Welcome back! This week we learned two valuable tips for ICs starting their coaching journey, the power of empathy and credibility when working with resistant teachers, an  administrator's go-to questions to gain insight into PLC meetings, and more. Enjoy! 👍

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2 Quick Tips for New Instructional Coaches

Ready. Set. Coach! 📣 Maria Papiez reflects on her first year as an IC and passes along her two most valuable tips for others starting their coaching journey.

"Take it from me that your first year you really want to set a simple goal. It could be focused on building relationships with teachers, especially new teachers, or committing to visit a percentage of classrooms during the school year. . . . Equally as important to setting a goal is finding a support system."

Virtual Instructional Coaching

Amy Foley reflects on her experience working remotely and how she's not only going to use her successes but also learn from her failures when planning for next year.

"In a virtual environment, coaches need to support teachers and teams to collaborate effectively. This might mean developing/revising working agreements in order to ensure high functioning collaborative partnerships. It may also mean facilitating difficult conversations and team reflections. . . . Asking the right questions can leave a teacher feeling higher efficacy about what they have control over both in their personal and professional lives."

How to Get Your Foot in the Door

Chrissy Beltran explains why credibility and empathy go hand-in-hand when trying to connect with teachers resistant to coaching.

"We've all had teachers shut us down or refuse to let us in the door. How do we fix this? Two words: credibility and empathy. . . . One of the biggest things you can do is clarify your role."

An Administrator's Perspective for PLC Meetings

David Pillar shares three questions he likes to ask his collaborative teams to gain insight into their meetings.

"We make professional commitments to each other, and action steps are important to ensure progress is being made to help all students learn at high levels. Agreeing to some parameters about what will happen and when, and who is responsible, will help move teams forward towards meeting goals. . . . However, taking time to intentionally celebrate those accomplishments is a valuable reminder that the work we do has great meaning and deserves to be recognized by audiences big and small both publicly and privately."

Reopening School

Jennifer Gonzalez explores seven possible scenarios for the 2020-21 school year and why educators should have multiple plans in place to be flexible.

" When organizing your lessons for the upcoming year, build in contingency plans for different scenarios. So maybe you set up all your lessons for remote learning, but mark places where, if things work out to allow face-to-face teaching or even a situation where social distancing is no longer required, you could do something different, like a lab or group activity."

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