The Wheels on the Bus

“I have found that when you inspire others they inspire you right back.” via @NicholasFerroni

Instructional coaching is tough work.  It is valuable work.  It is work that inspires.  When I was hired to be an instructional coach at my new school, administration presented me with the challenge to grow relationships and build trust in my first year.  They said that once the trust was there, I would be able to do the real work that needs to be done which is to support and help teachers grow professionally.  Professional growth will lead to gains in student achievement.  Thus, the stakes are high.

In the first quarter of my new job, I have found teachers within my district to be open to change.  They are driven to find solutions that are in the best interests of students.  Teachers within my district are blessed with the ability to really know their students. Teachers are active outside of the classroom and attend meetings outside of their contract day on a regular basis.  Teachers meet and strategize to implement interventions that will make a difference.  Teachers ask questions of their students and genuinely get to know them.  So, it was no surprise to me that they also embraced the idea of working with an instructional coach.

Building relationships is a never-ending job so I am continuing to purposely do that in a variety of ways.  However, this week I felt like I had succeeded in the short term.  Two different teachers ended our meeting by saying, “the wheels are turning!”  And isn’t that what instructional coaching is all about?  It’s about inspiring others to come up with new ideas of their own and working to implement those ideas so that we can meet the ever changing needs of our students.

Thank you, Boone Central teachers, for allowing me to take a ride on your bus when your bus gets moving!  Your inspiration is my inspiration and it is a true joy to be working with you.

Attention Getting Signals

As the school year dies down, I am thinking about what I want to make sure my students know right from the beginning to make March, April, & May go a little smoother. My reflection consists of thinking about how I can make the most of my time with my students so that learning goals can be met, students are able to grow, and positive relationships can be formed. Thus, I have set a goal to improve my communication of classroom processes and procedures in the First 20 Days as suggested by Fisher and Frey. Like so many other secondary teachers, I spend little time practicing processes and procedures with my students at the beginning of the term. I am anxious to jump right in to teaching content because I have so much to teach and so little time. The reality though is that effective classroom management is a balancing act. Students will learn better if those proceses are practiced in the beginning and consistent throughout the semester. Through my reflection I have discovered that one of the techniques missing from my classroom this year was an effective attention getting signal. Thus, my research began to find something that I thought might work for next year. Below are resources that I have found that may work for you too! 

Lots of ideas suggested here for a variety of age groups. . .

Getting their attention without saying a word


And my personal favorite. . .


Finally, here's a great article by Michael Linsin of Smart Classroom Management on how to effectively implement an attention getting signal.