What Hat Will I Wear Today?

Today's post is brought to you by Carrie.

I think about the hats I’ve worn in my lifetime: a tiny pink knit cap the day I came home from the hospital, one especially memorable white Easter bonnet I wore for many weeks after the holiday season, the baseball cap during my years of playing college softball. Each of these hats represents a unique “part” of what makes up the “whole.” I view my work as a Literacy Coach in much the same way; year by year, day by day, hour by hour, or, at times, minute by minute, I change my “hat” to fit the need or situation. This ability to adapt and change and adjust is what makes the role of a Literacy Coach both invigorating and challenging.

In my experience, no one coach has the exact same “role.” In fact, year to year, I find my own role as a coach within the district changing. In my four years of work, at one time or another, I’ve been a: curriculum writer, instructor, interventionist, test proctor, substitute teacher, advisor, mentor, team member, and presenter.

As much variety as the role includes, I also work to define a consistent image as a coach. First and foremost, I still classify my role as “teacher.” Not only am I a teacher of children or young adults, but also a teacher of teachers. I value quality instruction, utilize best practices, and check for understanding. I work to build a climate of trust, respect, and communication. All of the values I held as a classroom teacher, I build into my role as a coach. Good teaching practices are good practices whether they are for children or adults. In this way, I believe my strength as a coach lies in my teaching expertise. Teachers in my district know that my strengths lie in curriculum planning, instructional techniques, and assessment.

For me, the struggle of my job as a Literacy Coach is keeping the “teacher hat” in the forefront. The day to day grind of paperwork, meetings, committees, and planning teams often leaves me feeling like a secretary. At times, the most important tasks that are real, true “teaching” fall second to filling out another purchase order or making another benchmark assessment copy. I continue to struggle to keep my priorities straight versus checking something off my ever growing list.

As a Literacy Coach, variety is both the strength and struggle of the job; but, at the end of the day, nothing is more rewarding than being brave enough to try on a new hat and finding that it fits just right!