What's Your Vision?

Today's post is brought to you by Julie Schwartzbauer.

What’s Your Vision?:

Building a Partnership with Your Principal

I titled this post What’s Your Vision? because I think that is one of first questions a literacy coach should ask their principal.   A principal and coach must support one another. A partnership can form when a coach understands the principal’s vision for school improvement and the principal understands the coach’s role.

I think that one of the greatest ways a principal can support a coach is by becoming involved in any professional development the coach provides for teachers.  It’s not only about the principal being present but also about being a part of the planning.

I recently held training at one of our elementary schools and handed out an article for the teachers to read.  The principal was sitting in the back of the room and I noticed him get a highlighter and begin to read.  I was so impressed that he was fully engaged as a learner.  Later on I had staff commented on how their principal is always so involved in what the staff is learning.  The following day I ran into that principal and he pulled me aside.  He told me that the article was long and that he needed to bring it home to finish it.  He then said that it was an excellent resource and gave him a better understanding of the subject matter.  What a great thing for a coach to hear.  I felt not only a sense of accomplishment but also a sense of partnership with that principal.

I really think that it is the coach’s role to help build the capacity of their principal.  Without strong leadership and a knowledgeable principal, school improvement is nearly impossible.  

I have found that principals understand how important it is to get into the classroom, but often times don’t know what to look for.  A coach can demonstrate what to look for through modeling.  As a principal becomes more knowledgeable, teachers will welcome them into their classroom.  

Wouldn’t it be wonderful for a principal to be seen as a coach?

Note: For those of you wondering, "What did the staff read?!". . . It was a chapter 2 from Lucy Calkins's Units of Study.