Sticking With It
In consideration of why I didn’t quit being an instructional coach
My last couple of pieces have tried to explain some of the thinking I have been doing this year in my new role as an instructional coach for my school. It’s been uneven. To the point that I seriously considered quitting in the role for the 22–23 school year. Ultimately, I didn’t decide to quit, and since that crisis point (for want of a better descriptor), I think I have rededicated myself to the work fully and with enthusiasm. In this piece (my last on the topic for at least a little while), I want to discuss some reasons why I decided to remain in the job.
I’m Not Good At It I discussed the reasons why I don’t think I’m good at the role in last week’s piece. I won’t rehash any of that here, but I will note that a primary reason why I decided that this was a role worth continuing in is because doing the reps is really the only way we improve. Fundamentally, if I want to get better at this thing that I don’t feel I do particularly well, I need to stick with it. It says a lot about my career (or maybe my perception of my career) that I have never previously felt that I needed to stick with anything in my work as an educator to get better at it. As a teacher, as an administrator, as Head of Department, as Union Vice President, as everything that I have done in schools, I have…
