You don’t know what you don’t know. I was a new principal and had been in the district as a teacher and I felt “green” so I decided to work with a coach who had more experience to get ideas from, ask questions, and have a thought partner. My coach was phenomenal! I could share and bounce ideas and get feedback and also say, “Here is what I am struggling with”. He would follow up on the areas that I had struggles with and then problem solve together. We moved into setting goals and holding each accountable. Even now with Distance Learning. We talk on the phone and Zoom. We talk about what is working and not working. It is nice to have someone else’s perspective. It’s safe to bounce things off of and never a time when I felt like I was bothering him. My coach was good about using “reflection” in our coaching conversations. We would talk about what was happening in the moment and then go back to the previous conversations. What did you do? How did it go? Set new goals.

One of the best PDs for me was the RIASP Bootcamp. The presenters were very meaningful in the delivery of the PD. The format and the presenters were engaging. The activities, sharing out, and working with other new administrators was helpful. I first connected with my coach during this time. Having a coach outside my district was important to me. It was good to have that perspective. She would have me set goals (family communication) and then hold me accountable. She would ask me thoughtful questions so, such as, how am I communicating? What am I communicating? She was a big help with RICAS. That was a learning stretch with me. She had a lot of experience and was a 5 star school. Tapping into that was really helpful. Now that we are virtual we can talk about what is working with distance learning, and what areas need to improve.

It was a great experience. We would focus on the leadership standards. Ex: Budgeting, etc.. lots of changes going from AP to Principal. Am I on the right track? Do these standards relate? We would sometimes shift our conversations depending on the need. I’ve been in the same building for many years. It was good to get feedback from outside the environment. Am I doing the right thing? Am I going down the right track? He would question the motive/move and he would help me reflect and change gears. We often would revisit issues and what changes have been made? My coach would regularly ask me, how are you effecting change? Most of my goals centered around leadership team building. Setting the vision and following the vision. He helped me stay on course and not get dragged down in the “emotions”, stay the course, and keep steady. I would definitely recommend coaching to other people. You need that objectively.

My coach has been a great resource. I think it was great to connect with a veteran principal and have a thought partner. Having someone outside of the school to be heard and work through problems, was an asset. My coach had my best interests in mind, and she would always start our conversations with a review of my goals and what I wanted to accomplish for the year. She would always circle back to the goals I set up, and would help me reflect on progress. Especially the big picture goals. As the months go by, I just kept losing grip on the one thing I said I want to do. We would talk about the day to day needs, but we always came back to the goals. It started to help me and do what was the best interest of my school. It was grounding. I think the matching was good. We hit it off from the start. It was a great thing to see coming from a small charter school; there are still process and procedures that we need. I would want a coach again next year if available. I was especially thankful that my district was able to pay for this program.

The match with my coach has been outstanding. She is my rock! Without a coach, I may not have mentally survived this year. She asked me questions that helped me grow and be reflective. She would ask me probing questions and making me think more about my reactions. She helped me get set up with a principal planner and gave me some tools to be proactive and set priorities. My plate was full and she helped me organize it in a proactive way. She helped me find a way that worked for me. As a professional and administrator - student outreach was my goal. Just making sure I was following through and sticking to the policies. I was able to develop a tough skin and she helped me with this process. I think I am more confident after this experience. I am now able to think before I respond. I now take a step back and reflect. Is this what I want to do, or need to do? I asked myself the questions. I ask myself “ Why”? now. I had a great experience! If available yes I would love a coach for a second year.

I self selected for a coach, and appreciated my district for supporting me with the funding. I am very thankful for my coach! We clicked! We had difficult conversations together. It was beneficial. It was good to have his experience. He could validate the issues I was going through, and challenge my perspective. My coach helped me to set goals. I could then share what my action steps and asked for feedback, and share next steps. Without my coach, I would have been in a rough spot to start off my admin career. The best part of this program was when I shadowed him for two full days. I was able to see different structures, and leadership styles. I would recommend it to all new principals. This truly was a valuable growth opportunity.