A Coaching Menu

When I first began the supportive role of literacy coach, I wondered how I might best begin working with teachers. Another coach in our district gave me two invaluable pieces of advice: 

1. Let everyone know how you can support them.
2. Start with people who want you.

Inviting another adult into our rooms can be disconcerting. I found that providing teachers with a menu of options really helped get my foot in the door, and each partnership ended up being enjoyable and rewarding. 

I sent a note out in the fall, winter, and spring. The responses helped me focus my attention, gather helpful resources, and plan my schedule. 

Following is the first note I sent. Use it as a springboard for your own menu of choices. And check out Do’s and Don’ts for Literacy Coaches: Advice from the Field by Rita Bean and Diane DeFord for some excellent advice to coaches. 

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Dear Colleagues,

The greatest thing about being a coach here is that I work with amazing people and am not here to “fix” anybody.  It is a pleasure and a privilege to team with you, helping you to plan, reflect, and refine your practice. My role is to help you reach your goals for students. 

Here is a menu of options of how we might collaborate together. Circle all that interest you and return this to my mailbox so I can get you on my coaching calendar. 

• Launch Daily 5 (building behaviors of independence, increasing stamina, choosing good-fit books).

• Teach CAFE lessons (focus lessons that relate to student needs and match current brain research).

• Help analyze reading and writing assessments to set goals and determine next steps.

• Set up a conferring notebook, model one-on-one conferring, observe your conferring sessions and provide feedback to help you refine your conferring skills.

• Plan and teach close reading lessons.

• Co-plan for an upcoming literacy skill or strategy lesson.

• Engage in reflective conversation about what’s on your mind regarding your students or your classroom.

• Provide nonevaluative observations/feedback. This is simply a “Come watch me and let me know what you see” invitation.

• Attend and partner with you in a grade-level team meeting.

• Cover your class for an hour so you can observe one of your teammates or colleagues. 

If you are interested in working together on something else, let me know.  I don’t promise to have expertise, but I can promise we’ll have fun figuring it out together. 

Lori

Your name______________________

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