding of coaching from a different angle. Some milestones deepened my understanding of coaching philosophy and reflective practice, while others pushed me to think practically about implementation and communication. Creating artifacts such as my “Why Coaching is Valuable” infographic helped me think about how to explain coaching to teachers and build buy-in. The milestones also encouraged me to create practical resources and systems that I can continue using in my role moving forward.
What has been your biggest area of growth in the program?
My biggest area of growth has been shifting from a “problem-solving” mindset to a reflective coaching mindset. Before this course, I naturally wanted to jump in with solutions, strategies, and advice. Through this program, I learned that coaching is often more powerful when it focuses on listening, asking thoughtful questions, and creating space for reflection. I have grown in understanding that coaching is not about having all the answers, but about helping others build confidence, clarity, and capacity within themselves. This shift has changed the way I approach conversations with teachers and has made me more intentional in how I support growth over time.
Which milestone had the most impact on your professional growth this year & why? Paste your original (or updated) reflection below.
The milestone that had the greatest impact on my professional growth was the one focused on defining and communicating the value of coaching. It challenged me to think about how coaching is perceived by teachers and how important it is to create clarity, trust, and accessibility around coaching support.
One artifact that especially shaped my thinking was my infographic on “Why Coaching is Valuable.” Creating it helped me realize that before teachers can engage in coaching, they first need to understand what coaching is—and what it is not. I reflected on how some teachers may associate coaching with criticism, extra work, or being told what to do, while others may feel it is only for new teachers. Through this process, I developed clearer language for explaining coaching as collaborative, reflective, supportive, and teacher-centered.
This milestone impacted me because it helped me recognize that building a coaching culture is not only about coaching skills, but also about communication, relationship-building, and creating buy-in within a school community.
Where do you still have room to grow?
I still have room to grow in slowing down during coaching conversations! I also want to continue developing confidence in facilitating more group coaching opportunities. Since coaching is so relational and contextual, I know there is always room to grow in areas such as communication, questioning techniques, navigating difficult conversations, and balancing support with accountability. I also hope to continue learning and growing towards building a sustainable coaching culture within our school community.
What surprises and/or challenges have you had along the way?
One surprise was realizing how holistic coaching truly is. I initially viewed coaching as largely strategy-focused and outcome-driven, but I learned that coaching involves identity, trust, reflection, lived experience, and relationship-building. A challenge along the way was learning to redefine my role internally, not seeing myself primarily as the “problem solver,” but as a thinking partner who supports others in reaching their own clarity and growth. Another challenge was learning how to make coaching visible and accessible within a busy school culture where teachers are already overwhelmed and may not initially see the value in coaching support. This is still a work in progress!
What would you do differently next time? What did you learn?
If I were beginning this process again, I would spend less time worrying about “doing more coaching meetings” and more time embracing the learning process. I learned that coaching is not linear and that growth takes time, experimentation, and reflection. One major learning for me was recognizing that coaching can happen in many forms—not only in formal meetings, but also through presentations, collaborative discussions, resource creation, informal conversations, and ongoing relationship-building.
How did the Coach support you in your learning journey?
This program supported my learning journey by creating space for clarity, encouraging deeper thinking, and helping me process my understanding of coaching. The course structure and one-on-one meetings with Kim helped me connect theory to practice and challenged me to think intentionally about how coaching could look within my own school setting and role.
How has your learning inside the Coach impacted your coaching practice & program in your school setting?
This learning has significantly impacted both my coaching practice and the development of coaching within our school setting. I now approach coaching with greater intentionality, clarity, and confidence. The course inspired me to create practical resources, systems, and coaching supports that are responsive to the needs we are seeing in our school community. One example is the development of coaching bundles that my work-alike colleagues and I have begun creating to support teachers working with overwhelmed families.
What next for your professional learning?
Moving forward, I’m excited to put this theory into practise and continue developing my coaching practice and contributing to the growth of coaching culture at HCOS. I want to continue growing in becoming more comfortable in creating reflective questions on the spot and explore ways to make coaching sustainable, relational and accessible for teachers within our online context.
Watch Roisin’s Video
Ready to create a thriving coaching culture that improves student learning and builds belonging?
Come learn with me!
I help educators, instructional coaches, informal or positional leaders work together to create thriving coaching cultures that improve student learning and build belonging.
Coaching programs based on the Thrive Model, with clarity, consistency and community, can create time and space for educators to feel seen, heard, respected and valued for the experts that they are – creating a sustainable system of educator professional growth that ultimately improves student learning.
For this kind of coaching to thrive we need to focus on both the micro view of your coaching practice and the macro view of your coaching program, so while you’re developing your individual coaching practice you’re also intentionally developing a sustainable coaching culture.
If you’re ready to build this kind of coaching culture in your school community, join us for the Thrive Coaching Certificate program!
Wherever you are in your coaching journey, we can support you!
When you’re ready, there are three key ways we can work together:
- in the Thrive Coaching Certificate,
- in a private mentoring package, or
- through work directly with your school.
Leave a comment below, or reply to any of my emails and let’s start a conversation to see how we can work together to create a thriving coaching culture in your school setting!
Connect with us!
Subscribe to the podcast iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher
Follow us on social media: Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube
Join our #coachbetter Facebook group
Recent Comments