Deep Wells: How Literacy Coaches Find
Support and Success
NCTE Presentation Resources
Brenda Power
Welcome! I'm glad you found your way to this hidden page. Thanks for attending my NCTE presentation. If there is anything I mentioned that is missing here, just send me an email through the contact form on this page, and I'll make sure to add it after I hear from you. Happy Coaching!
Brenda Power
Founder, Choice Literacy
Like many others who were writing their NCTE talks over the past few weeks, I was captivated and distracted by the political world. In trying to refocus my attention to the task at hand, I found the words of one politician especially timely when considering how literacy coaches might find support for their work. You may have heard of this recently elected official - he's an African American who started out as a community organizer after attending Ivy League Schools - his eloquence and inspiration are having a remarkable impact on many Americans. I'm speaking of course, of Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark New Jersey.
In a recent interview, Cory was asked how he could remain so upbeat, hopeful and committed to the cause of raising up Newark, a city that has been a punchline in jokes for decades. In responding he said, "We all drink deeply from wells we did not dig." He explained how he was honored to carry on the work of many gifted, driven individuals who came before him. Amidst the decay and crime around him, Cory Booker finds plenty to celebrate in the rich architecture, music, and civic history of Newark...and he is working slowly, carefully, and enthusiastically to build a renaissance for the city based on it.
The reason we come to NCTE is to drink deeply from wells we did not dig; to find encouragement and inspiration from those who have come before us, tackling similar challenges or even greater ones with grit and grace. And that also, in a nutshell, is the biggest challenge any literacy coach faces back home - to honor and connect with the literacy work of others in your own school or district, even as you seek to make your own impact.
I live with my family on a small lake in Maine. When we moved in ten years ago, we discovered one of the biggest expenses for people building homes on the lake was the cost of digging wells.
What lies beneath when we dig our wells.
Even after they are dug, the wells have high failure rates. How can this be, when there is a pristine 5 mile long lake 100 feet from the homes in the neighborhoods? You need only look at my yard to see what the issue is.
The rocks are solid granite, everywhere beneath the surface. When drilling, you may hit water without digging hundreds of feet, but the risk is that all you've found is runoff from a small crack within the granite that might easily close if the ground shifts. There is no substitute for the time, expense, and effort it takes to dig deep enough to find a water source linked to the lake, one that will endure no matter how the grounds shift. There's probably a metaphor in there somewhere for succeeding as a literacy coach.
In preparing for today, I put out a request to the readers of my weekly newsletter for literacy leaders, asking them to share two things - where and how they get support on the job, and the best advice they were given when they began. I received responses from over 800 people. What was striking in analyzing the responses, given that they came from people across the country and world, was the consistency of the themes that emerged.
What I want to do this morning in the brief time I have is to share the 7 core themes or principles that these literacy leaders (mostly coaches) noted again and again as most critical for support and success, in their own words. I will link these themes to a couple dozen different practical resources developed by literacy coaches, as well as videos of coaches at work throughout the country for you to access and use on your own, after the talk if you wish.
It's a scattershot approach, and much of it won't be useful to any one individual, because I don't know where the rocks lie beneath the surface of your work, given the diversity here in front of me. Yet I'm confident there will be something here that gives you pause, and might help you recharge and refresh your own work with colleagues.
Principle #1 Listen More Than You Talk (50%)
Tracy from Ohio wrote, Our teaching is personal...we invest our whole hearts into our students and we need to respect all the experiences our teachers bring and celebrate them. Listening and questioning instead of giving advice guides the teachers to ownership, and stimulates motivation and reflection."
Not that Tracy's advice is easy to follow. There have been studies of the physiology of listening - researchers found when people are listening closely, their heart rates and even their body temperatures go up a bit. Listening is intense, hard work, which is why literacy coaches pointed to it as something they have to focus on and remind themselves to do continually.
One of the most important things coaches do is to set up situations where they are listening to conversations that reveal the histories and needs of teachers - areas where they are most proud, and where they feel most vulnerable. I've posted four resources to help you do that:
1. The Conversation Turns recordkeeping form from Suzy Kaback of Minneapolis, Minnesota is useful in classrooms or during staff or grade level team meetings to keep track of what's discussed, and topics of interest. You can access Suzy's description of its use at this link:
2. "I Used to but Now I" from Ruth Shagoury of Portland, Oregon is a simple staff or study group activity to help teachers think through the changes they've made in their literacy instruction through the years. It's a tool to quickly launch discussions about these histories and plans for future changes.
3. Cindy Hatt of St. John, New Brunswick's "What's New with You?" template, designed for use in a group setting, is structured to help colleagues seek out and begin conversations with others about recent innovations in literacy:
The best part about listening? Sometimes teachers will do all your work for you if you just let them talk. As Colleen from Vermont wrote, "Many teachers want the opportunity to talk through their concerns, and by doing so, they often solve their own problems without you having to say a word."
Principle #2 Build Relationships First (40%)
I loved the advice from Jane in New Jersey, who wrote "Always assume the teachers know more than you do." Wouldn't our conversations with teachers have a different tone if we always followed Jane's suggestion? Building relationships was mentioned by so many teachers who noted without a strong relationship of trust and respect, there could be no true learning or change over time.
Carol from Tennessee advised, "Remember that teachers are people with moods and preoccupations - show support with small gestures unrelated to "coaching" to win your way into their planning periods and their classrooms."
Megan from Illinois explained that she takes the time to notice the photos and posters on her colleagues' walls and desks. She wrote, "These mementos are there for a reason. Learning who someone is as an educator but also as an individual is priceless. Why? Then you can celebrate not only their growth in literacy instruction but also when the Bears win a game or their own children read their first words. They take note of this and will want to partner with you more if you do this."
Many coaches noted there's no task too trivial or menial early in the year for building the relationship. Kristi from Virginia wrote, "Do whatever it takes to get into a classroom... run copies, give the teacher a break, find resources. Whatever it takes, so that the teacher wants you around!"
Beth from Florida gave succinct advice on how to build the trust and relationship in the first year - "Always underpromise, and always overdeliver in everything you do."
Amber from Tennessee said she builds the relationships first because she wants everyone to work as hard as she does. "It's simple really - everyone works harder for someone they have a relationship with."
For more on building relationships, I've posted "8 Tips for Building Relationships", advice Shari Frost compiled from her Chicago network of coaches. These veterans recommend everything from keeping chocolate on hand, to scheduling times to lend a hand to teachers as they set up their classrooms right before the school year starts. You can access the suggestions at this link:
My favorite suggestion from these coaches is to time your "pop-in" visit to a teacher's classroom at just the moment when the teacher most likely needs a break - midmorning after the coffee has kicked in, or mid afternoon after the lunchtime can of diet soda has almost run its course. At that moment, the coach drops in and offers to do a quick read aloud of a new book, if the teacher would like a short break. These coaches take advantage of our dirty little secret in schools - teachers rarely get opportunities to use restrooms when they really need them. Even the most resistant teacher will be happy to see you! The Chicago coaches get to try out new read alouds with children during these break visits, and teachers are often exposed to just a bit of new literature.
I was surprised at all the sneaky, stealthy suggestions coaches had for building these relationships of trust. Another recommendation came from Robin in Wisconsin who wrote, "For the classrooms where I experience resistance, I will ask the teacher if I can try out a new strategy I'm learning on her/his kids. This has proven to be extremely helpful for getting in the classroom and overcoming the insecurity of the teacher in having me there!"
Principle #3 Go Where You Are Wanted (35%)
Two phrases came up repeatedly in the survey - the first was go with the goers, and the second was to water the flowers, not the rocks. Carol from Colorado said, "You have to go with the goers. Don't waste too much energy on people who don't want to change. They will come around, sometimes, after they see all the cool work you are doing with others."
I've posted a few resources to help with this work - Ruth Shagoury's Celebration of Innovations includes a template which can help you get at who the "goers" are for different aspects of the literacy curriculum through a group exchange of good work:
Doug Fleming of Massachusetts offers Advice for Making Partnerships Work. His suggestions can help you get collaboration off to a fine start by negotiating roles and expectations because you visit the classroom:
Finally, two tools from Jennifer Allen of Waterville Maine are posted - a video example of how she has novice teachers observe her collaboration with veterans using a simple observation form:
And a structure for having teachers share their best practices in professional development settings, so the "goers" have the chance to influence others:
One last note from Tina in Maryland on going where you are wanted, "I feed the hungry. But I take this advice the next step and always assume that when a supportive learning environment is established, most teachers are very hungry!"
Principle #4 Reach Teachers at Their Point of Need (40%)
Paige from South Dakota reminds us that "Change begins with the question, "How can I help?"
Carol from New York advised, "If you're open and honest with teachers, you can lead them in the direction they feel most comfortable being led. Allow them the freedom to choose the path they would like to take, by affording them opportunities and resources that will gently guide them to bettering their practice."
Here are four more resources from coaches to help you find those "best paths for bettering practice" for individual teachers:
1. Gayle Brand of Dublin Ohio's Professional Needs Assessment Inventory is a survey that takes less than five minutes for any teacher to complete, and it can help you design whole-staff PD as well as individual consultations.
2. Erin Marr and Pam Hahlen also from Dublin, have created a fun "menu" of choices they give to teachers early in the year, from appetizers to desserts, letting teachers choose how they want to be assisted.
3. Gail Boushey of Kent, Washington shares her "Now/Next" Conferring form with teachers - the template is part of a video clip I've posted for you on how she organizes her coaching notebook so that it is easy to use, and focused on the individual needs of each teacher.
4. Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan of Lexington, Massachusetts, have more practical tips for getting in more classrooms in "Opening Classroom Doors."
A word of caution from Denise from Kentucky, "Don't ever make the teacher feel like they are not doing a good job, by finding ways to highlight even the most seemingly insignificant things to keep them encouraged."
Principle #5 Put Students at the Center of Your Work (25%)
Angela from New Brunswick, Canada explains better than I ever could why this principle is the most important one, at least for me, "You will learn more from the children than all the inservices, conferences and books put together."
Katie from Pennsylvania revealed another harsh truth for teachers as well as coaches, when she wrote, "As long as you are questioning what you are doing you are most likely serving the student's needs. If you aren't questioning what you are doing you are most likely meeting your own personal needs."
Alice from Nevada reminds coaches that focusing on students is also a relief for teachers, and can help you overcome resistance, "Always make your conversations with teachers about what's best for kids." Focusing on the students instead of the teacher makes it easier to talk about changing instruction because the threat is removed. Ask, "What worked for your students?" instead of "Did your instruction work?"
Here are some resources to help you keep children's literacy learning at the center of your coaching -
1. Puzzle Kids is a guide for partnering up teachers or forming study groups around observing one child closely - preferably a "bubble kid" or someone else who is in danger of slipping through the cracks:
2. You can also view this brief meeting between a coach, Pam Hahlen, Principal Karen Szymusiak, and two teachers in Dublin, Ohio who are discussing their puzzle kids late in the year:
3. Another video resource posted is a collaboration meeting between literacy coaches and teachers in Washington State, led by coaches Gail Boushey and Janet Scott, to show how grade level team meetings between coaches and teachers can be designed to focus on individual children.
Principle #6 Network and Find Resources Beyond the School (60%)
It was striking how many coaches mentioned the "No Man's Land" nature of coaching, and how lonely it can be. Marnie from New Mexico explained, "It's not personal - You are a THUS, stuck between them and us in the outdated paradigm of admin. vs. teaching staff."
Because the job is so isolating, and close friendships on-site can be fraught with peril, many coaches who wrote in had created their own informal and formal networks with coaches beyond their schools and districts, meeting once or twice a month to share ideas and resources.
Teresa from North Carolina said there is no substitute for this face-to-face networking, cautioning, "It's essential to network with others in a position like yours across your district or in other districts in your state to brainstorming how to approach a problem - Google does not answer all of our questions."
Read Read Read was another battlecry from scores of coaches, along with the necessity of building time in the calendar for boning up on new research and materials. Many coaches recommended subscribing to the newsletters and updates from professional organizations like NCTE and IRA, or publishers like Stenhouse and Heinemann to keep up on what's new.
But as Janet from Minnesota noted, "You still need to plan time on your calendar to be alone with reading materials that will support you!"
Fridays Free is a strategy Jen Allen of Waterville, Maine uses - she blocks off that whole day for reading, research, and whatever else comes up that she didn't get to during the week. Inevitably, she loses at least half the day to emergency needs that must be rescheduled somewhere during the week, but she usually has a few hours for reading, research, and networking.
A couple resources that can help you find time for reading, web surfing, and building a network of support beyond the school:
Jennifer Jones of Waukesha, Wisconsin details how to do a planbook scavenger hunt - excavating your schedule from the previous year and examining it as a data set to see how and where your priorities might change.
The Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse from NCTE and IRA is a terrific online resource for coaches, with everything from chat groups to research-based position papers.
Jan Miller Burkins, Athens, Georgia literacy coach and author of Coaching for Balance: How to Meet the Challenges of Literacy Coaching, shares the sad story of a young child she taught early in her career who made few gains in literacy. At the end of her time with this student, the child's father wrote a scathing letter, detailing everything Jan had done wrong. Jan knew many of the criticisms he made were valid - she was inexperienced, the child was gifted, and the student seemed to learn little that year.
Many years later, Jan was talking about the experience with colleagues at dinner. They were amazed she remembered so many details of the letter. It wasn't hard, Jan explained, since she carried the letter with her in her purse. And then she pulled it out. Her friends were shocked, and insisted that Jan burn the letter then and there in the flame from the little candle in the center of the table. So she did, and was amazed at how good it felt to let go of the past.
The need for "thick skin" was mentioned by dozens of coaches who responded to the survey.
Kathryn from Missouri wrote, You have to be like teflon (things slide off) and set your feelings aside."
Katrina from Washington State explained the criticism isn't necessarily all bad, "What makes you uncomfortable at first will help you grow later on."
Desiree from California had wise words for us all to carry in our hearts, She wrote, "One of my closest mentors once asked me, "Who are you to think you'll never disappoint anyone?" It helps me to remember that try as hard as I may to encourage, support and lead teachers in exciting and purposeful directions, I will still sometimes fail to meet the mark. I need to stay teachable and humble."
Here are a couple resources to help you get the supportive criticism you need to grow, change and let go of the negatives -
1. Jan Miller Burkin's literacy coaching evaluation survey allows teachers to give you feedback you can compile and analyze, and it's a very short form:
2. I also recommend the free web service Survey Monkey, and I've posted a link for that - it's a very easy to use web-based survey tool, and allows teachers to respond in a way that is truly anonymous (which can't happen with email services or those that involve handwriting).
The last principle of letting go circles all the way back to the first of listening first. Listen, don't speak, take it in, then let it go. As Sheri from Ohio advises, in those moments you're tempted to respond in anger, "Remember, you can take a whole year to create a good relationship and a whole minute to destroy it. Choose your words wisely."
After giving you all this wonderful advice from coaches across the country, I'll close with some final words from Corey Booker, that mayor from Newark, New Jersey. In the full quote from the interview, he explained how he drinks deeply from the wells that others have dug. And in doing so, he seeks to honor the sacrifices of those who came before him, manifesting their contributions not just in word, but in deeds every day. I wish you well in doing the same as you lead the teachers in your care. And if that doesn't work, the last bit of practical advice comes from Jean, a literacy coach in Montana, who suggests, "If all else fails, I recommend a nice big martini at the end of the day!"
If you'd like to see the interview with Cory Booker of Newark, it is available to view here:
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, shares the sad story of a young child she taught early in her career who made few gains in literacy. At the end of her time with this student, the child's father wrote a scathing letter, detailing everything Jan had done wrong. Jan knew many of the criticisms he made were valid - she was inexperienced, the child was gifted, and the student seemed to learn little that year.
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