 Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash There are so many misconceptions about coaching. Often times, it is considered a vertical move for classroom teachers with expertise and a large instructional toolbox to become a coach. This misconception immediately sets up the coach for missteps in their coaching practice. (It is worth noting that coaching requires a unique set of coaching strategies-just because you are a strong teacher does not mean you have what you need to be a strong coach). Additionally, it is a misconception that also contributes to classroom teachers being cautious, guarded, or even armored up to the idea of coaching.
Another misconception is that the coach is solely a resource provider. Although this is an element of the role, it cannot be the only one. It only furthers the aforemationed misconception that oftentimes causes teachers to armor up. It also overemphasizes a problem/solution lens of what coaching is, rather than carving out the time for reflection, building deeper understandings about our own practice and student learning, and resilience. Coaching asks of us to slow down. There are a thousand reasons to not feel like we can slow down given all the realities of teaching today (during a pandemic!) and yet given all the realities of teaching today how can we not? I'm a Language and Literacy coach. I'm learning everyday. More soon...
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