Instructional Coaching during a Pandemic…check

Thats a wrap on year 14 as an educator as it is officially summer. As I sit here thinking about this past year, I find it difficult to come up with the right words to explain all that entailed. This year certainly tested me in more ways than one. My perseverance, strength, confidence, and positivity were definitely put to a test. This year was one for the record books. There were good days, bad days, and all the days in between.

Highlights: leading the elementary writing instruction committee (a dream of mine since becoming a coach), getting to teach writing model lessons for 2 weeks or a month long genre studies in 9 classrooms throughout our district (one kindergarten, four 1st grades, three 4th grades, one 5th grade…2nd and 3rd were coming but then remote learning happened), learning a TON more about best practices in guided reading instruction in order to support 3 elementary school sin our district, having 446 learning appoints this year (highest to date), attending 4 conferences to make sure we are up to date on best practices so we can not only bring it all back to share with our district but also so we can lead out current professional development, representing DUnlap by presenting at 2 conferences (one of them we were able to lead an entire interactive area for all attendees), and finally helping to create a plan for our district to go from face to face learning to digital learning in 3 days time…then all the support/revisions throughout the last two months.

Work in Progress Moments: I had my fair share of moments this year in learning how to navigate my emotions, conquering difficult situations, and not letting the loud few get me down. I wish I had blogged more and visit more classrooms. I only wrote 20/50 blog posts for the year and due to COVID-19 I had to adapt my goal of visiting 50 classrooms to 34 instead.  I also missed one day of making a daily video recap of the school day.

At the end of the day though, the highlights out number the ehh moments and I’m choosing to focus on how much I learned and grew not only as an educator but as a person! I mean just look at these stats:
I’m thankful for an amazing team who lift me up, support my wild ideas, and who work tirelessly to support everyone in out schools! Peace out year 14 and look out year 15…I’m coming for ya!

Click the image below to watch my end of the year video reflection:

5 Things that Made Me Smile this Week
-finalized our summer PD plans
-we are in the home stretch of remote learning for this school year
-working on virtual summer PD Canvas courses
-being able to offer 3 book studies
-our book study selections look like they will be fantastic reads

4 Words to Describe My Week
purposeful, sunny, productive, positive

3 Things I Plan to Do This Weekend
-enjoy family time
-think about if a vacation this summer is possible
-spend more time outside

2 Things I Learned This Week
-virtual summer PD is possible
-I can clear out my inbox if I make time to do so

1 Goal I Have For Next Week
-end the 2019-2020 school year on a positive note

5 Things that Made Me Smile this Week
-teachers reaching out over their break for support with remote learning
-having time off to take it all in
-movie nights with my family
-my youngest getting really into his ABCs
-reading the series of unfortunate events with my eldest son

4 Words to Describe My Week
slower, off balance, hard, heart-warming

3 Things I Plan to Do This Weekend
-gear up for next week
-not check my email
-come up with a remote learning/teaching plan for our home

2 Things I Learned This Week
-the home/life balance is going to be harder than ever
-setting boundaries will be crucial

1 Goal I Have For Next Week
-trying to balance my teacher, mom, and wife hats

This year marks my 14th year as an educator and also an evaluation year. I don’t know if you are like me, but often times I find that when I go to upload my evidence, I am scrolling through my camera roll, searching my laptop, and searching social media feeds for the picture I swear I remember taking. There had to be an easier way.

Don Sturm to the rescue. I came across his blog post about personalized hashtags and it was a game changer. You can find his blog post here: https://schoolscanbebetter.com/2019/02/05/personalized-hashtags/

Essentially, you create personalized hashtags on Twitter that corresponds to a component of the Danielson Framework. You would make the hashtag start with your last name then 2a or 4b (Ex. #Pitzer2a). I do recommend seeing if anyone else has posted to this hashtag first and if others are tweeting to that for whatever reason. Then you can change yours to be more personalized to you.

Since hashtags work as a file folder in a way, you or your evaluator then can click on that hashtag and see the evidence. All of it is timestamped and organized in one place. When it comes time to submit your evidence then, you can simply upload the link to that hashtag on Twitter. (For example: https://twitter.com/hashtag/ (include your hashtag without the # sign after that last backslash). Not only will you feel way more organized come time to submit your evidence, but you can also gain ongoing feedback throughout the year from any member of your PLC. 

I decided to take this one step further and create a Google Drawing HyperDoc. This would house all of the links to every component of the Danielson Framework. This way I share one link evaluator. I also chose to share it back in August. This way, they could provide me with feedback throughout the year too.

This was a complete game changer for me. No more trying to remember what folder I had saved something and/or what date I took that picture. Not to mention since I worked on this year round, before I knew it the domains were memorized! A big thank you to Don for this amazing idea!

To view my Evidence HyperDoc click on the image below:

Sick days can be no joke. I feel like the older I get the harder they become too. My mother would so lovingly tell me that well, Stefanie, as we get older… At any rate, it is hard. As an educator, it is often times easier to just muster through it especially if sub plans are involved. This week, I found myself super sick but with a ton on my plate at school. I had 2 model writing lessons each day this week, learning appointments throughout the district, 2 curriculum department meetings, and I never want my team to feel as if I’m letting them down. I had convinced myself that I would be fine. Why oh why are we programmed (or maybe it is just me) but why is the first response to sickness I’m just going to push through it. Thankfully, my family and coworkers stepped in reminding me how important it is to rest and take time to recover. I am so glad I listened because I didn’t leave my bed yesterday or today. I must have really needed that. It was yet another time when life has a way of reminding you that slowing down, taking time for you, and staying home when you are sick is so important. You can come back more focused and ready to rock it. Here’s to the weekend, where I hope to recover a bit more and then start fresh on Monday.

5 Things that Made Me Smile this Week
-supportive coworkers
-flexible classroom teachers
-YouTube –> saving sick days yet again
-new dress shoes
-fluffy pillows

4 Words to Describe My Week
hectic, sleepy, draining, painful

3 Things I Plan to Do This Weekend
-sleep
-eat solid foods
-drink more water

2 Things I Learned This Week
-I can do something that makes me nervous
-tomato soup is still my go to sick meal

1 Goal I Have For Next Week
-support teachers in the area of writing instruction

Readers become better readers by reading and writers become better writers by writing. Just as we build reading stamina with our students we need to be providing opportunities for students to build their writing stamina.  As an instructional coach, I often notice when students are given time to write independently, they want to know what topic, how many sentences, how many pages, and/or they have nothing to write about. They look to teachers to give them that information. This doesn’t mean they can’t rely on people around them to support them nor does this mean there isn’t a time and a place for teachers to support writers. However, we need to start incorporating more meaningful opportunities for them to write every day and to select their topic. This way, they build that stamina to try first, take risks, and practice so they aren’t as reliant upon others. Teachers also have this opportunity to observe, conference, take notes, and make a plan to assist writers in becoming more independent. This can guide future lessons where they can strategically offer students support in a way that still fosters independence. We need to set them up for success because there will come a time and a day where we won’t be right beside them and they need to know at least how to get started/try.

A good place to start is building a community of writers. Start with celebration and take the time to highlight what students are doing well. By creating an environment where they feel supported and encouraged, writer’s can flourish!

What are some of your favorite ways to build a community of writers?

HyperDocs are one of my favorite things to create! I had a learning appointment today with a teacher who wanted support in creating her own HyperDoc to support her students in the Poetry Genre. Three of my favorite things –> HyperDocs, Poetry, and Writing! I was able to curate resources for her and talk through those today. We discussed the importance of having digital and non-digital elements so students can interact with actual texts and face to face conversations. We talked about the types of ways to organize and have students immersed in the genre.  Some of those ideas were to watch, listen, learn, share, chat, play, and enrich their understanding.

Hyperdocs allow you to differentiate your instruction to meet the needs of all of your learners as they work at their own pace. According to Carrie Wilson, “Hyperdocs are transformative digital lesson delivery that shifts the focus from teacher led lecture to student driven inquiry based learning through exploration.” I discovered them when I was piloting 1:1 with Chromebooks and immediately was hooked. My design of these has changed throughout the years and I have found it interesting to look back on some of the first ones I created. While it is hard for me to put them out there, I think it is important to show that we all have to start somewhere. Sometimes you just need to jump in, try, make some mistakes, so you can learn from those mistakes and improve. Check out my HyperDocs here: https://padlet.com/spitzer/HyperDocsPitzer

I feel my favorite way to use HyperDocs has been to immerse students in a particular type of genre. This allows me to combine actuals texts and digital texts in order to offer a more balanced approach. It also allows students to continue their learning even when writing time comes to an end.

From an instructional leader standpoint, my favorite way to use HyperDocs is to house PD units or learning opportunities in a Google Drawing. These HyperDocs are a central hub for all of the presentations and resources needed. Teachers can then continuing their learning or return when and if they need it. We have found this to be beneficial when supporting teachers in new tech tools, on-going guided reading support, and writing instructional committees to name a few.

This last week I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the #IDEAcon conference (Illinois Digital Educators Alliance) up in Schaumburg, IL. My district took our curriculum department, three high school teachers, two middle school teachers, and 4 elementary teachers. It was a great week filled amazing opportunities, connections, and inspirations. As an instructional coach, I think it is extremely beneficial to be able to attend these conferences. Not only are we attending and fostering those relationships with teachers within our district but we are connecting and continuing to foster relationships with people outside of our district. I think it is important for us to have that lens. We can see all of these different ideas, see what other districts are doing, and making positive connections elsewhere so that we can come back and share the amazing things with teachers back home.

I also love that when I’m sitting at a keynote and/or a session with a teacher from our district, right afterwards there is a debriefing opportunity. Within that debriefing moment is where the magic happens. Something they say to us will light a spark and remind us that we will need to make sure to touch base with that teacher when we return. They might even say something they want to do but are a little apprehensive to try. Right there in the moment, an instructional coach can offer support, a different lens, reassurance, and set up times to help them upon returning when and if they are ready. Sometimes just knowing I was there and heard the same information they heard is enough to foster that environment of learning to continue once the conference is over. Not everyone likes that or is ready for that but some are. Being on the scene is a perfect way to build trust and respect.

I am also always on the lookout for particular ideas that a teacher back home will love. I make sure to send them an email right then and there to let them know I found a resource or an idea at this conference that made me think of them. I send the resources and offer support when I return. We also can stay up to date on best educational practices and what’s trending. This impacts the PD that we can then offer staff throughout the rest of the year.

#IDEAcon did not disappoint and I look forward to next year!

5 Things that Made Me Smile this Week
-presenting 4 different sessions on topics I’m passionate about
-connecting with fellow colleagues about how their new ideas could become a reality back home
-conversations by the fireplace with teachers outside my district
-powerful keynotes that made me think, smile, laugh, and want to be better
-meeting a soon to be instructional technology coach and sharing resources together

4 Words to Describe My Week
action-packed, fun, thought-provoking, wiped

3 Things I Plan to Do This Weekend
-spend time with my family
-catch up on sleep
-prep for 1st and 4th grade model writing lessons next week

2 Things I Learned This Week
-how to step outside my comfort zone
-the power of in the moment instructional coaching

1 Goal I Have For Next Week
-establish two new writing communities with first and fourth graders

5 Things that Made Me Smile this Week
-a new teacher in the district reaching out for model lessons to support her in writing instruction
-feedback on my informal observation
-my oldest son telling me to take deep breaths, remember who I am because I am a fine mamma
-my youngest son’s reaction to hearing we were going to go to the library for new books
-stepping outside my comfort zone

4 Words to Describe My Week
busy, reflective, tricky, encouraging

3 Things I Plan to Do This Weekend
-attend my eldest son’s winter dance at his elementary school
-eat pizza
-soak up family moments before going to the #IDEAcon conference

2 Things I Learned This Week
-I can do hard things
-the simplest of gestures can have the greatest impact

1 Goal I Have For Next Week
-connecting with new educators at #IDEAcon to expand my #PLN

Yesterday’s lunch break provided a moment for me to sit a take a beat. As I was doing just that, I happened to look up and see the image that you see here. Whoa. It got me thinking about how the educational setting can often feel oversaturated. While there is a time and a place to pull out all of the stops, I have been thinking lately about whether or not that is as effective as we think it is? Is our message getting lost in all the things? How can we eliminate distractions and/or provide supports so the message becomes more clear? Is another message outshining our intention?

Plates are full no matter your role in education so the time has come to balance our plate, practice our purpose once again, and try not to dismiss opportunities to view things through a different lens. That lens is important and may or may not show itself outside of the walls of your classroom/office/school.

Will you take notice?