Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Teacher leaders are essential for school change. They are,
as Marcie Craig Post (executive director of the International Reading
Association) says, “galvanizers for
school change, always positive, inspirational role models, getting us to think
in new ways, encouraging creative and novel thinking, and challenging us to
greater intellectual achievements.” That being said, coaches need broad
shoulders and thick skin to be the constant cheerleaders, the nurturer, and the
vocal consciousness-raising, non-judgmental voice of reason. All this in a day…
that is, every day!
Notice that nowhere did I mention that coaches need to be
the experts in everything. This is a topic that surfaces every year… as a
coach, shouldn’t I know everything so I can tell the teachers what they need to
know?
Coaches are highly skilled, experienced professionals but
they are not the experts. They may know more about adult learning because they
work with adults but they don’t know more about content than the content
specialists in the classroom. They can share many instructional strategies that support effective teaching and provide opportunities for teachers to meet
regularly and on common ground. Most important, they work towards helping teachers connect with
each other, co-work on shared topics of interest, and collaborate with each
other to reach goals that keep students in the center and school-wide improvement
up close and personal.
Dennis Sparks agrees. He says, “Leaders who pretend to know everything disempower others. As a result problem-solving
abilities atrophy rather than grow.” As a coach, coming across as a “know-it-all”
is arrogant and self-serving. In fact, this attitude can create more problems
than collaborative solutions. The teachers who are being coached may feel quite
uncomfortable and their opinions dismissed because the “expert” coach has
spoken.
Coaches, administrators, teachers, mentors, and students are
all members in a community of learning. We are all learners and need to help
each other co-construct ways to improve student learning, build teacher
capacity, and increase student engagement. We can’t do that if we are worried
about who knows more or who has the right answer. We help create change by discussing
ways that enhance learning and to collectively problem-solve. As coaches, we
don’t tell anyone anything; we help our
colleagues find their voices and work together to support our individual and
school-wide goals.
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Administration does a disservice to coaches when they label them as "experts". When coaches are viewed as experts, they are viewed more like administrators (evaluative) than coaches (supportive).
ReplyDeleteHi Terri. I agree. It also implies that coaches do not need to learn anything else, i.e., experts already know everything, which is not our message. Everyone is a learner and a member in a community of practice.
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