First Week: Wow!

I must say, the first week of coaching went off without a hitch, so to speak.

I feel as though the teachers in my building still have questions about what a coach actually does.

First scenario:

Kathy, a very anxious, but wonderful teacher, asks me a question about signing out the Chromebook carts.  I answer her.  I ask her if she's doing anything special with her classes and if she'd like me to come in to help her implement a tech component.  She says, "No, I'm good."

I begin leaving her room, and she says, "Wait, I do have a question about Google Docs."

She asks the question, and that leads to a second, third, and fourth question.  Before I know it, she's brainstorming ways the two of us can work together to improve the way she presents her Google classroom lessons to her students, more innovative ways to use Docs, Forms, and Slides in her lessons, and, possibly, moving forward with some other tech ideas (with video) that she's wanted to use for a while now, but she did not think she could "pull it off alone."

When I left the room, she said, "So that's what coaching is all about!"  I said, "Yes, it is!"

Wonderful feelings flood my heart after this meeting!  I'm making a difference, and coaching is working!

Today, I have a full schedule:  special ed in the morning, setting up individual classes for each student, making assignments that are UDL friendly, using speech to text for one student, online flash cards for another.  Great stuff.  The afternoon is packed with ELA lessons.  The teacher is new to using Google Classroom.  She's a little afraid to give up all the hundreds of paper copies she uses with her students.  I explain the simplicity of it all being located within Drive and the classroom itself.  We discuss the organizational benefits, but we also discuss how we can simplify her day by eliminating the copy machine!  LOL  She is completely on board!

The downside:  I had one teacher answer "NA" to each question on the needs survey.  He even wrote "NA" for his room number!!!  That's OK, though...he ate a doughnut from the box I brought in this morning and thanked me as he passed me in the hall.  I'll take that as a "maybe someday I"ll let you in."

Gearing up for opening day!

This morning I deliberately poured my coffee into my Google mug.  I wanted to remind myself of how this week will impact me.  I am now a tech coach.  I am no longer a classroom teacher.  My stomach churns with excitement and anticipation of one of the most exciting weeks of my career.

I will not lie.  Fear also runs through my veins.  Will the staff accept me in my new role?  Will I be resented as yet "one more thing to do," or will I be embraced as "I'm so happy you are here to help?"

My very first day of school was a very, very long time ago.  It's funny, though, how I feel like the "first day of school" for me is tomorrow.  My new position, as a coach, has me worried a little.  I'm worried about what to wear:  not too professional, because I'm not an administrator; not too casual, because I am a professional, after all.  Those who know me best realize "what to wear" is a constant concern of mine, because, truth be known, fashion is my hobby and one of my passions.  If I'm every late to work, it's usually because I couldn't decide what to wear!  Clothes, to me, define a person, to an extent.  I always tell people who are nervous about doing something, "Looking good is half the battle."  I went shopping and purchased many cute, stylish outfits for the school year, because, as usual, I always want to look good on the first day of school.

This time, however, I don't want to just look good in clothes.  I want to make others look good and feel good about what they're accomplishing in the classroom.  I want to support my colleagues, my friends, my school family.

I want to help them celebrate highs in their teaching, I want them to feel energized and ready to try new things, I want them to embrace changes and new ideas, but mostly, I want to support them in any way I can, even if it means getting them a cup of coffee along the way and complimenting them by saying, "Cute outfit!  You look great today!"

As I finish my coffee, I realize it doesn't matter what you're wearing or how you look.  It's how others perceive you because you supported them, you cared for them, you tried to understand, and you tried to make a difference.

Wish me luck!  Can't wait to see what tomorrow's first day of school is like!  I hope someone eats lunch with me.  I hope I make a new friend!