A lot was shared and written about well-being as schools were in the midst of the quarantine. As I interact with teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators today, I’m convinced we need a continuous conscious focus on the topic. Consider these findings prior to the pandemic. A 2018 report by the International School Counsel shared: Teacher […]

Preparing for and facilitating data review meetings with groups of teachers is often found in instructional coaches’ job descriptions. Dr. Heather Hill, a researcher and professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, suggests that we might want to reconsider the investment of the coaches’ and teachers’ time in these meetings. In a review of studies […]

Adam Grant defines confident humility as having faith in your capability while appreciating that you may not have the right solution or may not even be addressing the right problem. He reminds us that humility is not about low self-confidence. It’s about being grounded and recognizing that we are flawed and fallible. Confidence is a […]

Across the years as I worked as a trainer, staff developer, and coach to teachers and administrators I have pointed to the need to support educators by making complex things simple while respecting the complexity. Unless an instructional strategy or facilitative technique is described in a sequence of steps (simple) the person looking to learn […]

Agreeing on expectations upfront can greatly support the building of trust. This is true in classrooms as students find that they can trust the teacher to uphold expectations around her promises concerning her role and to reinforce with appropriate responses when students meet or do not meet expectations regarding their engagement in learning production behaviors. […]

I was introduced to the term Relational Energy in a blog by Kim Cameron. “Positive energy elevates individuals, is life-giving and fosters vitality. In nature, the most common source of positive energy is the sun. It is the life-giving force. All species, including human beings, are inclined over time toward life-giving energy, and they avoid […]