Fortunately, I have been lucky and blessed to call myself an Instructional Coach for an amazing middle school
Unfortunately, not everyone knows what exactly “instructional coach” means including myself.
Fortunately, through small steps and big lunges we have begun to define what instructional coaching encompasses.
Unfortunately, we have developed various definitions of what it means and what we can do.
Fortunately, at our building we have had an administrative team that has supported and backed us in increasing teacher voice and teacher agency
Unfortunately, not enough have felt the power of their voices to engage in the support services sitting in their hallways
Fortunately, a few brave educators have opened up their doors, their minds, and their students to a world outside of their “safety” zone where things are quite peaceful and incognito
Unfortunately, it is not as many as we had hoped for
Fortunately, the journey we have begun to travel has no linear path in front of us as we are a volunteer system
Unfortunately, due to the standardization of education which goes beyond tests, we have had to sit through and be trained in systems that focus on what they think educators need and not what educators really need
Fortunately, we have worked within the system to take the bits and pieces that could work and fought to stay away from the wrong directions that head down a path that would lead to a checklist system of beautiful paperwork and data that prove nothing but distrust for the professionals in the field of education
Unfortunately, the pressure to conform to systems of mediocrity and big money machines creep closer and closer to what we know is working and will continue to work
Fortunately, the conversation about developing a vision, the future of pbl, and integrating deeper learning is going to bring us to a new place of learning for our learners and educators that the community will be blown away by the development of skills and tools
Unfortunately, we will have to battle the mindset of the community that are experts and graduates of a school system industrialized for robotic, like minded people for factories as well as educational programs that did not prepare educators for this type of learning and culture
Fortunately, this change will move beyond the notion of career and college readiness and focus on the now and developing lifelong learners who will take their learning abilities to do what they need to do in life to define their own success
Unfortunately, changing culture and mindset is a not an overnight trip
Fortunately, we are in this for the long haul and plan on changing not only education, but society to take us into the future where we will be prepared to tackle whatever challenge comes our way
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