Are you struggling to find your voice when
talking to teachers and administrators?
As instructional coaches, we see many issues
and don't always know how to have conversations with our team about them. We're
afraid that making waves might cause problems and make others not want us
around anymore.
It can be hard to find our voice and talk
about what's important.
Dr. Heather Michel joins me on this episode of
The Coaching Podcast to talk about finding your voice so you can make a big
impact with those you coach. She discusses how she started addressing
challenging topics and communicating with the staff.
How to Find Your Voice and Talk About What's Important
During our conversation, Dr. Michel explained that she addressed challenging topics by building relationships with her team. Once teachers were comfortable telling her about
their experiences, they would usually offer things they needed to
work on. She grew her relationship with the team and it moved the work forward.
Another suggestion she has for finding your
voice is having a three-point conversation using data. Try having a
conversation where it’s you, the teacher, and a third artifact. It can be a
picture of student work or anything that you can look at. This takes the pressure
off the two people involved and deflects the energy into something more
tangible.
The Importance of Self-Reflection
On the call, we chat about why coaches and teachers need
to be reflective about their biases and perspectives. Let’s face it, we all
have work to do on this front and self-reflection puts us in a learning
position.
If we have discussions around bias with
teachers, we will have the language to talk about it and the context to do that
work. It also helps ensure everyone is operating off the same knowledge base
when talking about important topics.
Meeting people where they are and then pushing
their thinking can be difficult because everybody is in a different place. We
all have misconceptions about what people think and that makes it
challenging as well.
Most teachers have noble intentions. They want
to do the right things and make an impact. But it can be challenging because
there is a constant stream of new information and buzzwords.
Being reflective can make a big difference,
especially when taking in new information at odds with something you thought
you knew. Having a place to share your thinking and basic information adds to
that knowledge base.
Helping Teachers Find Their Purpose!
Dr. Michel says everything goes back to identity and purpose. This includes biases as well as the teaching and personal experiences you bring to the role.
Teacher retention is a huge problem right now
across the country. When teachers have a clear purpose, they stay in the
education field.
There are going to be hard days when teachers want to give up and leave the profession. Helping our teachers
think through their purpose so it's crystal clear will make it easier to
stay.
To find purpose, teachers need to identify
what brought them to teaching. Teachers that stick it out for the long haul are
the ones that can articulate a clear sense of purpose. It serves them better if
they can identify a purpose outside of themselves, like social equality
or something else important to them.
When teachers have a purpose that is bigger
than them, it keeps them coming back to work. With a clear purpose, teachers
can get through the day-to-day stuff and that keeps them in education. They
will have something they’re trying to accomplish that is bigger than any one
moment in time.
Being an instructional coach isn't easy.
You’re always trying to find the right balance between supporting teachers and
staying true to your own beliefs. If you want to learn more about how to find
your voice and talk about what's important be sure to check out the entire
episode.
Ready to listen? You can listen below with the
media player, or search for Buzzing with MS. B: The Coaching Podcast anywhere
you listen to podcasts!
Ep. 65 Coaching Call: Supporting Teachers When They are Overwhelmed with Dr. Heather Michel
Check me out at buzzingwithmsb.com and on Instagram @buzzingwithmsb.
Podcast produced by Fernie Ceniceros of Crowd & Town Creative