What happens when you want to offer teachers a book study experience, but you do not have the time to meet or the money to purchase books for everyone? You start a book relay!

Let’s think for a moment about our coaching language. What are the phrases you find yourself using the most as part of your coaching cycles? Maybe you use some of these:

Who knew that such a simple metaphor could yield such rich conversations and actions around solving instructional challenges? 

I am a reader. A always-have-a-book-in-my-bag-please-help-me-find-time-to-read-it kind of reader. And I savor the words, collecting them in my journal for later reflection.

I have a small Moleskine notebook that accompanies me wherever I go, just as Peak Marcello did as he climbed Mount Everest in Roland Smith’s Peak.

I’ve always been fascinated by what coaches do and why they do it. In fact, I spent three years studying multiple literacy coaches in multiple districts as part of my dissertation.

And you know what I found out?

Literacy coaches do A LOT of things….but they sometimes don’t realize the reality of their coaching activities until they are spelled out in a tangible way, preferably on paper and with colorful markers. =)