Building Teacher Relationships: A Constant on the Literacy Coach’s “To Do” List

Today's post comes to you from Carrie.

Early in my career as a Literacy Coach, I found myself in the last place a Literacy Coach wants to be (other than a Math classroom); I was stuck in the middle of a meeting that had quickly dissolved into a round of “the Blame Game.” It was a multi-level team meeting where a well -respected, veteran teacher spontaneously aired out a laundry list of grievances about the school- wide literacy philosophy including, but not limited to, problems with: rigor, scope and sequence, standards, materials, expectations, interventions, assessment, and time. In short, her exact words in regards to literacy were “NOTHING is working.”  As the Literacy Coach, who had worked to implement numerous new literacy initiatives for the district, I was obviously, in her eyes, a) the person to blame for these problems and b) the person who needed to FIX these problems.  I left the meeting feeling like a failure. Logically, I could name the positives of the literacy initiatives our district had adopted: increased student motivation and achievement, alignment to new standards, utilization of research- based best practices, but it didn’t feel like enough. After reflection, I was able to pinpoint the root of the feelings of dissatisfaction still surrounding the climate of literacy. I needed to continue to build my professional relationship with the teachers in the building. I had student buy-in, but the gap in teacher relationships was skewing the lens in which the building viewed (and ultimately measured) literacy success. No numbers, data, or test results would change that perception if I didn’t change the climate. In that moment, I tirelessly focused to build strong teacher relationships, as it proved to be the ultimate backbone of the success of my position as a coach.

So…I did what all literacy people do; I started pulling books off my shelf and began to read. Jennifer Allen, Cathy Toll, Peter Johnston, Heather Rader. Some books were written for coaches, some for teachers, but I gathered all I could on building relationships. Next, I put my learning into action. I started by examining my own coaching values; I truly believed all kids can learn but did I believe the same about teachers? Was I doing all I could to build a climate of trust, service, respect? I worked to put in the extra mile: I ran the back-up copies during benchmarking time so teachers could just grab and go, I wrote individual notes for teachers’ mailboxes, I brought little treats to meetings and door prizes to inservices. I narrowed my feedback to include more positives and only one area of continued development. I knew I couldn’t guarantee change in other’s actions or behaviors, but I could control mine! Anyway, it was a lot more fun to do nice things rather than walking around feeling resentful.

Additionally, I worked to find my “ins.” Who would let me work in their room? How could I demonstrate to those other teachers not willing to let me in their rooms quite yet, that I was knowledgeable about content and teaching? Those teachers who let me work in their room, I was able to quickly connect with and I hoped they would spread the message to their colleagues, as a peer recommendation is the best advertisement! To reach the other teachers I tried to connect in meetings and inservices. How could I provide the absolute most meaningful professional development? I planned with teacher needs in mind. I used the opportunity to demonstrate best-practices in teaching. I got rid of “sit and get” development. I used new strategies teachers could take and apply in their own room. I had teachers practice the strategy, hold collaborative discussions, and participate in setting the agenda. Feedback on development improved as meetings became more engaging, and more teachers began trusting my input after they saw I could actually “walk the talk.”

Ultimately, four years later, I continue to work on building relationships. It is the constant on a Literacy Coach’s “To Do” list. Through examining my own beliefs, finding my “ins,” and using the most of the chances I get with reluctant teachers, I feel that I have built more positive relationships than ever before. I attribute much of our district’s literacy success to these relationships and I strive to continue to build stronger and better ones!