written by Tracee Keough 

The final weeks of the school year are a strange, beautiful, and chaotic paradox. One moment, you’re high-fiving a teacher who finally nailed a student-centered engagement strategy; the next, you’re staring at a stack of data reports wondering if you have enough caffeine t...

by Tracee Keough 

There is a unique energy that comes with the fourth quarter. We can finally see the finish line, and as coaches, our biggest goal is helping our teachers finish the year with the same passion they started with. But in the rush of spring, it’s easy to fall into the 'Coach Nice' tra...

by Tracee Keough

Let’s be honest: it’s spring. State testing schedules are looming, the weather is teasing us, and if you are anything like me, your desk is currently buried under a mountain of chaotic, pastel-colored sticky notes. You’re likely running on a potent mix of lukewarm coffee, soda and ...

by Tracee Keough 

Let’s set the scene: You walk into a planning meeting with a fantastic, time-saving strategy, but before you can even finish your sentence, you hit the wall.

"We don't have time for that." "The kids are already too checked out." "I'm just trying to survive until Friday."

Sound f...

by Lisa Oldiges

Keeping Momentum by Sharing the Love

It’s February and love is in the air, but some of us coaches may be feeling a little ignored or just plain stagnant. What’s a coach to do to keep up the momentum in these final few months of the school year? Let me share some ways that building ...

by Katie Maciulewicz

Picture it. You're running on a potent mix of lukewarm coffee and the sheer will to support one more teacher before the bell rings. Your calendar looks like a game of Tetris, and the little voice in your head is screaming, "My needs are not being met!"

It's a tough truth, b...

Ah, SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. It’s a classic for a reason, but let's be honest, it's not always the most inspiring tool. What if we told you there’s something a little more tailored to the unique and complex world of instructional coaching?

This is wh...

by Katie Maciulewicz 

The shift from being a classroom teacher to a new instructional coach can feel a little  isolating. You're stepping into a new role and navigating uncharted territory – and in my case, sitting alone in an all-glass office in a random hallway in the school that no one knows ...

by Katie Maciulewicz

It’s a tale as old as time, or at least as old as the last professional development session: you walk away feeling inspired, ready to implement all the new strategies, and then… life happens. The demands of the classroom kick in, and those brilliant new ideas slowly fade into t...

Written By Katie Maciulewicz

Coaching teams of teachers can be a challenging but rewarding experience. It requires a different skill set than coaching individual teachers. Together, we’re going to think through some strategies and skills needed to work with teacher teams. 

Here’s your scenario: Yo...

Written by Katie Maciulewicz and Danae Acker

Testing season. It's that unique time of year where the school buzz shifts, students are heads-down in preparation, and teachers are laser-focused on reviews. For coaches, this can feel like an unexpected lull. But instead of letting this "quiet time" go...

As instructional coaches, our main goal is to make a difference in the lives of teachers and students every day. But we want to have a lasting effect. When we work with a teacher, we don’t want them to make a small change for one lesson or one unit and then never use that skill or tool again. We wan...