Knowing Your Role as a Coach
I accepted a literacy coach position in a school that had not previously had one. I had been a
coach before and understood the nature of the work. My principal and the teachers had other ideas. The principal was fond of asking me to “fix” certain teachers, even locating me in a classroom near these teachers so that I could be ever watchful of what was occurring in those classrooms. Some of the teachers confused my role with that of a reading specialist, asking me to “fix” their students who struggled with reading. It took time to help the faculty see me as one
who was there to support teachers’ professional growth. I accomplished this by meeting with the teachers and explaining my role and talking transparently with my principal to share our visions for the coaching initiative.