Being the Bridge

Today's post is brought to you by Carrie.

As an Instructional Coach, building relationships with teachers is a daily part of the job; as an Instructional Coach, building relationships with the administration is also a part of the job. 

The challenge lies in “being the bridge.”  You know, the thing that links the two together; the person who keeps a smooth flow of conversation going; the one who articulates the other’s viewpoint and reasons for certain actions or decisions; or even more difficult, the one who advocates for the other side even when it is not the popular position. It is through focusing on strong relationships on both sides of the bridge that allows an Instructional Coach to build continuity and success for initiatives.

In 13 years of teaching I’ve worked with five different principals and three superintendents. This means that about on average, I’ve had a new principal every three years, which became a huge challenge. It felt like “Groundhog Day,” repeating the cycle. Year One would be the “feel out” year: “What’s this principal about? What is their vision?” Year Two always became implementation year, as the niceties were over, and the act of putting the ideas into work got started. And then Year Three… the year when we should be hitting a stride and ironing out all creases. Instead, Year Three would start the cycle over with a new face, new ideas, new changes. As a teacher, it was a lot to get use to and eventually I started investing in the motto that the least they noticed me the better because it meant I wasn’t making any waves. But when I took my Literacy Coach position, I had to step up and be a leader and build the connections. And if experience taught me anything I had to build the relationships quickly because I didn’t know how long the administration would be around. So here are the three big lessons I live by to help build administrative relationships:

3-Advocate don’t argue. 
As a coach, teachers expect you to “have their back,” and administration expects you to voice opinions based on your expertise. Argumentative tones, voices, and body language will never work; open communication and advocacy is the best way to open the lines of conversation.

2-Let your passion show through. 
Even if it makes you seem a little “out there.” No one, administrators nor teachers, can ever question your motives if they know your actions stem from pure passion.

1-Spread the good word. 
Be the person who spreads a positive message. It doesn’t matter what message you choose, but pick a district initiative that you can support whole-heartedly and use your ability of reaching a ton of teachers in the district. Your administrator will notice and appreciate the support and your conversations are based on positives, which feels good.

In my years of coaching and teaching, building the administrative relationship helps promote feelings of respect, trust, and community within the district. Working on these relationships makes everyone’s job a little easier!