Random Acts of Coaching

It’s February, so love is in the air. Random Acts of Kindness day, a movement to make kindness the norm around the world, is February 17th and many celebrate it all month long. I personally love the Random Acts of Kindness calendars for home and the workplace and was browsing them for ideas to bring a bit more kindness to my own little neck of the woods (Read more about my One Word for February for how I plan to do just that!). Some of my go-to-kindness-favorites are surprising friends with digital Starbucks gift cards, donating books to our local free little library, letting people merge ahead of me in busy traffic and simply making time to tell people how much I appreciate them.

I know from experience just how much these random acts of kindness can make a difference in our daily lives. A little goes a long way and the same can be said about coaching: small acts of coaching to boost teachers’ spirits can go a long way. So, I’m officially declaring February Random Acts of Coaching Month, too, where instructional coaches and leaders sprinkle coaching like confetti across a school and district. Ready to join me?

Here are a few ideas to bring random acts of coaching to the teachers we work with:

Add coaching to your email signature: Your email signature can be a powerful coaching tool. Link to the books you are currently reading, add a powerful quote to ponder or even share a new resource. Teachers will come to expect these nuggets at the end of your emails and even look for them.  

Hide QR codes throughout the school: Link QR codes to helpful articles, short videos teaching resources, funny memes and more. Post them around the school for teachers to find in unexpected moments and make them smile. Need inspiration? Start here.  

Create a small book display in your coaching space and update often: Showcase books teachers might love to read purely for pleasure in their own reading lives and in their classroom. If you coach virtually, update your virtual coaching office slide with what you are currently reading and what’s on deck next.

Add writing prompts to your door: This might be my favorite. Print out innovative writing prompts and slip them into a sheet protector adhered to your door. Change the prompt each week and encourage teachers to share it with their students as well. Here are a few prompts to get started:

• Draw your favorite emoticon. Write a story with a character who embodies that feeling.
• Choose a favorite song. Why does it matter to you? 
• If you were given a magic wand, what would you wish for? 
• Look out the window. List every object you see. Choose one and create a poem.  
• Ask your writing partner to think of 5 words. Create a story using those 5 words.  

Sticky note celebration: Grab a sticky note, jot a compliment on it and stick it where teachers will easily find it: on their desk, chair, in their mailbox or even the faculty room. These surprise sticky notes might be just what they need to and brighten their day and their mindset.

Print an article: Sure, it’s easy to email an article for teachers to read, but in our busy days, those emails often get pushed to the bottom of our Inbox or even worse….deleted. So, why not print out a short (incredibly useful!) article instead and place it in teachers’ mailboxes? It’s more likely to get read or at least browsed.

Get social: Up your social media coaching this week. Yes, I made that a thing. =) You can tweet or post ideas and resources for those teachers that follow you or better yet, share links directly to your posts through email or in your presentations so all can access them. And if you really want to up your social media game, create a Twitter list and share that, too!

Now, these are only a few ideas to bring random acts of coaching to your school. The idea is to celebrate small acts of coaching paired with care, consideration and kindness. Pay attention to the little things to show teachers they matter and spark a bit of learning along the way, too. 

Now, it’s your turn. How might you spring random acts of coaching like confetti in your school? Let’s add to this list! Add your ideas in the comments below and let’s start a #randomactsofcoaching movement!

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