As an educator, an assigned school administrator routinely comes to your classroom to observe you teaching and your classroom environment a few times each year. More frequently and more often if you are a newer the teacher and less frequently as a tenured teacher. These observations can be a dreaded part of your professional life or something that can foster growth, build confidence, provide insight, and allow conversations about what additional resources or tools a teacher might need to deal with any challenging situations in their classroom. Years ago when I taught full-time I enjoyed getting another pair of insightful eyes into my classroom to ask questions like, what’s the story with Mary? Or to say, did you know every time you turn your back to Connor, he throws spit balls across the room? or anything other things I could not see or know while focused on the content of my lesson. Then when I first started working as a mentor to new teachers, the school district offered training on “coaching” new teachers.

Recently, I began reconsidering and reevaluating this approach. I realized it’s similar to what a life coach or spiritual director might provide. The intent with coaching is to affirm and encourage who the person is and the strengths or positive assets they hold, and then to foster growth and insight through asking questions about what you saw (or heard) and allow the person an opportunity to respond and think about who they are, what they value, what their intentions were, and to evaluate whether what happened revealed what in today’s terms we might call their “authentic self” or not. If not, why and what might they consider doing differently.

For me, as a person of faith, it allows me to see areas of my life God is working to reveal more of Himself to me and/or to ask how I see myself compared to how He sees me… his beloved.

For me, I long to look at these things through a lens of faith. I know not all share my faith but I believe this practice could be beneficial to reinstitute in my life with a wide variety of friends. I know there are people who I can pay (besides a counselor – life coach or spiritual director)to benefit from coaching but I wonder if any of my friends, local or otherwise, share in interest in exploring this sort of coaching? Do you want to join me if I were to try to facilitate a small group in this manner? If so, would you prefer meeting in person or online?

This sort of group provides space to be real with our shortcomings and struggles and seeks to strengthen, encourage, and affirm each other while growing and gaining insight where needed.

Drop me a line here, on social media, or through messenger or text if you have any interest.