The school year may be coming to an end, but there's still time to finish the year strong, so we looked to your peers for some end-of-year coaching tips in this month's topic Weekly Coaching Roundup. 😀

It's the End of the Year! What Now?

E'Manita Creekmore promotes five ways instructional coaches can take their coaching momentum and support to the school year finish line.

"Teachers right now are as stressed and as tired as they were at the beginning of the school year. . . . If you have to meet, allow it to be a time of teacher or team reflection. One of the best end of the year meetings I have been a part of and also held was a vertical team meeting just focused on reflection and discussion. It allowed for the teams to talk, discuss gaps between grade levels, areas to focus on the next year and just reflect. It was a very powerful and helpful meeting."

3 Quick Points for Ending the Year

Nicole Turner provides a few must-dos for ICs looking to wrap up the school year without leaving teachers high and dry for the summer.

"You have to discuss with teachers what they plan on doing during the summer to continue to grow and become better. On the instructional coach's end, you might want to make sure you have a few resources like book studies or professional developments that teachers can attend during the summer to stay on top of things. You can also create a simple plan for teachers to get organized right away before school starts."

Maximizing Coaching in May

Diane Sweeney shares four ways ICs can finish the year strong without overburdening their peers.

" Survey teachers to learn how coaching impacted them throughout the year. This is also a good time to collect data regarding who participated in coaching cycles or other forms of professional development. Keep in mind that when surveying teachers, it's important to make a clear connection to student learning."

4 Tips To End Strong To Be Ready for Next Year

Kathy Perret offers advice on how ICs can reflect on their practice, grow professionally, and even reinvent their coaching approaches.

"Instructional coaches are the kings and queens of reflection! We help others reflect on their practices and we are constantly reflecting on our own. . . . My best reflection and growth comes when I write. I keep a daily gratitude journal. When life is going well it is easy to list or write about things I'm grateful for. When life is a struggle, I have to force myself to seek the good even through the challenges."

10 End of Year Coaching Projects

Gretchen Schultek Bridgers highlights several tasks that ICs can tackle to productively fill their time while wrapping up the school year.

"With all the changes happening at the end of the school year, a coach may even wonder 'What do I do with my time?' The structured teacher support they've been providing is no longer happening and everyone seems to have altered schedules for various reasons. . . . There are plenty of ways to still have an impact as an instructional coach at the end of the school year. Your role might look different, but your impact will remain the same!"

Three Coaching Tasks for June

Beth Moore reflects on how she uses the end of the year to survey her teachers, connect with staff, and draft plans for the following year.

"If you haven't already, finding a way to reflect with your colleagues is one thing you don't want to skip as a literacy coach. Without their feedback input, your coaching plans will be your coaching plans, not theirs. Even if your position comes with certain requirements that are out of your control, gathering input and feedback will help you strengthen your relationship with the teachers you support."

Bonus Roundup 🎉

If you're looking for more articles on how to finish the school year strong, look no further. Check out a previous roundup of ours, End-of-Year Coaching Strategies, for six additional articles!