The Value of Coaching (or how I learned to ride a 10 speed bike)

This past weekend, my husband and I took an anniversary trip that we had been putting off for a little while (in favor of getting some travel in with the kids and out to see family). Our destination for this anniversary trip was Napa, California and I decided I wanted to do something active and scenic: bike riding. So, I told my husband to find us a nice bike tour of wine country without thinking much about what a bike tour might entail. We were with friends (my high school friend/college roommate/ maid of honor and her husband) and they had some pretty good experience with cycling. My husband, though more of a runner now, had done some cycling in his earlier years. This left me as the wild card in the group. No experience. How hard could it be?

Let me just get this part out of the way: I didn't die or otherwise hurt myself. When I say I didn't die or hurt myself, that probably sounds dramatic. Ok, it is dramatic. Truth is though, that it wasn't but a few minutes into the ride that I almost had an unscheduled date with a park bench. I had never been on 10 speed bike in my life and had quite a lot to learn! When it became very clear to our tour guide that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, he shifted into coach mode. There was some instruction, some modeling, and some words of encouragement. Without that quick intervention from an expert, I might have hurt myself or given up. I was in desperate need of a coach that day and hadn't expected to be. As it turns out, our tour guide for the day happened to be a middle school teacher. This completely explains his healthy mix of "you can do it" and "suck it up" (not literally those words but you get the idea). 

A few days later now, as I continue to laugh at myself, I can't help but think of the value of a coach. There are all kinds of coaches out there in the world: sports coaches, life coaches, executive coaches, teachers, etc. What I want to really highlight though is the value of a coach in the educational context. Instructional coaches in the educational world do a lot of the kinds of things that I experienced on my first bike ride. Instructional coaches work with new educators to figure out the ropes, to avoid common mistakes, potholes, etc. Instructional coaches also work with experienced educators to hone their craft, see things that they need an extra perspective to see, and challenge themselves to get better. 

For me, one of the things I had to come to figure out on my first "real" bike ride was the level of resistance as I pedaled. I quickly learned that I needed a little extra resistance to feel comfortable so that I wouldn't have the sense that the wheels were spinning too fast. Instructional coaches do much the same thing. For some educators, instructional coaches might add resistance (are you an experienced teacher who hasn't felt a challenge in a while?). For others, instructional coaches might help to decrease the resistance for those like new teachers. Instructional coaches might help to figure out a strategy or plan that a new teacher is comfortable with so that they can learn their craft at a speed that works for them and their students. The same goes for new principals or others taking on a leadership role for the first time. I know that if I didn't have some great coaching in my first year of being a principal, I probably wouldn't have survived. I continue to carry much gratitude to the New Tech Network and to my coaches in particular (Kevin Gant and Jeff de Verona) for making sure that I was successful and that our school was successful. 

Thank you to all the coaches out there who work to educate, encourage, challenge, guide, and support. No matter the level of experience, we can all learn from you.


And if you want proof that I made it, here is a short video thanks to my good friends, the Singhs. Fortunately for me, Vishu was a far more skilled cyclist and could manage to take video and ride at the same time.