Well, if you are an Instructional Coach and have coached for long, you know there are times when you MUST coach yourself. You must think at the end of the day all the good things you've done. From being a part of a leadership team designing a new multi-tier support system flow chart to providing feedback while observing a teacher do a new Kagan structure to listening to Special Education teachers meet over their lunch to collaborate on meetings and services, you as a Coach must learn to take care of "Self". Take care of Self and do it selfishly!! Find some other Coaches and have a lunch to just be around those who do what you do. Write in a journal at the end of your coaching day and list all those lives you touched with your coaching expertise and positive attitude.
Currently I have been asked to help recruit new Coaches into my district, and as I pursued a possible prospect and asked if they had ever thought about being a Coach the sarcastic response was, "All the prestige, respect and extra pay you get? I don't think so." Yikes! Trying to orchestrate the true view of what I do and who I impact is difficult. So much of what a Coach does is confidential. I do work long hours and I am paid the same as classroom teachers. (Teachers also work very hard everyday!) It is hard work and one of the most difficult challenges for me is the fun I had daily with my own classroom full of children. I truly miss it and the connections made with my students. I hate to admit this but we adults in general just don't have that much fun. Some do have big fun and some refuse.
This takes me to my point: there is a dark side to what we do as a Coach. Don't stay on the dark side. Move toward the light. If a teacher is mad or your Administrator won't talk to you anymore and disregards you, ignore it. Let them sit in there heap of stuff and figure it out. Self Coach yourself away from the negative and shift it to the positive. First draw yourself a door that is open and imagine all the "dark side" stuff being on one side of the door. Now in you mind slam the door shut and leave the negative on the other side of the door! You have bigger and better things to do. Next think of the most fun teacher in your building and their students. Go there now and sit in a desk and be a part of that classroom. Be a kid and see it all thru a child's eyes. Enjoy it! Belly laugh on silly stuff. Go get inspired. There are lots of great teachers doing great things. If you focus in the positive, that's what you'll get (and vice versa).
Be kind to yourself all of you fabulous Coaches. Don't forget to Coach yourself because you're worth it! Find the fun!
