Summer if officially here! I have so enjoyed bringing you a new coaching tool, activity or idea every Monday for the entire 2020-2021 school year, a year like no other. But now, it’s time for a collective rest, a bit of downtime and a whole lot of reading, writing and connections with family and friends. So, I’ve decided to take the month of July off from blogging and podcasting on The Coaching Sketchnote Book to do just that.

My very first position as an instructional coach was actually a coach of the coaches….and it was almost twenty years ago when no one was quite sure exactly what a coach was and what he/she did let alone what a coach of the coach did. So, what’s a new coach to do? Find support.  

Instructional coaches are constantly leading the learning of others: we create yearly visions for our work; offer professional development on chosen topics; partner with teachers in the classroom; and curate resources and materials to support teacher learning over time. We don’t just focus on the content of learning; we support teachers’ mindsets so they too feel supported and energized.

As coaches, we're often left to our own devices when it comes to our professional learning, which means that it can get swept behind the myriad of other roles and responsibilities we prioritize. However, to lead well, we have to remain lifelong learners ourselves, by growing, stretching, and changing as professionals.

I'm here to share a 4-step process to help you create a personalized learning plan for yourself. Grab a few quiet minutes, your favorite beverage, and a notebook—now, let's get started!

I have always been a voracious reader. Books were my friends in childhood (Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume), my therapists in my teenage and young adult years (Separation Anxiety by Laura Zigman) and some of my best parenting tools (Junie B. Jones and the Sticky, Smelly Bus by Barbara Park). Books are woven into the very fabric of my life and I know many of you can relate.

Many educators use picture books to build a classroom community around shared texts and offer students mentor texts for their own writing, too. But what if we brought picture books into coaching and leading so teachers could experience the same?

Here’s one thing I know for sure: there is no such thing as balance. What did I say? There is no such thing as balance. I know, it is a strong statement, but I truly believe it and I am not alone.

One of my favorite inspirational videos comes from Kid President. It’s called A Pep Talk From Kid President to You and in it, Kid President gives us the kick-in-the-pants we need to reframe our thinking and brighten our spirits.

Kid President’s opening line is: I think we all need a pep talk.

My opening line for this blog post is: I think we all need an awe walk. =)

I don’t know about you, but I am a list person. In fact, I adore lists in all their splendor: lists on sticky notes, on notebook paper, on whiteboards, and even on digital devices. Why do I love them so? For me, lists provide a sense of purpose for my days. My list of tasks might be long, but acknowledging them and their importance to my day inspires me to complete them. Crossing the items off my list when they are completed gives me a sense of satisfaction. In fact, when I complete activities that were not on my list, I have been known to write them down just so I can cross them off. I imagine many of you can relate.