Question: I am the new literacy coach at our school, and the teachers resent me. I was hired at a time when budgets are down. Class size is up, money for everything from field trips to new books is nonexistent. My salary isn't paid from those accounts, but it doesn't seem to matter to my colleagues. How can I gain the teachers' support, so I can help them?

First, remember that it probably isn't personal. Even the most optimistic teacher on the planet would admit it's tough times for our profession - unrealistic demands, unrelenting test pressure, and harried administrators. Resentment and anger fester for reasons that have nothing to do with us. It doesn't make the job of a coach easier, but at some level, maybe it makes dealing with distrustful colleagues a little less painful.

One of the worst aspects of the unrelenting criticism of teachers in our society is that it puts everyone in our profession in a defensive crouch. Teachers are tired of having everyone from the editor of the local paper to the clerk at the drugstore mete out advice. It's a world of "Thou shalts" and "Teachers outtas" we live in. Is it any wonder our colleagues aren't overjoyed at the thought of someone being paid to dole out more advice? They have a reasonable fear that even the kindest coach is going to be making demands, issuing edicts, and pushing hard for changes they may or may not be ready to make.

Our answer is simple, but it isn't necessarily easy for any of us who are coaches and mentors. We spend time in classrooms, and make that our top priority. We abandon the big checklists, and instead roll up our sleeves and ask the teacher what she wants help with. We observe. We might lead a reading group if that's what a teacher requests, and so we can get to know his students. The time we've reserved each day for spending time in classrooms is sacred, no matter what new demands come from on high.

When we let teachers help set our agendas for their classrooms, we have the information we need for every other aspect of our jobs as coaches, including determining topics for study groups, integrating curriculum discussions into staff meetings, and deciding what additional assessments are needed. We use these questions to open up a discussion with a teacher about our role in his or her classroom:

• What do you need from me?
• How can I help you?
• How might I observe you?
• What are you working on this year?
• What do you want to learn about this year?

For more resources on starting conversations with teachers in one-on-one meetings, check out the eGuide Writing to Reflect by clicking here.

©Choice Literacy. All rights reserved.

Literacy Coach Confidential provides answers to the toughest questions posed by literacy coaches. Do you have a success story about how you overcome resentment from colleagues when you became a literacy coach? We'd love to hear them. Email your stories to us at admin@choiceliteracy.com, and we might include them in a postscript to this essay at a future date.

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