From mediocre to superior

I witnessed this quote, today, on the resume of a colleague of mine. The part that resonated with me is the difference between a "mediocre teacher" and a "superior teacher".

As a coach, I'm expected to assist teachers in best practices, desegregation of data, and provision of resources. Of those tasks, & in my interaction with teachers I expend about

• 50% of my efforts telling teachers
• 20% explaining to them
• 10% demonstrating for them
• 20 % inspiring them

I'm not sure that I'm okay with those percentages. What pains me the most is the fact that 50% of my efforts are spent telling them which only makes me a mediocre coach. While I greatly value finding ways to inspire them, I'd prefer a larger percent of my time and energy being spent on demonstrating. My personal goal is not to be a great coach, but a superior coach...and not for any accolades, but simply for my own internal satiety.

But I see a dilemma with this methodology. Where, in a coach's schedule, does the act of demonstrating (or modeling) have room to play a colossal role? Between data meetings, planning meetings, students intervention groups and Admin meetings, where does a coach find time to model lessons with teachers?

Not that it can't be done, but modeling in its purest form is more than a one time 'dog & pony show' (as they used to call it). Its about as effective as calling a perspective teacher in to teach a model lesson, and basing their value to your program off of one 15-35 minutes model lesson. That's not wise. Modeling would need to be consistent. And by consistent, I mean with that same teacher, almost to a point of co-teaching. And by consistent I mean over a period of weeks.

So my resolve lies in how I utilize my planning meetings with teachers. Demonstrating best practices with them through trainings and planning is how I am more effective at reaching my goal. As of now, every time I present information to them, I do so through the lens of demonstration. Whenever I'm presenting a new concept to them, I teach them the concept as I present the lesson to them as if they were the pupil in their class; I decorate and set my office up with current anchor charts & samples of foldables that help them see what visual cues will assist ELL & tactile or visual learners. Each training I do, I ensure that I use interactive paired & group activities to disseminate the information so that they will see what their classroom environment should look & feel like.

My hope and goal is not just to inspire them through encouraging words, but that my own practices might spark passion and desire for them to emulate best practices when they facilitate learning within their classrooms. Just my thoughts...

I'm a Teachers' SPANX

As embarrassing as it might be for me to admit this, there is one thing my team knows about me (and frequently makes fun of me for) and that is, I talk to myself very openly. If you were sitting next to me in a car or passing me up in a store, you'd probably think I was wearing a phone ear piece and having a conversation with someone...

...I'm not; I'm conversing with the person in my head. Looney? *shrug* It keeps me sane, actually.

So as I was driving home one day, I couldn't stop rehearsing (in my mind) ways I would respond to comments I hear teachers say in my planning meetings with them. I figured, I have a lot to say and I'm always thinking of things I'd like to impart to my fellow teachers. Naturally, since I have a personal blog, thought it might be beneficial to begin a professional blog.

Maybe one day I'll become a professor of Education and be able to educate other perspective teachers. For now, I hail from Houston, Texas by way of Waco, Texas as a proud alumni of Baylor University. Although my degree focuses on the science of physical therapy, I am certified to teach grades 4-8 and my specialty is in Math.

As a teacher in the classroom, my passion slowly drifted towards helping other teachers make their classrooms come alive. I quickly was appointed to various leadership positions on my campuses (team lead, technology facilitator) and district (co-facilitator for district technology classes, curriculum writer for district college/career readiness curriculum, and content specific pedagogy classes facilitator). These opportunities brought various mentors who I am greatly indebted to as they poured much wisdom into me and groomed me through their own best practices of facilitation and passion.

I now am in my 2nd year as a Math/Science Specialist at a Fine Arts magnet school where I seek out and enjoy every opportunity I have to meet with teachers, help them build upon their ideas, magnify their talents and place in their hands the tools/resources they need to be successful!

Its my joy to call myself their SPANX! I told my teachers at the beginning of our academic year, that like any good spanx, I am an undergarment useful for shaping and giving them a productive appearance! My ultimate goal is numerical results, but my underlining goal is in shaping the teacher into a Master Teacher through discussions of best practices, reshaping their thoughts, being a sounding board for their venting sessions and praising their strong suits.

Here are the things I believe are essential for keeping a teacher's morale lifted!

 All of these elements embody what I strive to do each day I walk into my office. I don't see my job as a "Nine to Five" or a "cubicle" type job. I see my job as a career that I'm passionate about. I think about doing things differently and better each day while I'm home watching TV, when I wake up and even sometimes thoughts find me while i'm asleep. I seek to learn my craft and drink from the knowledge and wisdom of those who've gone before me so I stay fine tuned.

Hope you enjoy following me & gain some insight if you're in this "catfish" of a career. Yes, we don't get paid much, but we have the largest paycheck by way of the influence we have on America! You can't tag a numerical value on that! If you don't gain anything, feel free to leave comments...let's keep it real- all teacher need a place to vent!