Episode 89: The Importance of Being Coachable
Today’s show is all about the importance of being coachable. The best teachers are those who are constantly questioning their practice and reflecting on how to improve. But just like individuals in other fields, teachers need personal and professional coaching. We need someone in our corner who “gets” us… someone who speaks our language and asks us the questions we need to answer in order to unlock our unique strengths and to give us support to improve our weaknesses.
This next school year, I will be starting a new position within my district as an Instructional Coach for Special Educators. Although I'm sad to leave the program I've built with my co-teacher of 27 years, I am looking forward to having the opportunity to COACH!
And what better way to help me teach you than to be working in a position where I’m able to help other teachers (just like you) full time.
If you’ve ever played sports, you know that great coaches can help you change the way you play the game. It’s not that they take over your spot and play for you, but they teach you how to be more aggressive, how to work smarter, and how to get you to a place where you know what to do even when they are not around.
When relating this to education, specifically special education, When you are “in it”...when you are living the life of a special educator day in and day out and you are struggling to keep your head above water, it’s so hard to be able to see things we may be doing wrong or things we could be doing better.
Listen in to this episode to see how an instructional coach can benefit you and why it's so very important to be "coachable."
Mentioned on the show:
What's Your Special Educator Superpower Quiz
