1. Summer Book Study.

I love to read! I know there has to be other teachers and instructional coaches out there that would be interested in learning a new learning strategy during our summer vacation.  If I were brave, I would set up a fabulous book study where we could meet either online or on my deck throughout the summer.

2. Individualized Meetings with Downtown

In our district, I report as an instructional coach to my principal first. I am fortunate, as I highly respect and enjoy working with him.  I also kind of report to administrators in the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Office.  After two years as working as an instructional coach, I still get a little nervous when I speak to them.  Because of this, I sometimes wonder if they really know me, my strengths, what I do as I coach…  If I were brave, I would suggest that instructional coaches would get a chance to meet with the CI&A department every once in a while in a smaller settting–so everyone could get to know each other a little better.

3. Find an online community

If I were brave, I would fight to ensure the instructional coaches developed a social network, such as a Ning, to facilate communication and collaboration between us all.

4. Paperless

Many teachers have tried to go paperless this year, myself included. While I wasn’t completely successful, I will say that I reduced the amount of paper I used in my classroom by well over 90%. I had originally planned to challenge our new technology committee to reduce their paper use by 50 percent.  If I were brave, I would ask the entire school, not just the committee of 8.

5. Accept My Mistakes

When I started coaching, I was so worried about being perfect. I had this vision that a great instructional coach had unparalleled wisdom on matters of content knowledge, pedagogy, learning theory, technology–you name it.  That wasn’t me.  If I were brave, and I think I am on this one, I will acknowledge that I will make mistakes, and to know it is ok. Thanks to Heather Radar for her great blog post on Learning from Coaching Mistakes.

How will you be brave?