“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
―
If you had told me years ago that I would become an author, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Despite a negative outlook toward writing during my academic years and as an adult, an underlying restlessness and encouragement from mentors led me to plunge into public writing with a blog. Writing became a vehicle of service, from being a guide in teaching to becoming an instructional coach and now an educational consultant. Although challenging, writing has become a discovery into the soul, and I am grateful for co-authors in creating two coaching books. I hope these books will inspire your confidence in serving others through coaching.
Shine on, friends!
Compassionate Coaching: How to Help Educators Navigate Barriers to Professional Growth (Kathy Perret & Kenny McKee)
When we embark on a journey, every action revolves around the destination. Of course, not all trips are smooth sailing. We inevitably hit distractions, obstacles, and detours. These challenges threaten to blow us off course, but when we stay focused on the destination rather than the barriers, we can move forward.
The same is true in education. Barriers to effective teaching are neither permanent states nor character traits. Rather, they are temporary challenges successful coaches help teachers overcome by connecting them with the right methods and keeping them focused on the destination.
In Compassionate Coaching, Kenny McKee and I identify the six most vexing challenges teachers face—lack of confidence, failure, overload, disruption, isolation, and school culture challenges—and the six corresponding ways that coaches can help teachers surmount them, dubbed the compassionate coaching focus areas.
Coaching with compassion is a process focused on partnership, empowerment, prioritization, routine, connection, and openness. Done well, it can result in transformational improvements to student achievement and teacher work satisfaction. In some cases, it can even shift the trajectory of whole schools.
Roadblocks and detours can get in our way when we are coaching just as they can during any journey. Instead of grumbling about the setbacks, we can open our eyes to the possibilities of a new and better route. That’s what compassionate coaching offers. Let’s go!
The Coach Approach to School Leadership: How to Lead Teachers to Higher Levels of Effectiveness (Jessica Johnson, Shira Leibowitz, Kathy Perret)
This book addresses the dilemma faced by many principals: how to function as learning leaders while fulfilling their evaluative and management duties. Our answer? Incorporating instructional coaching techniques as an integral part of serious school improvement.
The Coach Approach to School Leadership explains how principals can:
Master the skill of “switching hats” between the nonjudgmental coach role and the evaluative supervisor role.
Expand their classroom visits and combine coaching with evaluation requirements.
Nurture relationships with teachers and build positive school culture.
Provide high-quality feedback to support the development of both teachers and students.
Empower teachers to lead their own professional learning and work together as a team.
The role of the principal is changing at a rapid pace. Let this resource guide you in improving your own practice while helping teachers master the high-quality instruction that leads to student success.
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