coaching · collaboration · literacy coaches · Stronger Together: Involving Other Professionals in Your Workshop Blog Series

Coaching à la Carte: Stronger Together Blog Series

In this post I’ve curated some quick coaching possibilities: coaching à la carte, if you will. Each offering on this menu has the potential to have an immediate impact on student learning in the workshop with a minimal time commitment from teachers. It might not be the gold standard, four-course meal of a coaching cycle, but each option is designed to nourish and energize teacher(s), students, and coaches with a quick burst of collaboration.

coaching · gradual release of responsibility · literacy coaches

Teachers Supporting Teachers – Some Ideas for Literacy Coaches and School Leaders

This year, my coaching partner, Vicki, and I are trying out a new model for our coaching.

administrators · literacy coaches · Voices from the Community

Principals can be literacy coaches too!

Building administrators are and should be lead teachers! Although we often get bogged down in the mechanics of running a school, finding moments to reconnect with our own teaching passions is a key part in staying grounded, being a model for the staff, and building relationships with students. For me, writing has always been my passion and therefore I make it a priority to find time to teach, confer, and connect with my community to both share my passion about writing and fuel theirs!

coaching · conferences · conferring · literacy coaches · Our Favorite Things Blog Series · strategic conferring · toolkits

My Conferring Toolkit: Our Favorite Things Blog Series

In this post, I'll share everything that's inside my conferring toolkit for writing workshop, as well as how I organize it all.

june planning · literacy coaches

Literacy Coaches: Three Things I’m Doing in June to Get Ready for Next Year

The end of the school year is a highly important time for me as a coach. Read to find out the three really important tasks that I work hard to complete before school's out for summer.

COVID-19 · cultural relevance · current events · digital tools · digital writing · Distance Learning · EAL · guest blogger · literacy coaches · mentor texts · minilesson · struggling writers

Inviting Voices from the Community

As the 2020-2021 school year sets to start, we recognize that educators need each other more than ever. We need to hold onto our beliefs about the teaching of writing while becoming ever more flexible in our approaches. We need to grow in our understanding of Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy (as described in Gholdy… Continue reading Inviting Voices from the Community

coaching · collaboration · COVID-19 · feedback · literacy coaches · remote learning

Building Each Other Up, Cheering Each Other On

THIS is what teachers need right now. This is my work as a coach, and this is what we can all do for each other in this challenging time.

coaching · collaborative planning · curriculum planning · june planning · literacy coaches · plan · summer vacation

Literacy Coaches: Thinking Ahead to May & June — Already?!

Here are three things I'm working on, right now, in the first week of February.

literacy coaches

The ABC’s of Literacy Coaching: Reminders for the Start of a Great Year

I have a vivid memory of a coaching conversation from many years ago. I was the one being coached; one of my mentors had observed me and was giving me some no-holds-barred feedback. "Nobody likes a know-it-all," my mentor said flatly. "You're talking too much. The one doing all the talking is the one doing… Continue reading The ABC’s of Literacy Coaching: Reminders for the Start of a Great Year

adolescent literacy · back to school · literacy coaches · Mary Ehrenworth · middle school · parent involvement

Enlisting Writing Support from Parents

Parents can be a tremendous educational resource.  Yet, in middle school it can be challenging, as developmentally our students are beginning to morph from children into young adults. Thinking about next year, I have drafted some ideas for partnering with parents on how to help their kids become stronger writers.  How might parents provide support in the way writing workshop teachers believe is most helpful?  Here are a few ideas...

administrators · literacy coaches

Literacy Coaches: Supporting Your Administrators at the Start of the Year

Three things you can do, as a teacher leader or literacy coach to support administrators (yes, admin need support too!) at the start of the year.