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A Culture of Coaching January 3, 2019 | Volume 14 | Issue 13 Table of Contents
Grow a Coaching Relationship from the Ground Up
Sara Tellman Veloz
Two words come to mind when I think about coaching: relationship and willingness. The relationship between a coach and teacher is the critical lever that initiates and sustains any successful coaching venture, and a teacher's willingness to receive that coaching is essential for growth on any level. Crucial for all coaching success is the leveling of any perceived hierarchy. When teachers relate to coaches as professional equals, the power balance enhances the relationship's quality and efficiency.
As an elementary and middle school teacher, I received feedback from instructional coaches. These subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle nudges to improve my practice translated into changes only when I was open to them. Years later, after training as a coach, I look into the faces of teachers and know that any nudge I deliver must be borne out of trust and kindness.
Whether one is a consultant coach, district coach, or site-based coach, it is important to be authentic, respectful, and humble. Site-based coaches are the near-peers of those they coach, frequently moving into the position from the classroom down the hall. Coaches must remember, regardless of their previous background, that they now have a unique distance from a teacher's classroom experience. This parity in school status can pose a relational challenge if any hierarchy exists, especially if teachers have encountered negative interactions with coaches in the past. Memories of negative experiences sear the psyches of teachers and can stunt the formation of future relationships.
I have witnessed these challenges in my coaching practice and have learned from personal reflection on my missteps, as well as from formal study of effective coaching, how to mitigate these potential challenges and walk the path toward a successful coaching relationship. I recommend five actions for coaches that will facilitate a coach-teacher connection:
Instructional coaching is a multifaceted craft that develops through learning and experience. Becoming a master coach requires the union of professional and experiential knowledge and an acumen that weaves together interpersonal communication and emotional intelligence. When done right, the practice allows fellow educators to link arms in support.
References
Aguilar, E. (2013). The art of coaching: Effective strategies for school transformation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Costa, A.L. and Garmston, R.J. (2016). Cognitive coaching: Developing self-directed leaders and learners. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Sara Tellman Veloz is the founder of Buckerfield Educational Consulting, Inc., which works with teachers, site-based coaches, and school and district administrators in Arizona and northern California. Sara provides professional development in literacy topics as well as in content designed to increase teacher effectiveness, improve classroom management, and deepen the authentic cognitive engagement of students. She was an elementary and middle school teacher for 12 years.
ASCD Express, Vol. 14, No. 13. Copyright 2019 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.
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