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. =)

I love the start of a brand new year because I absolutely, positively adore creating visions. There’s just something about sitting down and imagining the best version of my future self that fires me up and gets me going.

I create visions in a few ways: I draw pictures of the life I want to have, I create 6-word stories to act as a mantra for my work life, I write my ideal job description and even have fun creating the perfect day. I may have even been known to create a pinterest board or two around these visions.

There’s just one problem.

I’m not nearly as good at bringing these visions to life as I am at dreaming them up.

Until now.

A few years ago, I was asked to deliver a keynote address to a group of reading coaches working in local schools. I created a presentation that focused on reading motivation, choosing books for students, strategy teaching and the importance of teacher language. I even involved social media and live participation. I was quite pleased with how it turned out and was looking forward to my session.

That all changed when I arrived.

I am a pretty positive person. I try to look for the silver lining, but if I am honest, I am much better at finding the silver lining for someone else than I am for myself. Can you relate?

The School Reform Initiative is a powerful resource for coaching and leading and their Compass Points protocol is worth sharing. The original Compass Points activity helps teachers learn about their preferences for working with others and how our collective preferences can impact our learning communities. If you have not yet explored this idea, I highly recommend you do so. It is a great way to get to know a group of people and how that information can support your coaching.