Coaching Call: Balancing Competing Demands as a School Leader with Kathy Patton

This #coachbetter episode is another in our series of coaching case studies, with one of Kim's amazing clients, Tracey McGillian. These case study episodes are designed to share the story of a coach, and the development of their coaching program and practice in their unique setting.  Tracey is a graduate of The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program, and Kim has been working with (and the rest of the coaching team at her school in Pennsylvania) for several years. In this conversation Kim and Tracey talk about the evolution of the coaching program at PASD, and her own personal growth as a Tech Coach. Tracey made a big switch in her mindset and professional practice as a coach - from being reactive to being proactive - during her time in The Coach and that was a huge game changer for her! Find the show notes for this episode here.

16 Apr 202448min

In this #coachbetter episode, Kristen is talking about why school leaders need coaching and to help them understand why and how coaching can be impactful for them too!.  If you’ve been a longtime listener of the podcast or our #coachbetter quicktips, you know that one of the questions we almost always ask of school leaders is how can we help other school leaders understand the value of instructional coaching. The answer is ALWAYS get them as close to the process of coaching as possible - and the best way to do that is to actually BE coached. When you have the experience of working with a coach, and you see the impact it can have on your professional growth, that is the deepest kind of “aha” moment about the value of coaching for all educators that you can have. Find the show notes for this episode here.

9 Apr 202410min

This #coachbetter episode is another in our series of coaching case studies, with one of Kim's amazing clients, Sasha Robbins. We're so excited to share this episode with Sasha with you, because Sasha and Kim have been working together since 2019!  These case study episodes are designed to share the story of a coach, and the development of their coaching program and practice in their unique setting.  Sasha is an instructional coach at Al-Bayan Bilingual School in Kuwait and recently, on a coaching call they were talking about how Sasha has been working to intentionally slow down her coaching conversations and the impact that is having on the quality of work she and her coaching partners are able to do.  This is a powerful conversation about the ways that experienced coaches can deepen the work they do with their coaching partners. And it’s a strong demonstration of Sasha’s growth as an instructional coach over the time that we’ve been working together. Find the show notes for this episode here.

2 Apr 202453min

This #coachbetter episodea highlight is from one of our previous podcast episodes featuring our The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program Mentors. We're sharing this clip from this episode right now because we’ve been talking about the ways that instructional coaches are leaders in their schools all semester - and this specific clip highlights some of the surprises that instructional coaches may face when first moving into a coaching role. No matter how experienced you are as an educator, there are new skills to learn when you become a coach - and our four mentors are going to tell you about those skills in this clip! Find the show notes for this episode here.

26 Mars 20247min

We have an extra special #coachbetter episode! It’s our virtual launch party for the brand new non-profit organization that we’ve been building for the last year: the Association for the Advancement of Instructional Coaching in International Schools! If you’re an instructional coach in international schools, you know that coaching can look vastly different at different schools - and you might find yourself advocating for, and building coaching programs at every school you move to. Instructional coaching is such a nuanced and complex role - both within your individual coaching practice and at the programmatic level. And moving from school to school in our international context makes it even more complex! Both instructional coaches and school leaders need to be involved in this conversation - and it needs to be specific for international schools - that’s why we founded AAICIS! Eduro Learning is proud to be a founding partner of AAICIS. To find out more about our organization, and to join the conversation about instructional coaching in international schools, head over to our website at aaicis.org Find the show notes for this episode here.

19 Mars 202442min

In #coachbetter video, Kim talks about creating a sustainable coaching culture - and what systems and structures are either supporting or hindering coaching sustainability in your school context. This video is designed for experienced coaches who are ready to start thinking about how they can further develop their coaching practice. Find the show notes for this episode here.

12 Mars 202414min

In this #coachbetter episode, Kim talks with Samantha Olson-Wyman, Curriculum, Teaching & Learning Specialist and Stephanie Cifuentes, Lower School Principal at the American School of Guatemala. Both Sam and Stephanie are former instructional coaches so this episode is such a special opportunity to look at the macro lens of coaching with school leaders who deeply understand the micro view too! We're so excited to share this episode with you because whenever we get the chance to speak with school leaders who are former coaches, we know we’re going to be able to go deep about the value of coaching and the actual logistics and structures needed to make it happen - and this conversation does exactly that!  Find the show notes for this episode here.

5 Mars 202456min

When you’re working on building a coaching culture and a coaching program, you know that you need systems and structures in place to make it sustainable. In this post, we're highlighting three elements of your coaching culture that you may want to examine - so you can both measure the impact you’re making and define the systems and structures needed to continue to grow.  This is a highlight from one of Kim's favorite episodes from a previous season, featuring Laura Lipton. If you’re a longtime #coachbetter listener, you know that Kim often references Laura’s work, particularly the Continuum of Practice for Instructional Coaches.  Since we’re focusing on coaches as leaders right now, we want to share this clip where Laura talks about the big picture of what makes coaching work from a school-wide perspective. Find the show notes for this episode here.

27 Feb 202422min