The Lead Learners

A common topic in schools is how we’re adjusting to a new curriculum that may be very different than what we had before. This can feel especially stressful for an instructional coach

Acknowledge the difference in the new curriculum. Ask teachers what they miss about the old curriculum and what they like about the new curriculum. You cannot over ask these questions.

Do yourself a favor and record teacher’s responses. This way you can discover patterns. As coaches, it is important to discern between someone venting after a rough lesson and a legitimate insight about the new curriculum.

Often as an instructional coach we spend a lot of time in classrooms. Sometimes we’re observing and it’s hard to know how to make sure the teacher knows you’re not judging or evaluating. One of my favorite things to do is to take photos of the teacher.

Usually teachers some have many photos of themselves engaged in teaching. Take a moment to capture some of the magic. Pause and make it special. Switch to portrait mode so the background is blurred, or move to capture the natural light. Take a couple of versions so you can capture a special (ordinary) moment.

Don’t scroll through them while you’re in the classroom. Take the photos and put your phone away! Then, after you leave, send the teacher an email or a text message with the photos. Include a message about how much you enjoyed seeing them teach.

When I visited I couldn’t stop capturing her with students. Melissa is an incredible listener and teaches to the point of need, constantly adjusting her instruction. It was beautiful to watch and I ended up sharing a whole album of photos from my brief visit to her classroom. 📸

Photos can be magical and offer a unique connection with teachers. Become known fad a person who captures the every day beauty that happens in classrooms.

This photo from ‘s school library reminds me of the importance of finding love wherever we go. I know there are instructional coaches who are wondering if they made a big mistake leaving the classroom. Just know that this is normal. 🤍

The very best instructional coaches have a heart for classroom instruction. It’s natural to miss our own classrooms. As I was scrolling through photos from my visit to Gwen’s library, I couldn’t help but remember the importance of learning to love what you do today.

Start collecting hearts. What are the things you love about being an instructional coach? Or, maybe it’s better to imagine what you might be able to start loving about your current role.

Will you drop a little 💛 in the comments and tell us something you love about your current role?

If you’re in charge of leading your staff in professional learning, take some time to think about what participants will do. All learners, no matter their age, deserve be engaged learners. For adult learners, having a discussion protocol is helpful. One that I love is “The Last Word.” Here’s how it works —

1. Each person reads a text and then selects a phrase that is striking to them. It should be more than 5 words, and less than two sentences.
2. In the group, one person goes first and reads their selection.
3. Go around the circle and each person comments on how that selection resonates with them...or why they think the person selected it.
4. The person who selected the text shares last.
5. The next person shares their selected text and the process is repeated.

Hey instructional coaches! I have a secret for you…don’t keep your schedule a secret. Post it and share it so everyone can see and know what you do during the day.

When I decided to be totally transparent with my schedule, so many good things happened. The most memorable being that people quit asking me to cover so many classrooms and duties.

When I did cover something, I added it to my schedule. This way others could quickly see how often I had covered something in the past few days.

We love to help out with pressing needs, but we also don’t want to sacrifice the important work that we are expected to do. Having an open schedule is helpful for building trust and staying accountable to the work we are expected to do.

If you’re an instructional coach, there’s a good chance you miss the classroom. I know I do! One of the saddest moments of my career was when I slept well the night before the first day of school. 😱

I woke up and my heart was heavy. As everyone else was alive with first day energy, I felt like I made a huge career mistake as a long-time instructional coach.

I wish someone would have told me that it’s okay to have big, sad feelings about missing the classroom…and that I would continue missing the classroom as a coach.

One thing that was super helpful in navigating this was reflecting on the specific things I missed. Then I considered how these things can happen with adults.

For me it came down to missing a tight-knit community of 7th grade writers. I knew things like whose grandma made exceptional blueberry pancakes after a sleepover, the hunt for the missing pet snake in the housing development (and how he showed up a month later), and the way holding an (unwanted) newborn sister unlocked a stubborn heart of an older brother. I (still) miss the quick writes and the share sessions.

Now as a person who works primarily with adults, I embed writing into our professional learning sessions. The shares are still my favorite part. 🤍

You can do this too. Reflect on what you miss about the classroom and then look for a way to make it happen while working with adults.

As an instructional coach (really as a human), it’s okay if you don’t know the answer to a question. In fact, not knowing is a good quality for a coach to have— it makes you more genuine & humble! We need to have a sense of what we know AND what we don’t know.

Recently, someone reached out to me with a complicated coaching question. My first thought was: “I need to talk this through with someone.” So I sent a text to my friend asking for help.

Let’s not be surprised when we’re unsure of an answer.

First, make sure you understand the question. Ask some follow-up questions and jot down notes. Write down more than you think you need; it’s hard to remember all of the nuances…especially with how many conversations coaches have every day!

Then figure out who can help you find the answer. Is it a veteran teacher, a principal, another coach?

💡Your value as a coach is not just what you know, but in knowing how to get the answers to the things you don’t know.

Hi friends! It’s been awhile since I’ve been the person behind this feed. That changes today!

I’m Ruth Ayres, the director of The Lead Learners. As a little introduction, I scrolled through my camera roll, looking for photos that capture my professional life.

The most important thing that I do is connect educators who might feel isolated and lonely in their schools because they are the only one in their position—like an instructional coach.

I’ve spent most of my career in positions where I belong everywhere and nowhere at the same time. As an instructional coach, I worked in most classrooms…belonging everywhere, but on the last day of school breakfast when grade levels sat together…I belonged no where. I wasn’t a classroom teacher, and I wasn’t an administrator. I lived between the worlds.

This juxtaposition can be a hard one to navigate. Does anyone else feel this way? 🙋‍♀️

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