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Class-Act Coaching: A Podcast for Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Join us each week as a different SREB instructional coach walks our host through different teaching concerns in the world of K12. Teachers will gain valuable teaching insights and instructional coaches will see a model coaching session.
Class-Act Coaching: A Podcast for Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Fostering Gratitude and Encouragement in the Classroom
Unlock the keys to fostering gratitude and encouragement in your classroom as we celebrate Thanksgiving with a special guest, instructional coach Shelly Gibson. This episode promises to equip you with practical strategies for showing appreciation to your students through listening, meaningful connections, and purposeful actions. Together with co-host Daniel Rock, we'll share how these practices create a nurturing environment where students can thrive, even when challenges arise.
Join us on a journey of personalized encouragement and its transformative effects. Drawing from Shelly's inspiring experiences, we'll illustrate how small gestures, like personalized notes and community involvement, can have lasting positive impacts on students and educators alike. Discover the story of how Shelly went above and beyond, organizing special sessions and even acquiring a bus license to ensure every student felt supported in their academic pursuits.
Explore effective coaching strategies that benefit both students and teachers. We'll emphasize the power of personal connections, constructive feedback, and genuine interest in students' lives beyond the classroom. Shelly shares insights on how instructional coaches can mirror this support to teachers, creating an uplifting atmosphere. As Thanksgiving nears, we encourage reflection on gratitude and look forward to reconnecting after the holiday break with renewed inspiration and insights.
Download the corresponding handout to remember these tips.
The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with states and schools to improve education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education and the workforce.
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Hello again. I'm Ashley Shaw and it is the week before Thanksgiving, so we are going to do a special Thanksgiving themed episode for you today. But before we get into that, let me welcome my co-host, dan Ruck. Hi, dan.
Speaker 2:Hey, ashley, good to be here.
Speaker 1:It's great to have you. I am very thankful that you are here today helping me with this episode.
Speaker 2:I am thankful for the opportunity to learn all the great things that these instructional coaches are sharing with us.
Speaker 1:All right, we both are in the spirit of Thanksgiving, and that's perfect, because I would like a coach who could actually help me with some thankful things.
Speaker 1:So what's on your mind today, Ashley, in terms of something you're looking for a little bit of coaching on so it is, as I pointed out, the week before Thanksgiving, and I thought that it would be nice to do something special. And so, as Thanksgiving gets near, I've been thinking about all the things I'm thankful for not just you, but just everything in my life. And one of the things that I am very thankful for and that I sometimes forget that I'm thankful for, is my students, and I want to be better at showing them that they matter to me and that I'm thankful for them, and I want to be better at encouraging them. So I thought what a perfect time for us to have kind of a special episode. You don't have to listen to this if it's not Thanksgiving, if you're listening to these at some completely other random time, but it is Thanksgiving next week, so I thought it'd be nice to have a coach come in and talk a little bit about encouraging our students. Do you have anybody that can help me with that?
Speaker 2:So we'll call this a very special episode. Oh, I like it. You know, I think I know somebody who would be perfect for that. We have an instructional coach who focuses on math and also works a lot with technology, but more than that, she's got a personal touch and a way of working with teachers to build connection, to help teachers build connections with students, and she builds these connections with students and teachers, and she has some really specific ways that she does that. So why don't we have Shelly Gibson come in and work with you a little bit?
Speaker 1:All right. Well, I am looking forward to working with her. Thanks, as always.
Speaker 2:I look forward to hearing what she has to say.
Speaker 1:All right, we'll talk to you after the episode. Hi Shelly, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you, it's an honor to be here with you today, well.
Speaker 3:I am really excited for this lesson today. Thank you, it's an honor to be here with you today.
Speaker 1:Well, I am really excited for this lesson. Before we get into that, though, can you tell me a little bit about who you are?
Speaker 3:I am an instructional math coach here with SREB and this is my year here. Right In the past I've been a teacher of elementary, middle and high school yes, and I taught in the school system for about 15 years before I came here to SREB. A little bit about me is that I love math and I love being creative in a math classroom, so I'm always looking for another way to solve a problem. I love technology. I love tinkering with different computer type things, technology and new apps, especially with AI out there. I love crime shows and I think it's because of that math person in me I love problem solving. I love helping the public. I love helping people find their way. So that's a little bit about me.
Speaker 1:Well, I love that answer. I really love that. You said you love being creative in a math class because, as an English person myself and I'm like, oh, english is the creative skills. Math is just you're right or you're wrong. There's no creativity to that. I love hearing that there is. There can be creativity in math too. Yeah, I really like that.
Speaker 1:So let me tell you that I was telling Dan, next week is thanksgiving and I'm really in a thankful place reminding myself what I'm grateful for. And sometimes it can be hard to remember that I'm grateful for my students literally wouldn't have a job without them. So I have to remind myself that sometimes, when maybe they're not acting the way I want them to be acting, I have to remember, hey, they're here, they're here every day. They're trying, they're doing their job, and I want to show them that I'm grateful for them by being better at encouraging them and reminding them of how great they are. And so I asked him do you have a coach who can help me be better at encouraging my students? And he told me you're the expert, so can you help me with that?
Speaker 3:I certainly will do my best.
Speaker 1:All right, well, I'm looking forward to your tips. So do you have any tips for me?
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, I think teachers are often faced with many daily day-to-day kind of hit-the-grind kind of things that they have to worry about. When you think about a teacher, you think about a person that wears many different hats and, yes, they need encouragement. But you know what Our students need encouragement as well, but you know what Our students need encouragement as well. So when I talk to teachers about encouraging their students, I often tell them to think about these three key ideas To listen to their students, because they have a lot of value to give to you, and to make those connections that teacher rapport is so important. And then follow it up, not just by listening and making those connections, but doing things that could really purposefully make those connections so that your students will feel more empowered, because our kids are really struggling today with emotional things that really bog them down. So when they come to us, they really need that encouragement, don't they, they do, and I really love the tips you gave me.
Speaker 1:Maybe we can break them down and you can give us some examples of how to do it. So I know you started with listen, so let's talk about listening. How can I show my students I'm listening to them?
Speaker 3:I often tell teachers listen to your kids. They really have a lot to give you. Ask them questions. Your classroom should be filled with hey, I want to hear what you're thinking about this problem, or I want to hear your perspective, because it may be totally different than the way you would have done it. And in the classroom the students need a voice. They need someone to talk, to explain things to them when you're listening. So when you're asking questions, your question shouldn't be oh, what did you get for this? Answer? It goes to that's not the way we want to ask questions. We want to ask questions that are open-ended, so our kids can explain their thinking. So instead I might ask can you explain how you got to, so now they can explain and talk about what they're doing?
Speaker 3:When I ask students questions, I often restate it and just think about it. Someone restates something that you just said. They first are saying they value you as a person and that they're really listening. So we call it revoicing. So sometimes, when a student will explain something, I want them to know that I valued their opinion. So I will say so I heard you say. And then we explain it from my perspective, because sometimes the kid will hear it back and they'll go well, well, I'll go the other minute. No, that's not really what I'm saying, so sometimes I do that as well.
Speaker 1:All right, I think that's a great piece of advice.
Speaker 3:I want to listen to my kids.
Speaker 3:I want to know what's going on in their lives when they come in. Sometimes that listening may not be verbal, but that listening could be how they walk in the classroom. Was their head down? Those are listening activities as well. Do they need that encouraging? When they come and they sit down in my class and they're just like you know, like had a really bad day and they're coming in there, I shouldn't go. You know, the bell rang, get your book out. If I was really listening, I would walk over and say, hey, what's going on? Today I noticed that you came in and you were really not looking like the normal person. That makes me happy.
Speaker 3:When they walk in my classroom, we think listening has to be auditory. It can be just watching your kids and paying attention to who they are when they're walking in. They come every day to our class. Just like we have a lot of things going at us every day. Our kids do as well. We sometimes negate them and say, oh, this isn't their kids. They don't know the magnitude of real problems, but they're problems to them and they're really valid and we need to encourage them and let them know. Hey, look, I'm here if you need someone to talk, to understand what you're going through, and even if you don't think I can understand, I'm here to listen through and even if you don't think I can understand, I'm here to listen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I do remember being a teenager, middle school student, that age range where things that I would probably find silly today were all those emotions that you're just like, oh, this is the most important thing in the world and how can I focus on anything else but that boy I like, or whatever the situation at the time is.
Speaker 1:So I think that was great advice and something that you don't always think of, because, yeah, you do think of listening as somebody saying words and I hear those words, and that is not always what listening is. So I think those are some great tips on listening. How about connecting? That's your next point Connecting with students. How do I do that?
Speaker 3:Well, you remind them again of how important that they are right. Connecting to me is just taking time to affirm them of who they are. You know we talk about feedback sometimes and feedback is, you know, giving kids feedback. But it's not like saying feedback, but it's not like saying good job, oh, you're correct, way to go, perfect. That's not feedback. It needs to be intentional, it needs to be specific according to the strength that they have. So, for example, I could say I really like the way you persevered through that problem, because that is a way that I really want them to continue to do things.
Speaker 3:Another way I try to connect with kids is to just small talk. Just ask them hey, how's it going today? Hey, I saw that you played in last night's game. I heard you had 20 points. Oh, awesome. Connecting can also be just finding things that they enjoy doing and just having that little. It's not a planned conversation, but it's just making those connections through saying things like oh yeah, I love football too. My favorite team is Sunset. The high school level. I had lots of football players in the fall, so you made those connections. Who do you like?
Speaker 3:I remember one school year I had a student and he loved the New England Patriots. I meant every Friday. He was like all his New England garb so I had to buy well, they're now called the Washington Commanders. I had to buy their paraphernalia so that would be our thing On Fridays because it was just before the weekend and some of us will come back eating humble pie on Monday because our team lost, right. But you know he was with a strong team. But that made connections and that kid just looked forward to walking in that class every Friday and seeing what I had on and having that conversation of football Like who did what and and how did our team play or how they didn't play. But those were connections we made.
Speaker 1:And I'd like to add something that you made me think of is that's great. I love connecting. I love the idea of connecting with students and their interest outside of class. I don't know if this works in a math class as well, I don't, I'm not sure, but I know in an English class I've seen the look on students' face sometimes when they come up to ask me a question about their paper maybe and I remember what that paper was Like they think it's just going to be.
Speaker 1:You know, they might say something like I wrote a paper about Benjamin Franklin and I'm like oh yeah, and you said this and you said that, and it was a really good point when you made that. And they're just like, oh, oh, like, like it's like you remembered the fact that I remembered their words and not they were surprised a lot, and I can see it on their face and I hadn't thought I didn't do it to try to do anything special. I just happened to remember that paper. And now I try to make a point of always remembering the papers, and now I try to make it a point of always remembering the papers.
Speaker 1:I do want to say something that I saw you do Confession. I have met Shelly before. I went and saw her do a conference session and you were talking about encouragement there too, and it wasn't encouraging students, it was encouraging teachers because this was a coaching conference, that you were talking to other instructional coaches. But one thing you did that really impressed me that I think that teachers can do for their students as well. You came into that classroom.
Speaker 1:You didn't know a single person there, but you gave everybody a little sticker that said something like I'm grateful for you or thank you for being here, or whatever. Everybody's sticker was different but you somehow gave everybody an individual message that was special to them, even though you didn't even know who we were. And that was the first time that we ever met and it's still. It's been like two years now and it still sticks in my mind and I think that's great to do for students, to just go and do just like you did for coaches Give them a little thing like a sticker that says something and give them, even if you don't have the sticker, if you just go up to them as they walk into class and say some personalized message just to start the class of like hey, I'm grateful for you, thank you for being here today, and that's a little bit different for everybody. So first of all, thank you for doing that.
Speaker 3:I still do that with my teachers now that I'm no longer in the classroom, and you'd be amazed that when I return today, like months later, that post-it note is still on the wall behind their desk. So that was very meaningful and it helped make those connections. I have done that. When I was in the classroom I had the Freshman Academy. It was called back then and I had all ninth graders so they were my home run and I used that to welcome them and I remember the last day of school those little post-it notes would be inside their locker because I was also the one that had to clean it out those last days of school and the kids kept them. I was so surprised. So that's when I knew that even a little post-it note, something so simple, it is so valuable to someone else and it only just takes a few short minutes.
Speaker 1:And, speaking as a former teenager, I'll tell you that I used to go to some camp over the summer and one of the things they did was they had a board where you could go write I forgot what they called them, but just basically like little notes throughout the day and put it in your box and then at the end of the week you would take it home and then when you go home you have all these encouraging notes from campers and other counselors and things like that.
Speaker 1:And I was recently going through a box of stuff. It's like a box where I keep old letters and cards and things like that and I found those so many years later that I won't mention the number of years here. I read through them and I felt good again and it was something that somebody had written me from, like. Obviously it meant something to me at the time because I saved them. But then here it is, 20 years later I'm getting encouraged again and I think that's the same thing. You know not that all the students are going to keep these, like me being a hoarder, but if they do, like it's something that they think about it in the future, I think it's still helpful.
Speaker 3:I tell you now I think kids today take those notes and take a picture of it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's true, that's true, and then they just scroll back to their pictures later to be reminded of it. It's a perfect example, though, that you just gave. That's a good segue to my third key was doing things. Doing things that really can encourage, like leaving those notes for your kids or going the extra mile. When I taught my kids, I tend to get the kids who like math was the worst thing on earth. I don't understand why math gets a bad rap. No one ever says I'm bad at reading.
Speaker 1:I hear I don't want to read. I hate reading and I'm not a writer. I can't write every day, so I think that's just what subject you teach.
Speaker 3:That's true, because I am not a writer. It's just like getting that in front of me. That's not the right side of my brain, I guess, but just doing small things for the kids. So my kids really felt it was a challenge and I had to really show them that I care and by going at it extra mile. My principle at that time was whatever it takes by going at extra mile. The principal at that time was whatever it takes.
Speaker 3:And so I got into the Saturday school thing and I allowed myself to be vulnerable just because people were saying why are you coming on a Saturday? You're not getting paid. But I wanted my kids to know I will do whatever it takes to help them. So I came in on Saturdays taking the alarm off the high school building, praying that it didn't go off and the police would come and they'd go down to my hallway. I got community involved also. They bought pizza for the kids. The church would give me snacks for them.
Speaker 3:I got my bus license because it wasn't an option. I wanted those kids to come and I didn't want an excuse. I couldn't get there. Bus doesn't run. So I've had a bus and on Friday nights I would call parents and tell them what time I was picking their kids up within five minutes and I drove a bus and got them into school. And the first year I did that I had kids that did amazing. This was the first time they ever passed an EOC and they would be in tears, wow, wow. The second year I did that I wasn't alone. I then now had another teammate that would go, so it made life a lot easier because I could just get up and go get the bus. Especially in the winter must feed it up and she was in there setting things up. So so even when you were teaching.
Speaker 1:you were encouraging other teachers.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, so yeah, and during that time we had some amazing scores at our school and but it was because our kids understood that we were there to help them and it wasn't just I know there were instructional strategies we came with and we did and we improved in that area, but our kids were willing to get up in the early morning on a Saturday and come in until about I guess we were from 8 until 11. That's early on a Saturday.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:And we gave them lunch and for some of those kids you know, they took out a little paper plate to put more pizza in and called it to take home. And did we foster? No, we just told the pizza place the next week we needed more pizza and they provided it. But our kids' needs needed to be met first.
Speaker 1:Wow, that is great and very impressive. You definitely are a great person to have come and done this lesson, because I don't know how many other people I could have come in here to talk about this who are going to have gone as far as you did for the students.
Speaker 3:Can.
Speaker 1:I leave you with one quote. I would love for you to leave me with a quote.
Speaker 3:And I was given this years ago. It's students don't care what you know and they know we're math teachers and they know we know the math. They don't care what you know and they know we're math teachers and they know we know the math. They don't care what we know until they know you care. When someone gave me that message, I took it to heart. My kids needed to hear that I care, feel the connections, that I care, but most of all I need to do that in action, to know that I care, and from there they would be very receptive of what I had to say.
Speaker 1:Wow, I love. First of all, I love that quote and I love your interpretation of the quote. Thank you. So that bell meant that we're almost out of time. Do you have any homework for me before you go today?
Speaker 3:Yes, I would really love you to look at those three key ideas I spoke of to listen, connect and do in the lives of your kids in your classroom. I want you to listen to them, look for those opportunities. They're really here for who they are and make those connections. And they may not be formal in the classroom while you're teaching. They're really here for who they are and make those connections. And they may not be formal in the classroom while you're teaching, they could be informal. And then do Let them see your love and action, because I know you love and support them and you just want to believe in them and make them feel empowered to unlock their own potential in the learning that they have.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, I am definitely Well, next week I'm going to take off because it's Thanksgiving and I won't. I won't have any students, but then the following week I would come back and I am going to make it a point to do some of the things that she talked about today, because I do think it's really important, especially as we're getting near the end of the semester, and just reminding them that, yes, I care, I want them to do well. I'm not there to try to fail them. Well, shelly, I think this was a great episode. Thank you so much for coming today.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me. I so enjoyed chatting with you today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I did too. So have a great Thanksgiving you too. Okay, a great Thanksgiving you too. Bye, bye-bye.
Speaker 2:Well, that was really interesting and really a little bit inspiring to hear how she makes those connections and goes the extra mile to help those kids.
Speaker 1:She goes like the extra five miles. She's my new role model.
Speaker 2:And that's. You know, we have to be mindful that not every teacher has the time and bandwidth to do that, but maybe there's little things you can do. You know, I once spoke to a teacher who was always the sort of student pick for their favorite teacher and was their star, was called star teacher and really her secret, she said, was she goes to their games and just going to their games or their shows. Students will actually work harder in your class if you show up to some of those things, knowing that again, teachers have a life. That's just a tip that I heard come through that resonated with me.
Speaker 1:If you're showing interest in my interest, then I'm going to show interest in your interest. So if that's you coming to my game, then that means I'm going to pay attention in your class. So it makes sense to me.
Speaker 2:Exactly, but let's look at it through the lens of a coach. What was fascinating from what she had to say is, instead of talking about students, she could have been talking about teachers. Talking about students, she could have been talking about teachers. All of the steps that she talked about how to push, connect with, inspire students are what we try to do with our teachers as coaches For example, listening, showing teachers that you're listening by restating the question or, as she said, revoicing, and that is one of the most important Strategies that I use, because it helps the teacher know that I'm trying to understand what she's saying and I am trying to understand what she's saying. So, if I say so, what I'm hearing you say is you want this, this and this and your students don't do that, this and that, and you're trying to figure out how to make that work. Is that correct? It gives them a beat to hear what they're saying and to show that you are locked in, as my son would say.
Speaker 1:And I mean I think it's also the same with the listening skills that she talked about that aren't verbal listening, the watching, the body language? I mean I assume I'm not an instructional coach but I am. I do teach, and if somebody's going to come into my classroom and try to help me and every time they come in they're just like, ok, let's get down to business. You know, like I'm not going to develop that relationship with them, so I can see coming in and being like doing the small chat, the small pop that she said, or, you know, noticing that maybe I'm not in as good a mood as I usually am. Things like that would make me more inclined to develop a relationship where I look forward to when the coach is coming to my class and makes me trust them more.
Speaker 2:So I can see that from a teacher point of view, and so that's exactly what we need to do with teachers. The way I name that is finding common ground. What is something that we both are interested in, that we both have in common, that we both think about it? Sometimes it's fishing, sometimes it's books that we like, things that we like to teach. You know places we've been, experiences we've had, so it's taking a second to learn a little bit about their. You don't have to pry into their personal life necessarily, but just having you know, listening for some of those things about their experiences that you can connect to and that you can find common ground on Right.
Speaker 2:And then one more thing that she said again, just like with students, is making sure your feedback is specific and actionable. So if I say to my student, good job, well done, they're going to be like okay, thanks, that's not helpful. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. But if you say to the student you wrote a thesis statement that has three main points, but you didn't really show a clear argument, revise it with that. So that's specific and it shows the student that you're actually paying attention to what they're doing.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:With teachers you have to do the exact same thing. You can't just say say that was a great lesson or you really did a wonderful job with that strategy. To specifically say why they did a good job, what made it good?
Speaker 1:yeah, I know I I've had that, especially when I first started, and I never wanted to hurt people's feelings, and so it is that kind of like great job, great job on everything. And then they get their essay and they turn that in and they get a grade that they didn't want and they're like well, you've been saying, this is what I've been supposed to do all semester, so I hurt them by not giving them more specific feedback. But same thing if an instructional coach comes in and tells me great job, great job, I'm going to keep doing the same things I was doing and then I'm going to get frustrated because I'm not seeing any results and changes. So it can feel mean to be critical, but as long as it's actually constructive criticism and it's actually helping them in the long run, it's nicer and you start with specifics of what they're doing really well or trying to do really well.
Speaker 2:You know, when you walk into the, when the students walked in, you really greeted each student and you acknowledged you know that this the goal for the day. Like, even you got to look for specific things they're doing that are positive, so that you can build the teacher up from what their strengths are. You're up from what their strengths are and you have to find that and make that clear to them and then it's say the next step is what is the next growth area from that? But if you have to be even with positive, if you're just general, then the teacher doesn't really know what you're just general, then the teacher doesn't really know what you're complimenting. It doesn't help them improve. Like, sometimes what gets attention is what gets repeated. So if your teacher is doing something really good, you need to be able to highlight that and be specific and actionable with it.
Speaker 1:Right, that makes sense.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I just love everything that she's doing and you can tell that she's not only a great teacher, but also works probably really well with adults.
Speaker 1:Yes, because it like I mentioned this in the episode, but I did see her in a lesson on encouraging teachers from a coach point of view and it made everybody there feel nice and special and, just like students, teachers need encouragement too and you know we might not have somebody doing that every day. So having the instructional coach come in and do that definitely, I can see, helps build the relationship between the coach and the teacher. So I think those were really great tips. I am thankful for those tips and that reminds me that it is, like I said at the beginning of this episode, the week before Thanksgiving, so we will not have a new episode. Next week we're going to be enjoying our turkeys and pumpkin pies, but the week after that we will be back with the new episode and a new month. So thanks for joining me.
Speaker 2:Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
Speaker 1:You too Bye See you later.