Coaches Need PL, Too

November 2018

In a role where professional learning is your job, you can, at times, forget that you require PL, too. Our own personal PL tends to fall to the bottom of the day-to-day priority list. Coaches help a lot of people every day, and our personal PL just doesn’t seem as important as helping others.

But think about this. Growing ourselves grows others.

One more time - Growing ourselves grows others.

If we don’t invest the time into our own personal professional learning and growth, we stagnate.

We stop growing.

How can we grow others if we are not growing ourselves? Just a few minutes each day can be valuable time spent if it means growing yourself as a professional, so as to promote the professional growth of others.

So where does the coach turn when the coach needs coaching? Who coaches the coach? What’s that you say - you are the only coach at your school? In your district?

Still - You are not alone.

The world becomes a little bit smaller every day. Resources, connections, and networks are vast and easily accessible. Twitter, Google Hangouts, Blogs, Podcasts, and other Online Communities have created a virtual environment where we can seek PL anytime and anywhere and with anyone.

What it takes is a willingness, a shift in mindset, a drive to emphasize your own PL. Because to grow others, you must grow yourself.

I encourage you to seek out others who will push you to be professionally better - and connect. Learning is social. And we learn more by connecting with others who push us. Arrange virtual meetings; have those professional conversations; study professional literature together (books, articles, etc.); listen to, discuss, and create podcasts - Ooo! Podcasts for PD! (Sorry, totally geeked out there for a second. ehem.)

The point is, you are not as alone as you think you are, and your PL is uber-important. Learn from each other. We must grow ourselves to grow others. Make it a mantra.

Remember The Edge of Epiphany? Be willing to live there.

- Ginny