Friday, August 12, 2016

Full Time Coaching

Coaching is something I always wanted to pursue.  I remember taking my first coaching course at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA and I was hooked.  I loved the idea of motivating young athletes to follow their dreams and put their goals on the line.  For almost 20 years I have been coaching in the athletic world at Benton Community.  It wasn't until 2014 that I had the thoughts of coaching in the instructional world.

In 2014, our school was one of the first 39 school districts in the state of Iowa to receive the Teacher Leadership Grant.  It was an exciting time for our school and my first thought of doing something new and different in my career at Benton.  I started back in 1997 as a Spanish teacher and fell in love teaching the beginning levels of Spanish.  I loved my job, but could see how doing the same thing for the next 20 years, might not be as exciting.  It was time for a change!

When I accepted the job of instructional coach, I had no idea the impact it would have on my career.  Now I was coaching full time, both in the academic and the athletic world.  What I loved about coaching athletes was what I hoped to achieve when coaching teachers.  Starting my third year as an instructional coach, I have learned a lot about coaching people and I work to be a better listener, confidant, and leader everyday.

This year, I am going to challenge myself to share the journey of a full time coach.  I would like to share my thoughts and tricks as both an academic and athletic coach with those trying to do the same thing.  I can't wait to see what this year holds for Benton Community and the journey we are about to begin!

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