What Now?
Step 1: Create a comfortable positive place where teachers can gather and relax, stop in for a nice cup of tea or coffee, and collaborate and reflect on our practices with students. CHECK (See my last post)
Step 2: Get to know staff and students and be as present as possible at all times. (I'M TRYING!)
As I mentioned in my introduction to this blog, I am feeling like a first year teacher. At times, I have also felt like a new student in high school where everyone knows everyone and I am an outsider trying to "fit in" with the group.
Complete honesty: I have had some anxiety and fears over the past weeks. Here are a few of the negative thoughts I have had and I am sharing with you hoping that I am not alone here!
- I don't want people to think my kindness to them is in-genuine.
- What if someone sees me planning or preparing in my PD room and they think I have been there all day and this is all I do?
- Will I feel like I am part of the family? How long will that take?
- I hope I get invited in and don't have to find a bunch of busy work to keep me engaged all day.
- What if I say the wrong thing?
Please someone tell me I am not alone here! I do have to say that many of these fears went away as soon as I had them. I am so lucky to be in a building where teachers are like family. They would do anything for one another and are so kind to me. I have also been pleasantly surprised that I am being invited into classrooms. In fact, no one has told me not to come into their rooms! That alone was a huge relief to me. I am proud to say that I have visited every classroom at least once or twice just to observe what is going on or to participate in a Morning Meeting. I am even more proud to say that several teachers have enlisted my help for coaching sessions and a few are ready to begin coaching cycles with me. I have been so busy, in fact, that I have hardly had time to even be in my room completing paperwork or preparing for lessons and meetings with teachers. (I will get back to this issue in a future post.) I do feel that my predecessor opened these doors for me by setting the tone for coaching last year and I am so extremely grateful to her for that!
While I am no expert and am still learning every step of the way, I wanted to share some of the tactics I have used to get to know staff and show everyone that I can be counted on. I hope that some of these work for you if you are also new to coaching.
- Sit in the teacher's lounge at different times and get to know teachers casually over lunch.
- If you are walking by and have some time, pop in and ask if they need help. My first day I helped kindergarten teachers take first day of school pictures, second grade students decorate book boxes, and I sat in Morning Meetings among other supportive tasks.
- Gift Giving: I love giving gifts so I am doing popcorn for birthdays and made baggies with mints for teachers on their first day saying, "I was "mint" to work with you." A little "hammy" for sure, but that is how I am!
- Be present and available.
- Make sure teachers know you are their equal. I feel I have done a great job of repeating over and over, "I am no expert, but we can learn together."
- My staff PD room has helped me to get to know several teachers and they appreciate what I have created for them.
- Ask teachers about their personal lives. I have created a spreadsheet to keep track of who I have talked with and who I still need to get to know better. This has helped me to remember their names as well as personal information they have shared with me about their families.
- Speaking of families: Make connections with things you have in common with people! I have found that I have so much in common with several teachers in my school.
So, do I know what I am doing after these first two weeks?? Absolutely not! Every day I learn more and as these very important relationships grow and teachers begin to trust me, I can use the "openings" I have heard or seen to suggest a coaching cycle. I, like our students, am a work in progress and I am so glad I can put some of those initial fears behind me and focus on my next steps with teachers.
