Role of a Literacy Coach

In preparing to write this post, I asked the coaches behind The Literacy Booth to share their job descriptions. They laughed. 

I think the laughter was caused by a few things. First, it has to be said that these women love to laugh. It's just part of who they are.

I don't think that's what caused this particular laughter, though. 

Some laughed because they have been asking for or talking about writing a job description for many years. Others laughed because they have no job description and don't feel a need for one. Another group laughed because they have a job description that doesn't even begin to come close to describing everything they actually do.

In my experience (I had a job description in both places I served as a literacy coach), having a job description provided me with some guidance about how to allocate my time. Did I do things that weren't part of the description? Of course, but the description did serve as a guide.

I also did some pretty careful work detailing how I spent my time. Initially, I kept a detailed time log that I shared regularly with my literacy coordinator and principal. Later,  my online, public calendar was always current. I could easily review that to se how my time was allocated. Both of these tools allowed me to look for patterns in how my time was used, allowing me to reallocate where necessary.

As always, we encourage you to engage in the conversation the role of the literacy coach over the upcoming days. Use the comments to share your thoughts - including links to your job description.

Role of the Reading Specialist: Wisconsin State Reading Association.