Instructional Coaches Fill Valuable Role in District Elementary Schools

by Cathy Allie

Borrowing a term usually reserved for athletics, Grain Valley Schools utilizes Instructional Coaches, following Diane Sweeney’s student-centered coaching model. Sweeney is a longtime Colorado educator, who found success in the coaching world.

Grain Valley’s coaches are used to provide everything from staff professional development training, to modeling classroom lessons, to planning with teachers, to co-teaching.

Jane Wallace, who serves at Matthews Elementary, calls Instructional Coaching her dream job.

“I have my dream job. I get to work with students, I get to collaborate, I get to interact with all grade levels,” Matthews said. “It’s perfect.”

Matthew’s counterparts, Kendra Carpenter at Sni-A-Bar, Sonya Manz at Stoney Point, and Emily Twiehaus at Prairie Branch Elementary echo her sentiments.

“We honor each teacher’s expertise, and we know it takes a lot for them to come to us, sort of sense of vulnerability,” Twiehaus said. “It is important for them to know we are partners. I love this job.”

A typical day for an Instructional Coach might include spending planning time with a teacher to clarify his or her goals and ways to reach them, modeling a lesson in a different grade level, and reviewing results with a teacher who is headed toward his or her goal.

“We don’t have all the answers—we were approachable classroom teachers and good listeners who filled these roles- but we love to collaborate and work with our peers to set and reach goals,” Manz said. “We love the moments where we are in a classroom with a teacher and we problem-solve or come up with a new way to do something together.”

The coaches attribute the success of the program to the expectations from principals all the way up to central office administration. They are grateful to Dr. Beth Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Academic Services, and Dr. Glenna Bult, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for realizing the need for coaches in each building.

“Our administrators know how tough it is to be a teacher. Teachers are trying to address multiple student needs, master a curriculum, and increase student achievement. This set up, which allows us to help lessen their load, and makes their life easier, is great,” Wallace said.

Carpenter, who was new to coaching last year, likes the ‘boots on the ground’ feel of the program, where coaches are partners.

“Following a big professional development day, some teachers may be overwhelmed and not be ready to try new strategies until a week or two later. But when you know you have someone right there in the building to come alongside you, it is much easier and not as overwhelming,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter has taught for 16 years, Twiehaus for 16, Wallace for 25, and Manz for 28, so there is a vast set of teaching experience for teachers to lean on.

“Seeing a peer receive coaching is so rewarding,” Manz said. “We all went from being teacher leaders who participated in Professional Development and just took advantage of every opportunity to learn, so we love when we see that in peers.”

Coaches may work with a teacher through the entire length of a unit or for shorter periods of time. Their focus is in three areas: reading, math, and writing. Coaches might see a teacher up to three times a week, once for planning and then twice in the classroom.

“I miss developing the one on one relationships with students that I had in my own classroom,” Twiehaus said, “But when we are with a teacher through an entire unit, you can still connect with students. We love it when the students refer to us as the other teacher.”

Sweeney’s model places coaches in classrooms 60% of the time, and in conferences, professional development, or planning 40% of the time. Grain Valley’s coaches try to stick to that model.

“One of the hardest things for me is to say no to someone who is asking for help because I am already scheduled in a classroom or for planning time with another teacher,” Carpenter said. “Luckily they are willing to schedule at another time or try another way.”

The Instructional Coaches also work with first year teachers as their mentors. The arrangement is superior to having a classroom teacher as a mentor, as the Instructional Coach can physically be in the new teacher’s classroom with them, whereas the other teacher has his or her own classroom to monitor.

“Helping new teachers has been a part of the program I really enjoy,” Wallace said. ”Flexibility in our schedule is a key to success, but we always try to make time for the new teachers.”

Manz and Wallace were the first two elementary Instructional Coaches and also covered the middle schools. Looking back, they are not sure how we they did it. “We were so busy,” Manz laughs. “Sometimes we look back and we can’t believe how much ground we covered,” Wallace said.

Carpenter and Twiehaus were added during the 2017-18 school year and found great mentors in Manz and Wallace.

“The first year, Kendra I talked about what a great structure we were walking into and we just followed their suggestions and modeled our work after theirs.” Twiehaus said. “Each building is a little different, but the model is the same.”

All four coaches miss having a classroom but love that they are reaching many more students in their current roles.

“Grade levels have adopted us,” Wallace said “And central office provides collaborative time for the four of us together, so we really do have a place.”

For more information about the Diane Sweeney model for instructional coaching, visit https:// dianesweeney.com.

Sni-A-Bar Elementary Instructional Coach Kendra Carpenter works with students in Deanna Snedeger’s third grade classroom. “Following a big professional development day, some teachers may be overwhelmed and not be ready to try new strategies until a week or two later. But when you know you have someone right there in the building to come alongside you, it is much easier and not as overwhelming,” Carpenter said.

Prairie Branch Elementary Instructional Coach Emily Twiehaus meets with first grade teacher Kelsey Amensen. “We honor each teacher’s expertise, and we know it takes a lot for them to come to us, sort of sense of vulnerability,” Twiehaus said. “It is important for them to know we are partners. I love this job.” Photo credit: Valley News staff