Monday, June 6, 2016

Coaching with Kindness Reflection via Free Verse Poetry

Lisa Weiss contributed this post. Click here to read more of Lisa's thinking.

I spent time rereading what I wrote this year, and in doing so, I started to play with phrases and lines that jumped out to me. This post is my expository writing from the year, reinvented as free verse poetry, using only the blog posts about coaching with kindness. There are many ways to go about this, but I pulled the six posts, highlighted the words and phrases that felt most powerful and/or carried importance, and then wrote them, in the order they occurred in the texts. But then, the organizational nut that lives in my head had to do some rearranging of the original words and phrases...great way to show students how expository writing can be repurposed into creative writing.


Honesty is the kindest move
Uncomfortable, but necessary
Navigating the uncomfortable territory
Providing honest feedback
with kindness
facilitates change


Commitment: Investing in the professional lives of teachers
Responsibility to provide feedback
given with integrity and kindness.
Feedback as an act of kindness


Courageous conversations
Brave conversations
Crucial conversations
Critical conversations
Uncomfortable conversations


What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?
Name the issue
Gently,
Respectfully,
Kindly,
A philosophy of coaching with kindness


Two permeating questions
What is the expectation?
What did I see?
Just the facts!
Just the facts!
Just the facts!


I’d avoid these conversations altogether
But…
Our purpose far too great!
I owe it to students
I owe it to teachers
But…
provide it kindly.
Gently coach back into the tracks,
Partnering,
Putting teacher back in position to SHINE!


But...
Sometimes
Even truth covered in kindness
stings.
Up to the teacher to embrace it...or not
Issue does not belong to me


Listening intently
Identifying defense mechanisms:
Excuses
Blaming
Topic -hopping
Challenging: What would you do?


Calmly thinking
Pondering the next question, thinking through the conversational map
Facilitate thinking through the defensiveness
Maintaining focus
Fears disappear: It’s not about me!
It’s about students, advocating for them
Knowing they deserve the best possible teacher


Had to hold the courageous conversation


Craving peace and
healthy relationships
Knowing feedback to teachers is
Unavoidable for
Effective coaches,
Even when peace will erupt
Knowing I am doing what is right for kids
Knowing I am doing what is right for the teacher, and
Knowing I am doing what is right for me

Peace returns

1 comment:

Comments are moderated. Your comment will appear after approval by this blog's editor.