There are actually many aspects of growing into middle age that I really enjoy. I particularly like the ability to connect the present to the past with a vision-- a realistic vision-- to the possibilities ahead. Much of my immediate connections are to music and movies. Although ranging from obscure to popular, I seem to have a bend for the more abstract pieces that cryptically stick in my head over time. Allow me to introduce you to the late Chris Whitley, from "Dirt Floor":
There's a dirt floor underneath here
To receive us when changes fail.
May this shovel...
Loose your trouble...
Let them
... fall away.
I believe an Instructional Coach can be that shovel-- that which loosens some troubles and helps them fall away, perhaps even revealing a hidden value. A glimpse of what we can do:
Segue to the more popular U2 in the song "One," combined with the idea of teaching in general:
Is it getting better, or do you feel the same?
If there is an aspect of student learning or instructional delivery that can be better, consider these three basic possibilities, as articulated in the Greenwich, CT program:
- Draft an action plan from a specific goal around which the coaching work is focused
- Facilitates mutual learning through reflective conversations
- Encourages teachers to take risks
Did I ask too much-- more than a lot?
It is true that growth can be uncomfortable or awkward. It is a request we make of students and we expect it of our communities-- why not us? The great trait of our program is that it is collaborative instead of authoritative. We have wonderful opportunities here in West Des Moines. As we head into Thanksgiving, let us not only be grateful for these opportunities, but for each other as well. I know that my personal growth has been profoundly affected by the people of the West Des Moines Schools, and I hope that all of us can gain from experiencing others in our professional and personal lives. Thank you for letting the Instructional Coaches be a part, and thanks in advance for inviting us into your worlds.
We're one, but we're not the same.
We get to carry each other,
Carry each other...
One
