I recently received this request from an instructional coach: “I wanted to reach out to you for some resources. We are in the process of adding an extra coach to our building. I wanted to know if you have any interview questions, we can ask the interviewee? Since we know that many candidates will likely […]

Recently I saw this post on Twitter: “A lifeguard’s job is to prevent struggle but a swim instructor’s job is to encourage struggle. Should educators be more like lifeguards or swim instructors?” (@MikeFlynn55 the Director of Mathematics Leadership Programs at Mount Holyoke College and author of Beyond Answers). At the time that I saw the […]

In my use of backwards planning to gain student motivation, I am continually asking teachers to identify what student behaviors are needed to reach the student achievement that has been set as a goal. Very often they identify intrinsic motivation. When we take the next step in backwards planning, we have to examine “what teacher […]

Another coaching colleague provided our “ponder question” for today. Hi Stephen, I am one of the reading teachers who has been attending your coaching sessions in Fairfax County, VA. The other day something happened that gave me such a huge connection to something we discussed at our last meeting with you, so I wanted to […]