Navigating Uncharted Waters by Heidi Laabs

Meet our guest blogger Hedi Laabs:  

 Heidi Laabs is a veteran educator, having served as a French teacher, middle school assistant principal, middle school principal, and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the School District of Waukesha for 34 years. Following her retirement from Waukesha in 2007, she worked at Cardinal Stritch University, served as a REACH mentor for schools in southern Wisconsin, and coached principals around the state. In 2011, she joined the Wisconsin RtI Center as Leadership and Coaching Coordinator.  

Every time we log into email or check social media, we are bombarded with

reminders that all of us in education are in the midst of uncharted waters, in an

ambiguous environment, experiencing things we never would have imagined

when 2020 began. “Am I the Only One Struggling with Online Instruction?” “A

Tale of Hybrid Teaching: It Was the Worst of Times. It Was the Worst of Times.”

“COVID-19 Teacher Toolkit: Resilience Through Self-Care.” “How Ready Are We

to Support Kids Through This Trauma?” “Pay attention to taking care of yourself.

If you’re drained, your students will know.” These are just a few of the email

subject lines and Facebook comments that have popped up for me over the

course of 24 hours. Teachers, students, support staff, administrators, parents and

yes, coaches, are all feeling stress, anxiety, ambiguity and uncertainty.

Just as teaching (and learning) look very different now from how they looked just

7 short months ago, so does coaching look very different. Some consistent

themes have emerged during our CESA Coaches Networking meetings and

conversations with RtI Center Leadership and Coaching participants. One of those

themes has been around the very nature of coaching conversations. While many

coaches still are able to schedule regular coaching conversations with teachers,

they also find that they are doing much more impromptu coaching, “on the fly,”

or in response to crises or breakdowns. Instructional coaching is increasingly

focused on helping teachers to navigate the use of technology for virtual learning,

rather than on curriculum and traditional instructional practices.

Just as teachers find themselves addressing the social and emotional learning

needs or their students more than ever before, coaches are supporting the social

and emotional needs of their clients. For both teachers and coaches, Maslow’s

Hierarchy often takes precedence over Bloom’s Taxonomy! Coaches play an

important role in helping teachers navigate the stress and anxiety of teaching

during COVID-19.

During our Coaches Network meetings, coaches from around the state have

offered tips and suggestions for effective coaching in our current environment.

Among those suggestions are

 Tap into emotional intelligence. Provide a safe place for educators to talk

about feelings, emotions and worries.

 Remember the importance of bebevolence in building trust with clients.

Benevolence doesn’t mean congeniality, it means having someone’s back

in tough times.

 Connect regularly with principals and other administrators to ensure that

all bases are being covered.

 Redefine and articulate the role of the coach in response to current

circumstances. If there isn’t a job description for coaches, now is the time

to get one!

 Consider how coaches can support Educator Effectiveness in light of

current circumstances.

 Collect feedback and data from teachers on the importance and

effectiveness of coaching. Share it with administrators!

 Participate in your CES’s Coaches Network. It’s a great way to get support

for your work and to learn from colleagues.

 Ask for help when you need it!

Colleagues have also offered some resources for coaching support during these

unprecedented times. Here are several that are highly recommended:

Jim Knight's blog post:  Instructional Coaching During the Corona Virus Crisis

RtI:  Coaching Teacher Resilience During COVID 19

 Coach Federation:  Covid 19 Resources for Coaches

Several coaches have shared that they are using Elena Aguilar’s books, Onward:

Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators and The Onward Workbook: Daily

Activities to Cultivate Your Emotional Resilience and Thrive, in their practice, with

positive outcomes.

As we continue to navigate these uncharted waters, we invite you to share your

ideas and resources with all of us. Together, we are better! And don’t forget to

reflect daily on our success, and celebrate what’s going well!