I’ve had the pleasure of working with a wide variety of people in my 24 years as an educator.  As a classroom teacher, I always enjoyed collaborating with other teachers, learning from one another.  It warmed my heart to teach a colleague something new, and I loved the support of other teachers as they shared new ideas with me.  I think that it was the positive feeling of collaboration that led me to being a coach.  

As I’ve worked with many instructional and digital coaches over the past several years, I’ve not yet found one who went to college thinking, “I am going to become a technology coach and help other teachers.”  Instead, I’ve heard countless stories of classroom teachers who looked around one day and just found themselves acting as a coach – formally or informally. In many districts, the role of coach is fairly new. Often, teachers morph into this role as a school undertakes a new device or pedagogical initiative.  

Because we may not have been formally trained in coaching, it can sometimes be an overwhelming job.  We have to learn as we go – “building the ship as we’re sailing it” so to speak. Remembering our “WHY” can help us as we work to move through challenging times and moments of stress.  What is your WHY? Why do you do what you do? What made you choose to be where you are today? And what keeps you doing what you are doing?

These questions are just a few of the topics we explore in this two-day Coaching Teachers workshop.  Come share your ideas and collaborate with others in similar situations.  Whether you are a formal coach, a teacher leader who finds himself helping others, or an administrator who wants to create a conducive learning environment for students AND teachers, this workshop is for you!