It's hard to believe that next week starts our full week of inservice for the 2015-16 school year. On Monday the SLT (School Leadership Team) will meet with the new teachers to our building. This is a fun way to ease back into the school year. We will begin together for introductions and an icebreaker. After that, the teachers will rotate through "stations" to meet with the Guidance Counselor, Media Specialist, myself, and our Principal and Assistant Principal. At the conclusion of the stations, we will all enjoy lunch together from one of our favorite local restaurants.
I am going to use my time with the new teachers to introduce myself and my role. Coaching is not a new role to our district, but it definitely takes on a different look at each school. I feel that it is important for the new teachers to know how I view my role and to explain the many different ways that I can assist them throughout the year.
Earlier in the summer I stumbled upon a blog post called, "Instructional Coaching is like an Oreo Cookie." Once I read it, I was hooked. I knew that this would be how I would introduce my role to the new teachers at my school. Then, when I saw the Limited Edition Back to School Oreos at Walmart the other day, the deal was sealed!
I will use the handout I created to guide the conversation during our first meeting. The purpose is to give a brief overview of the 3 basic components of coaching, and to emphasize the fact that student learning is at the heart of the coaching process. I also want the teachers to understand that they will get out of coaching what they put in it. Just like you can't enjoy an Oreo if you never take a bite, you can't reap the benefits of coaching if you never engage in the process!
