This school year (2019-2020) was a very enthralling year for me, to say the least. Not only because of the obvious COVID 19 situation but also because this was my first year as Literacy Coach. Aside from the well known and oh so overly shared complications due to the Corona Virus (virtual teaching/coaching, health threats, etc.), there were many unforeseen items and unknowns that I wished someone had shared with me before taking this new role in education. I am not saying at all that knowing these things would had persuaded me away from this position, however I would have been more prepared mentally for these situations. I intent to share my findings and tips in order to help those aspiring to move out of the classroom into a similar role.
Number One:
Adults are more difficult than Kids
If you really think about it, this is something that should not have come as a surprise. Reflect on the past years and focus on who did you struggle most with each year, your students or your students' parents? Most cases the ones that gave you more headaches were the student's parents. Adults can be stubborn and are not easily intimidated! As a literacy coach I worked with teachers and I proved that teachers are truly the worst students!
Top two reasons why teachers make the worst students:
1. Teachers will listen to you, agree with you, and then turn around and do what they want
2. Teachers are needy
As a teacher how many times have you heard the phrase, "Just smile, close the door, and do what you have to do"? Probably like a million times, right? As a matter of fact, we all have done it (I am guilty of it) Teachers have a gut feeling about their students that it is rarely wrong. A teacher is with his/her students 8 hours a day (sometimes more), 5 days a week. Trusting their gut feeling and experience is the first thing I had to learn how to do. I had to believe in my teachers enough to trust when they didn't like, approve, or followed one of my ideas. As a leader I had to put everything in a balance and know when to "act" when a teacher was not onboard or following instructions.
Teachers give, give, and give some more. Those 8 hours of the day are spent giving smiles, attention, compliments, feedback, emotional support, knowledge, sometimes even food, you name it! Teachers need attention too. Notice those teachers that speak up, that raise their hands in meetings, that ask and ask questions (sometime the same question multiple times), and don't be annoyed by them. Those teachers give all they got to those students, it's up to us now to refill their cups.
Tip #1: Make deals. We try it your way first; if it works, we keep it; but if it doesn't, then we try it my way.
Tip #2: Remember we are there for the students! NOT to get your ideas done.
Tip #3: ADMIT when you are/were wrong
Tip #4: Offer one to one training sessions
Tip #5: Answer the question each time it gets asks (no matter how many times by the same person) with a smile and good attitude
Tip #6: Offer snacks in all meetings and keep some in your office
Tip #7: Reward teachers with their favorite things (snacks, drinks, pens, notebooks, etc)
Number Two:
Everyone is Watching You
In the classroom all I had to worry about was my students and how they saw me. Depending on what grade level you teach, that's no big deal because most students view their teachers as their heroes. As a literacy coach I noticed that not only the kids are watching EVERYTHING you do, so are the teachers, administration team, office, custodial and cafeteria staff, parents, district personale, and the list goes on and on. I found district personale that knew about me and the things I was doing at my campus whom I had never met or even seen before in my life (thank you social media); students would come up to me and point out specific things about my outfit or makeup when I tried something new (new lipstick color or when I switched from skirts to pants); teachers would comment if I loss weight; cafeteria staff learned my lunch habits like what days I ate at school and what I liked or didn't like. It's a lot of pressure knowing that you are being watched, but it's also a HUGE opportunity to make an impact. Use it to your advantage!
Tip #8: Use social media to promote school activities and not so much of your personal life (have two separate accounts)
Tip #9: Don't make drastic changes to your appearance like going from natural lip colors to red
Tip #10: Smile, respect, and be friendly to everyone EVERYWHERE
Number Three:
It Can Get Lonely
This is one that I was warned about but didn't believed. At times when life got rough (and believe me, it will), I sat in my office with the door closed and lights off. In my situation, this was also my first year at that particular campus, and I was the only Reading specialist. I did not know anyone and didn't know who I could vent/rant to (both of the Math specialist were super nice and I grew to love them, however Math curriculum is very different from Reading). Even though I grew close to some teachers, they were not a good option since some of the things I wanted to vent about were about certain things we had to do per the district and I didn't agree with. My administration and leadership team members were great but they were still my supervisors. It's hard. Teachers don't treat you the same as another teacher because you are not, and you can not treat an admin member as your equal because you are not. Finding a way to decompress and blow off steam without loosing it in front of either teachers or admin was imperative for me.
Tip #11: Have your mom, spouse, or someone you trust OUTSIDE of your work environment to vent, rant, complaint, or just cry to on speed dial
Tip #12:
The last tip is the one that helped me the most. It was the answer to all three of the biggest unknowns this position brought. It gave me strength to trust others; patience to deal with the most neediest of teachers; grace to put on a smile and be kind to everyone most days (let's be honest, I'm not perfect); peace in the most trying of times; and reminded me that I was never alone. What's the "too good to be true" tip?...PRAYER. Pray every morning for strength and grace; designate a time during your work day to pray for peace and at the same time be reminded that He is with you all day every day!
Knowing these three things and following the 12 tips does not guarantee you a perfect year. There will always be "unknowns" and complications. After all, work was created as a punishment way back when in Genesis! However, I do hope these help you as they are helping me.
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