21. How to Get Started as a Teacher Coach with April Brown

Lily

We have April Brown, our amazing learning and development manager at Educator Forever here with me today to talk about the wonderful world of teacher coaching.

April

Yes, I'm so excited to be here to talk about this today.

Lily

Yay, me too. So I did a little bit of coaching when I first left the classroom, but most of it was in person. And I feel like I learned a lot through that experience, but that was like a decade ago. And I know you've been immersed in the world of online teacher coaching.

Lily

So I'd love for you to start telling us a little bit about that, like, how did you get started? What type of work have you been doing?

April

Yes, I would love to. So I kind of start from the beginning. So I think that coaching, I didn't really realize that what I was doing was coaching, when I kind of first sort of stepped into it. I think I began supporting teachers, even as a new teacher, I began sort of supporting teachers in looking at their practices in a curious way, and encouraging them to think outside of the box in a way that would really just support their students learning.

April

And so I think I started you know, while I was still teaching in Michigan, as a special education teacher, I was definitely like, tapping into my passions and connecting with teachers like in my district in that way, and then when I moved to teach in Placencia, Belize, I actually supported getting a school off the ground.

April

And then I kind of like naturally held a variety of leadership positions, one, which was coaching, and supporting teachers in competency based learning and kind of shifting to inclusive and responsive practices. So that was the beginning.

Lily

I love that. And I love how that's not called coaching, like as an outward job title, right? Like you weren't an instructional coach, yet you within these other roles, were are doing so much coaching already, and just realizing that for many teachers, like we have done coaching before.

April

Yes, I love that. I feel like that's so important. Because as teachers, we often well we're either asked to take on all of these different roles, often without extra compensation, right? Yes. Or it's like this natural thing that kind of like we're drawn to, because we are often so, you know, multi passionate and curious about so many different things.

April

That yes, absolutely. It's like, so many of us are already coaches, although we wouldn't consider our like, we wouldn't necessarily know, hey, I should put that on my resume. Right?

Lily

Yes, absolutely. I know the things I think about for me, when I started coaching, were that as a classroom teacher, I had had student teachers pretty consistently for the last couple years I was in the classroom. And that is so much coaching that I never really realized until I was applying for coaching jobs and like, well, what have I done?

Lily

So if you've had a student teacher, or even a beginning teacher in your school, you've done so much coaching, likely just being a resource for them. And it's often thinking back about those experiences or experiences leading PDs or things like that, to know how to position your experience.

April

Yes, absolutely. I love that. Unfortunately, at times, like we don't have the extra support we need when we're in the classroom, so that natural sort of desire to support new teachers that are coming in, or teachers who are shifting to a new position who may not have all of the information that they need to be successful.

April

So then we kind of just step in, and we're like, Hey, here's what I've learned doing the thing. I'm curious if this would work for you, or here's some different strategies to try.

April

Yes, I love that. That's awesome. And so going from your kind of in person coaching experiences in schools, can you tell us how you moved into the world of virtual coaching?

April

Yeah, so it's actually really exciting, the world of virtual coaching, and it's not something that I had ever considered. For me, definitely, you know, doing the beyond the classroom course and like having a young child and now I have two children. The remote sustainability is such an important piece of sort of my nonlinear journey and education. And so for coaching, it was actually like at the start of the pandemic, and we were relocating from Austin, Texas, to Putney, Vermont to be closer to my my husband's family. And there was a position posted online for an instructional coach through a company and there's quite a few companies that do you know, instead optional coaching, we'll get into this later. But there's a bunch of different types of teacher coaching that you can do. And so I applied for the position. And, you know, when I did that, I also was very aware of like, hey, it's not like I'm applying and saying, I have 10 years teaching mathematics to become like an instructional coach for math, like my background is very varied, I must, you know, my background is in special education. And I've taught pre K eighth grade, and I've taught in like, multi agent, you know, classrooms internationally, so I really wasn't sure how that would be received. And it was received well, because and I'm throwing that out there, because I feel like folks that do have a variety of experiences should really, actually lean into coaching. And so I applied, and I got the position and I have been, it's been like, you know, through the whole pandemic, going on three years now that I've done more of the instructional coaching for teachers around the United States, and in all different types of positions, special education, general education, you know, small schools in Montana. So yeah, it's been really awesome to see sort of how that world opens up to us and how we can support teachers virtually, and provide like a safe space for them, like on the computer.

April

And so for coaching, it was actually like at the start of the pandemic, and we were relocating from Austin, Texas, to Putney, Vermont to be closer to my husband's family. And there was a position posted online for an instructional coach through a company and there's quite a few companies that do you know, instructional coaching, we'll get into this later. But there's a bunch of different types of teacher coaching that you can do.

April

And so I applied for the position. And, you know, when I did that, I also was very aware of like, hey, it's not like I'm applying and saying, I have 10 years teaching mathematics to become like an instructional coach for math, like my background is very varied, I must, you know, my background is in special education. And I've taught preK-eighth grade, and I've taught in like, multi agent, you know, classrooms internationally, so I really wasn't sure how that would be received.

April

And it was received well, because and I'm throwing that out there, because I feel like folks that do have a variety of experiences should really, actually lean into coaching. And so I applied, and I got the position and I have been, it's been like, you know, through the whole pandemic, going on three years now that I've done more of the instructional coaching for teachers around the United States, and in all different types of positions, special education, general education, you know, small schools in Montana.

April

So yeah, it's been really awesome to see sort of how that world opens up to us and how we can support teachers virtually, and provide like a safe space for them, like on the computer.

Lily

Yes, I love that. And I think that really starting in the pandemic is perfect timing, teachers who needed extra support of being able to have someone in their corner and I know you started talking about kind of instructional coaching. But is there are there other types of coaching that teacher coaches can do?

April

Yes. And so that's sort of really what has naturally like my progression has sort of led me towards educator wellness and educator well being. And as you said, about the pandemic highlighting this, we see that teachers are, you know, under resourced, exploited, underpaid, like all of the things and the pandemic, really, like exemplified it, although we knew that all along as teachers, right, we knew all these things were happening, it's just that it was sort of like drawn front and center, like across the news, the way that teachers were being treated.

April

And so the wellness coaching, I decided to get certified as a trauma informed specialist. And so through that I hold peer support group, which are kind of like wellness circles for educators. And then through that, I started kind of getting curious, like, is there this world of wellness coaching out there?

April

And there are, there's some specific companies I can mention to like, Add Well, The Teaching Well, I know there's like state specific companies as well that I would encourage teachers to really look into if you're interested in this type of work. And that allows you to really focus on the whole teacher outside of setting outcomes for them to work towards.

April

And I think that is what I really drawn to is, teachers being able to be held in a way where you just say, like, Hey, I see you, like, let's go ahead and hold space without saying, but I also need you to, like, fill out these documents. Yeah, exactly. Yes.

Lily

Yes. And I think that is so needed. And something that I'm very excited about seeing come into fruition, you know, in all these different places, having the supports for teachers, and I think having it be virtual, having people with expertise, like how awesome is that to have you come in with your expertise, and be able to consult with teachers all over and really expand your impact that way, and also support teachers in a different way.

Lily

And I always say like, one of the things that I find the most appealing with virtual coaching is the idea that teachers could likely be more vulnerable with people they don't know in real life.

Lily

Like I had a coach when I was teaching who had taught at my school, for many, many years, I was a baby teacher, she had been there for like, I don't know, 30 years or something, and knew everybody and everything in it. And I felt super uncomfortable saying, Hey, I'm really struggling here, or I don't understand this because it felt like she just knew it all already in a way that wasn't approachable.

Lily

And so to me, this idea of like not running into your coach in the hallway, and being able to have this space that really is just for you seems so supportive for teachers.

April

Yes, I love that too. Like this idea about what sort of skills a coach should embody, I think is the right word that I'm looking for. And I always say this to a lot of folks I was this is sort of a story like an aside.

April

But like I was talking to a first year teacher who recently had an observation, and it was very punitive. And so I was sort of like providing some context about how like some of us when we work in this system for a very long time, we take on that punitive toxicity, and we project it like on others, you know, because it's the way that we've been treated. So how are we supposed to treat others in a different way if we've not experienced that empathy piece? Yes.

April

And so that's kind of what it reminds me of. And so for a coach, it's really just like we talk about, you know, as educators being like a facilitator of growth, and welcoming our students in a way we're like, yes, we are guiding you through instruction, but we're also like coexisting and experiencing things together. And like, if you're a first year teacher, or a 30 year teacher, we both have things to offer each other.

April

Yes, absolutely. Like that hierarchy, like, that's like one of the things that I like to make sure, like in this space, I always talk about myself as a thought partner. So that's like, ultimately, the way that I frame it. And I feel like that's such a beautiful shift, not like, Hey, here's the agenda, we're going to cover it. It's sort of like, hey, like, what challenges are you facing? How can I support you and working through them?

April

And then also, how can we support your well being along the way, so that you can have the energy to like be mindful of the ways that you might be conditioned to take on some of these practices or mindsets that really don't serve you?

Lily

Yes, I love that. And I think that so much of it is really just like, holding space for them, like teachers don't need other people telling them what to do. Like, we have enough of that, right. And I think it's the same thing with like in the classroom, like why student centered learning is so powerful, because that's really when people learn best when it comes from them and they're supported with thought partners and other people around them to find their way.

Lily

And I think that it's so different in a very refreshing way to be able to have it be more open and less hierarchical, and have it be more of just support, you know, and like you talked about, like, everybody talks about, like, What do teachers need? You know, What do teachers need to feel less burnout?

Lily

Like, they need that space, and thought partners and support just to really figure things out and be empowered to figure it out themselves. So rather than having people say, like, come in, and do X Y & Z over and over and over again.

April

Yes, I love that. And I feel like it's sort of a natural progression, then to talk about, like our work at Educator Forever and sort of how we support teachers, in exploring careers beyond the classroom in a way that is joyful, and really just allows them to tap into their passions and to dream.

Lily

Yes, and to have a voice. I mean, I think some of the things that you're talking about too, like, teachers often internalize all of these structures that just tell them that they're not important, right? And so teachers are the most important, I would argue, in the education space, and really should be having the loudest voice of all and being able to, like have this feedback loop of telling everybody else like, what is it like in the classroom? What's working, what's not working? What are students struggling with? Where do students need other support?

Lily

And so really empowering those voices to be heard, whether it's through writing curriculum, or coaching or consulting or staying in the classroom, but feeling empowered to make changes within your specific school or district. So like, we are all about elevating teacher voice.

April

Yes, it's so important. And it's a beautiful thing to see folks. Like, I feel like even with coaching, like to just circle back to see folks step into, like what they already knew, deep down, like to pull from their wisdom. And I think that's ultimately like the goal of everything.

April

And sort of like, you can sit there and shove something down someone's throat, like a child. I mean, like, I'm a parent, like, you can say the same thing over to your kid like over and over again. But when they actually experience it, and they pull from their, you know, from their knowledge and from their heart, it's a different outcome than if you're just doing the thing to check off the list because then the insights are so much more powerful. I don't know if that made sense.

Lily

Oh, yeah. I'm like shaking my head so much. Yes, absolutely. I mean, I think so much of it again is that like, litmus test of like, do I actually believe this, you know, as a teacher? Again, we're told to do so many things all the time, so it's really understandable why we don't really know what we believe and what we're just doing because we're told we have to do it.

Lily

And so I think so much of it is like examining like, do I have this like discipline system, quote, unquote, because I truly believe that it's effective and good for kids, or do I have it because I just haven't seen another way? Or I feel like this is the norm. And so I think if it It's one of the ladder like that invites questioning and investigation.

Lily

And there's always other ways to do things. And it's really about like uncovering and unpacking of what feels aligned to your beliefs and getting in touch with that. And like if we can give people the gift of that through coaching or whatever other interactions, you know, that inner knowing, and like empowerment to make decisions aligned with your values and your beliefs, and like actually really helping kids and other teachers than I think that's the biggest gift of all.

Lily

That's so powerful. So you talked a little bit about kind of the skills or approaches that coaches can take. And are there particular skills or background experiences that you think are particularly helpful for folks who are interested in becoming coaches?

April

Yeah, that's a really good question. And I think something that I hadn't necessarily considered as much prior before coaching was the importance of having a really, really strong resource bank. Mm hmm.

April

So like, with coaching, just like anything, you're working with teachers who are often in very high needs stressful environments, as you know, because if you decided to like kind of move from the classroom, and then jump into this work, you're also like, you're sitting, you know, you're having your 30 minute hour sessions back to back, and you're sitting and you're listening, and you're holding space.

April

So I would say that like one skill set that is very important is to make sure that you have like, Okay, what what resources can I pull from if I'm feeling a certain way? Is it like a partner? Is that going for a long walk? Is it dancing? Like I love dancing, I'm feeling stressed out, we put on some music and start dancing. Is it like a cup of tea, like you're a tea drinker, like that ritual of like, warmth, and things like that.

April

Or just wearing really comfy items when you're coaching so that you feel cozy, and you feel like you have the emotional capacity to support others. Because what we see, I feel like with coaching sometimes, and then this is where like, folks, like I mean, your example, right? Like the teachers don't have the emotional capacity. So they're going through the motions. And then they're just kind of like giving off up do this, do this, do this, and it becomes like this, like mindless outcome based thing that needs to get done to check off the box that the admin told us to.

April

And so I would say like that strong practice of like self care, I think active listening is huge, because often, instead of like giving someone a solution, right, and we talked about this with Educator Forever, too, this is sort of circling back to some of my thoughts before allowing them to jump into the wisdom that they have.

April

So if you hear someone say something that you really believe is not true about children, or neurodiversity affirming practices, or whatever, sort of being able to, like, form a question, to have them consider their beliefs, and like pulling in that information. And I would say that that takes really, really great listening skills, right?

Lily

Yes. And it's so hard. I think it's so hard when you hear somebody say something that you don't, that you strongly disagree with, to be able to kind of put aside your personal beliefs and come at it with compassion, and hopefully, like true learning, to ask the right questions.

Lily

And often, I think, as you said, like, people don't actually once you uncover it, like, they don't actually believe what they said, you know, or they, you know, just have been going through it for whatever reason. And it's really connecting again to like what they truly believe. And of course, there's going to be diversity and like, our beliefs and our values, and like, that's great.

Lily

But I think being able to coach people efficiently is like, getting them to connect to them. And it's not about our particular beliefs or things that we want them to do. It's really guiding them.

April

Hmm, yes. And it's like, because it doesn't matter. Someone can just sit there and tell you like, Yes, I'm going to do that thing. But unless they embody it, and there's a shift in their actual like, feeling when they're doing practices like that are dehumanizing or whatever, then there's not going to be change. So it is, it's a hard thing to navigate like, when you're in those spaces.

April

That I feel like over time, I've learned, and some of the most challenging folks that I've worked with in the beginning, a lot of it came down to the way that they were being treated. And so then when when we start to be able to move from like this individualistic like, look, and we kind of like move outward into like this bird's eye view, and we see the system as a whole and we can say like, Hey, I have a choice. And like, here are my choices.

April

Which, which leads me to some of the things that teachers realize that they want to change, then they're able to feel empowered to use their voice to advocate for changes. Like so for example, like, Why do I have to make my students stand in line without talking and not move their or hands or whatever.

April

And then it's like, oh wait, like maybe we should advocate for more like humanizing practices where students can like kind of move around in the hallway and like talk to their peers, which is also like, connected to what Educator Forevers mission is that like, what what is not working, that we want to see disrupted in change, we can step into, you know, like, our skill set to drive those changes.

Lily

Mm hmm. Absolutely. And we know the best as teachers, right of what's not working. And so I think being empowered to share, like, Hey, I was told to have my kids all line up this way. And actually, I see kids really struggling with that. And it makes them feel disconnected to school, it makes them just feel not seen, like all the things, being able to articulate that and know that your experience of being there with students is valuable, and something that needs to be heard.

Lily

I think it starts with that, you know, really just looking critically, and knowing that your voice matters, even when systems and schools tell you that it doesn't. It does. It does. And so I think just also persisting with that and that you know, what is working. Or you at least are like inspired to be curious and find out, right? Like, we all do things sometimes where it's like, Oh, that wasn't a good idea, that didn't work out this way.

Lily

But just persisting to really find the best solution for kids and for teachers and knowing that you don't have to be stuck in this system. And these practices that really are not working.

April

Yes. And so I think that brings up sort of like the last skill set that I would encourage folks to kind of lean into as coaches or this is something that might just naturally draw you to coaching is like a sense of hopefulness right? When we are in community with others that we have to stay grounded in hopefulness. Because that's really like the only way forward.

April

And so there has to be like when you're meeting with folks, no matter how different no matter like differences in opinion, or whatever, we come together with this sense of like hopefulness for moving forward with like the children that are in our care.

Lily

Yes. And that's what I would say like it's so needed in schools and education is hope and joy. And so many things make it so hard to do that, like it's not your fault if you feel like you're so you know, having all these things put upon you so much that you can't cultivate this like joyful classroom. That is completely understandable.

Lily

But I think it's something worth pursuing, you know, and considering, like, what can we let go of whether it's an expectation or something we're being asked to do, or a personal belief or whatever, to invite more hope and joy, whether a coach or a teacher or anybody working within education. Yes,

Lily

I love those kind of qualities and I think it will help people reflect on how they might move forward as a coach, and if it's a good fit for them or not, you know, it might not be a good fit for you. And that's okay, too. You don't have to do all these options. They're all options for finding what feels like the best fit right now.

Lily

But for people who feel like they're interested in exploring the world of teacher coaching, do you have any advice about where to start?

April

Yeah, I would start I mean, I think there's a variety of different options. I feel like if you are interested in in person, that I think that even talking to your district, about potential needs for instructional coaching, I know that, you know, from the pandemic, there's like a vast variety of different skill sets that they need to support educators, like just coming into the classroom, or teachers that are really looking to advance their skills. So that's where I would start for in person, possibly.

April

And then if you're thinking about virtual, there's always companies hiring. So I would definitely go to like, you know, Indeed, or LinkedIn and just search, like instructional coaching for teachers and like, click the remote. And like, you know, different businesses like Better Lesson will pop up or different companies. I mean, there's so many that are constantly hiring for coaching.

April

I will say that there's usually a natural progression of hiring, depending on the season. And so you'll kind of see like, when fall begins, there's usually like a large influx, like sort of late summer, there's a lot of people being hired, as well. And then I would say too that, I think coaching is a really, for me personally, coaching fits in really nicely as sort of like one of my part time positions.

April

So that's something to consider as well, like you could do coaching and do some other positions as well. If you're looking for full time coaching, then there are definitely positions for that as well. It's just, you know, more heavy lifting because you're doing it all day long.

Lily

Yes. And that seems really challenging to me honestly to do coaching sessions many many times a day, day after day. Because of that emotional component that you talked about, and being able to really have that emotional capacity to be there for the teachers you're working with, like, of course, it depends on the people. And some people might be able to, like, do it all day long.

Lily

But for me, it really feels like you know, doing more than a couple of sessions a day is hard. Because you do need to be fully present, you need to be able to really listen and hold space. And teachers, as we know are going through so much, that there's a lot of heavy listening, in all senses of the term that coaches need to do. So just something to be aware of, and, you know, thinking about whether might be a piece of a puzzle or a full time job like, again, no right or wrong answer, but just considering all the options there.

Lily

I would add one more thing, too. I loved your recommendations about how to get started, I would say also thinking about your resume, and looking back to kind of where we started in this conversation of particular experiences that you've might have had that fit with coaching, you know, student teachers or mentoring or PD sessions, listening, you know, even coaching students.

Lily

How could you tailor your resume to really highlight those experiences and that you do want to have is kind of separate or tailored resume for coaching opportunities as you go forward? Yes. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for sharing all your coaching wisdom with us. It's always wonderful talking with you.

April

Thank you, Lily. It's been a pleasure. Thanks, everybody.

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