Observations are the heart of a coach's role. It is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to improving student achievement. In order to have a successful observation you must have a plan. The plan that I will present to you consists of four parts. This plan is not rocket science, but if you have a plan before you go into the classroom for observations, it will work out so much better for both you and the coachee.

​This four-part plan consists of what you do to prepare for an observation. Before the observation, or part one, is all about preplanning. Part two is what you do during the observation. Part 3 is what you do after the observation and part four is about having the post-conference conversation.

Here are three coaching tools you can use to plan your observations. Use the Standard Pre-Observation Planner to help you plan for part 1, the pre-observation meeting. Use the Standard Observation Notes tool to help you capture notes during part 2 of the observation. The Easy Feedback Form is for you to use during part four of the coaching plan, the post-conference meeting with the coachee. Download all three forms here!

All of these tools are from The FORMula: 101 Must-Have Forms for Instructional Coaches. You can grab you copy of The FORMula by clicking this link.

How do you know where you're going if you don't know where you've been? One of the ways to master the art of coaching is through practicing the art of reflection. Reflecting on your practice will help you gain greater insight into what you need to do to grow yourself and the teachers you support.

There are three reflection questions you need to ask yourself at the end of each day along with  two reflection questions you need to ask yourself at the end of each week,

Feel free to download your FREE Reflection Log and make as many copies you need. This is a great place for you to start. To delve deeper into reflection, check out the prerecorded webinar, Instructional Coaches R.E.F.L.E.C.T. and Grow!

Remember, to know where you're going, you have to know where you've been. And to know where you've been you have to reflect...then GROW!

We are currently experiencing a life-altering event, the COVID-19 pandemic. This has had a tremendous effect on everything our educational system. I know educators everywhere are wondering, what do we do now? What next?

Coaches, here is a start to what you can do next. Learn about 10 ways to help you coach during a crisis. Originally recorded for the Simply Coaching "Quarantined" Summit, this FREE webinar, Coaching During a Crisis will show you how to coach during this time while being realistic.

​Click this link to watch it now.

​Enjoy!

If you have never heard of or never been to the Teacher Self-care Conference, you are missing out on a great conference. Even though I had the pleasure of presenting there this summer, I settled in as a learner to hear other educator's stories of self-care (or lack thereof) and how to practice it without guilt.

​My workshop focused on self-care for instructional coaches. After presenting and reviewing my evaluations, I learned that this is yet another void in instructional coaching. Because of this experience, I created a must-watch webinar focused exclusively on instructional coaches and your self-care. Coaches Need Care, Too: Self-care For Instructional Coaches!

Coaches Need Care, Too gives you 26 strategies, tips, and tricks you can use right now to help you manage your stress level and keep calm at work. 

Check out this blog to hear more of my thoughts about self-care for instructional coaches and pick up a couple of  tips you can practice at work.

What comes to mind when you think about professionalism in education? Do you think about suits & ties or skirts and heels? Do you think about the knowledge and expertise needed to do your job proficiently? Do you think about the ability to collaborate with others?
 
Professionalism in education includes all of those things and more, but right now, I’m going to share with you the ABC’s of Professionalism. Always Be Cautious of your Appearance, Behavior, and how you Communicate!

Do you have something to share about the ABC's of Professionalism? Feel free to add them in the comments.

Being an instructional coach means you have accepted the role of being a leader. As a leader, there are specific skills you need to know and use in order to do your best work. Those skills are:

1. Facilitating
2. Presenting
3. Coaching
4. Consulting

Using these four skills within your coaching work will surely put you on the path of becoming a premier coach!

Being a great coach takes a lot of work. There are certain attributes that I believe makes for a great coach. After coaching for many years, I've identified specific attributes, or characteristics, that I think made me a better coach. These attributes are:

1. Being flexible
2. Being a great listener
3. Being able to multi-task
4. Having patience
5. Having empathy and compassion

While there are certainly other attributes of a great coach, I consider these to be the top 5 for all coaches to coach effectively.

We all make mistakes as instructional coaches in fact, mistakes are unavoidable. Some of the most crucial mistakes coaches make are:

1. Thinking they automatically have teachers' trust.
2. Not making and adhering to a schedule.
3. Trying to do everything for everybody.

Avoiding these mistakes can help keep your coaching work on track. Speaking of keeping your coaching work on track, check out 10 Tips Every Instructional Coach Needs to Live By and download your FREE copy today!

Instructional coaches are considered servant leaders. Because of this, you help out more than you probably should. There's nothing wrong with supporting and helping out, just be sure not to fall into these traps.

Trap #1 - Not asking the right questions, or not asking questions at all.

Trap #2 - Giving teachers all of the answers.

Trap #3 - Doing too much of the work.

Trap #4 - Working with students more than teachers.

Trap #5 - ​Not giving feedback.

As you know, Instructional Coaches wear many hats. One of those hats is that of a presenter. As a presenter, you prepare for delivering professional development for the teachers at your school or in your district. In order for you to deliver clear and presentations, you must be organized.

When preparing for professional development, use these 5 must-haves to keep everything you need in order.

1. Your workshop outline
2. Your email list signup sheet
3. Your technology
4. Your evaluation
5. Your checklist

Download a FREE copy of the Workshop Planning Outline located inside of CoachCademy!