1/3 of new teachers leave the field within the first five years of their careers. That is shocking! Some of the best supports to retain new teachers can be provided by instructional coaches. In this episode, you'll learn about some of the most essential ways that new teachers need support in and how to best provide that support! Learn what to focus on first to get new teachers started on the right foot! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zq9Ml Buzzing with Ms. B TpT:...
Aug 15, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Instructional coaching doesn't work without relationships with teachers. In this episode, I chat with Nita Creekmore from Love Teach Bless about how to build relationships. Learn about how Nita starts the year to encourage relationship building, and her favorite strategy for supporting teachers and getting into their classrooms! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zq9Ml Buzzing with Ms. B TpT: https://bit.ly/2GwUNv9 The Coaching Podcast Show Notes: https://buzzingwith...
Aug 08, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 29
As instructional coaches, we see inequities in the school system all of the time. But sometimes we're not sure how to initiate conversations around these ideas in order to change the school for the better. Join me as I talk with Elena Aguilar, author of Onward and Coaching for Equity, about how we as coaches can change ourselves and our schools in order to create equity. -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zq9Ml Buzzing with Ms. B TpT: https://bit.ly/2GwUNv9 The Coach...
Aug 01, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 27
What are some important "ways to be" as an instructional coach? In this episode, I'll share some big ideas that we all should strive for - how to make building trust an ongoing way to be, and which other ideals are important to reflect in your demeanor. Learn about how to be realistic, while being a positive problem solver! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zq9Ml Buzzing with Ms. B TpT: https://bit.ly/2GwUNv9 The Coaching Podcast Show Notes: https://buzzingwithmsb.b...
Jul 25, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Have you ever taken the time to think about your personality as an instructional coach? How do you present yourself to your teachers? How would your teachers describe you as a coach? In this episode, I break down a process that helps you think about how you want to shape your coaching personality and what actions you can take to support that goal! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zq9Ml Buzzing with Ms. B TpT: https://bit.ly/2GwUNv9 The Coaching Podcast Show Notes: ...
Jul 18, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 26
This year, instructional coaches are faced with brand new challenges. How do we support teachers in their learning when we don't know what the school year will look like? These tips from Sarah Miller will help you provide professional development and learning to teachers online, whether you're in person, using a blended model, or serving teachers and kids virtually through distance learning. Listen in to get ideas about which technology to use and how to get teachers to want to watch your videos...
Jul 11, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 25
An instructional coach's time is always slipping like sand through your fingers. You can have the best intentions, but without a purposeful plan, you're unlikely to accomplish your goals -especially if you haven't created goals to begin with. In this episode, learn about how to use the SMART framework to create goals for your coaching work, and how to structure your limited time to maximize your work on these goals! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zq9Ml Buzzing wi...
Jul 04, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Do your teachers know what you do? Mine didn't, at first. That's why someone stopped me in the hallway and asked if I could make them some copies. True story. As an instructional coach, if your teachers don't know what you do, they aren't benefiting from your support to the fullest extent! In this episode, I share three easy and fun ways for getting your message out there and letting teachers know exactly what you're there to do... and what you're NOT there to do! Listen in to learn how to share...
Jun 27, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 23
What is your role, coach? As an instructional coach, if we can't clearly define our role and what we are there to do, I can guarantee that your teachers can't, either. And if they don't know why you're there, they're definitely not benefiting from your support to the fullest extent! This episode walks you through a simple process for defining your role as a coach. I share the role that I created for myself and the three-step process I used to create it. Listen in so you can define your role, coa...
Jun 20, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Are you trying to become an instructional coach, or wanting to make a move to a new school? This episode will help you prepare for your instructional coaching interview! Learn about how to show up and the kinds of things you should think about to be prepared for in order to rock your interview. I talk about my number one tip, eight different topics that administration and principals might ask about, and questions to ask your interviewer in order to decide if the school is a good fit for you! -Ch...
Jun 13, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Instructional coaches, have you been yelled at by a teacher yet? Maybe not in person, but you might have fielded some pretty upset emails. In this episode, we talk about how to respond when a teacher is angry at you! Learn about responding in person and via email, why it's important to know your triggers, and how to de-escalate an irate or resistant teacher! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zq9Ml Buzzing with Ms. B TpT: https://bit.ly/2GwUNv9 The Coaching Podcast S...
Jun 06, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Classroom management is one of the most challenging topics to coach. Every teacher has a different style and we've all had different experiences that lead to a different approach. And coaching in a classroom where there isn't a solid approach to management is extra stressful. In this episode, Haley O'Connor of Teaching with Haley and I talk about what makes classroom management effective and how to support teachers in embracing a new approach to management. -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B In...
May 30, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Do you feel like it's impossible to start coaching in classrooms? Sometimes getting started is the hardest part, especially when teachers have not had experience working with an instructional coach, or if they've had bad experiences! This episode explains six different ideas for getting yourself in the door to start instructional coaching! Number six is my favorite! Learn about goal-setting, starting with a friendly, and how to do a low-key pop-in! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B Instagram: ...
May 23, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Have you put off having difficult or sensitive conversations with teachers because you were afraid of how they would go? Maybe you weren't sure how to start or how to address an important topic about issues of identity such as race, gender, or classism. In this episode, I chat with school counselor Stephanie Reyna about some tools and ideas that instructional coaches can use when communicating about difficult topics effectively, in a way that can create lasting change. -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing w...
May 16, 2020•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 17
When teachers are resistant to coaching, instructional coaches feel it, big time. Teachers push back in different ways but the result is the same: change does not happen in that classroom. In this episode, you'll learn about two different types of resistance and how understanding the reasons for resistance can help you respond effectively to encourage change! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing with Ms. B Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zq9Ml Buzzing with Ms. B TpT: https://bit.ly/2GwUNv9 The Coaching Podcast ...
May 09, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Too many PLCs could have been an email. It's the truth right? Sometimes administrators use PLCs as times to disseminate information to teachers without any real "community" aspect. Instead of holding PLCs that impact no one and change nothing, instructional coaches can follow this seven-step process for creating PLCs that work! Learn about why norms are so important, how to set an accountability piece for follow-up, and how to get the most out of data and learning PLCs! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing ...
May 02, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Some teachers hear the word "alignment" and cringe. They worry that they'll lose their individuality or that everyone will have to be "on the same page", literally. But there are some effective ways to align instruction that don't involve synchronized page-turning. In this episode, I share the reason and method for aligning instructional strategies! Instructional coaches who listen in will learn how to follow a process for aligning instructional strategies to maximize teacher effectiveness and y...
Apr 25, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 14
One of the biggest challenges we face when collaborating with teachers is communicating effectively. Sometimes we think we're speaking the same language...but we're not! We may be using terms inaccurately or with a different nuance. In order to work alongside teachers and align your campus, it's important to build a common language. This episode includes some simple strategies and methods to help instructional coaches grow a common language and understanding with your teachers! -Chrissy Beltran ...
Apr 18, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Sometimes we provide professional development, do collaborative planning, and model in classrooms, but once we step back and let the teacher take the reigns, we're surprised at how little is put into practice in the classroom. Enter: support models with practice! In this episode, I interview Gretchen Bridgers of Always a Lesson. This instructional coach shares with us the reason and methods for building in practice to our coaching cycles and support models to ensure that teachers are prepared to...
Apr 11, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Everything has gone off the rails and we are all trying to figure out how to respond. Schools have closed, most likely till the end of the year, and all of the usual ways we guard our mental health, support our teachers through difficult times, and provide continuity and consistency for our students have gone out the window. In this episode, instructional coaches and teachers will learn some actionable ideas for supporting students through the changes and challenges of sudden distance learning, ...
Apr 09, 2020•1 hr 36 min
Using Google Classroom and Google Apps with your students for distance learning can be overwhelming, especially if you haven't done it before. But it's not impossible to start small! In this bonus episode, Coach Ben Beltran walks us through the benefits of each Google App, how to use them effectively, and why Google Forms is going to change your life. These tools make virtual and distance learning manageable! Learn how you can support your teachers in using these tools to work with their student...
Apr 04, 2020•1 hr 6 min
When you ask instructional coaches how they feel, you get some pretty depressing answers. "Lonely", "frustrated", and "overwhelmed," are common, but so is "I feel like a failure." That is such a terrible feeling! If you're feeling like a failure, just know that we've all been there. We've all felt like we're spinning our wheels, trying to motivate ourselves to solve the same problems and work with the same challenging teachers, year after year. Instead of wallowing in despair, listen in to these...
Mar 28, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The conventional model of testing support usually looks like pulling small groups out for intervention. The instructional coach identified a group of kids who needs specialized support and works with them in their room, targeting their needs based on data. But is that the best, most impactful way to grow our students? In episode 10, I share two different models of testing support that could be exactly what you need to shake up your test prep. Instead of working with kids in an isolated group, ma...
Mar 21, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Instructional coaches do their best work in environments that are set up to support coaching. But what does that environment look like? My guest on the podcast for episode 9 is Lynn Musel, my incredible principal. Lynn talks us through establishing systems for school change in which instructional coaching can thrive! Learn about how to work with teachers in a changing school and what characteristics are helpful for instructional coaches to demonstrate. Get the down-low on how to initiate convers...
Mar 14, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Data, data, data. Are all instructional coaches sick of talking about data yet? Sometimes we spend so much time working with the numbers that we don't get to the point of a data meeting: creating the plans. In episode 8, Eight Tips for Digging into Data, I share the most essential ideas for getting the most out of your next data meeting. Facilitate a data dig with your teachers that actually results in improved teaching and learning, and makes a difference to those students who need it most. Lea...
Mar 07, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 8
The first time I tried planning collaboratively with a grade level, I wanted to die. It was so confusing; we were all talking about the same things but we weren't communicating effectively at all, and everyone left without a sense of what to do or why to do it. Flash forward five years and we'd created a system for planning together! In this episode, I share what to do before, during, and after a collaborative planning PLC to ensure that your teachers are prepared to implement plans that impact ...
Feb 29, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Coteaching can be stressful, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks once you have a plan! It's one of the most impactful ways to support teacher growth, if you know how to make it work for you both. This episode breaks down co-teaching into easy steps and gives you tips that will help you create a great collaborative learning experience for you and your cooperating teacher. Learn about how to plan together effectively to ensure that everybody knows what to do. Set up basic behavior expectat...
Feb 22, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Does modeling in classrooms stress you out? It used to stress me out, big time. It's scary - you don't know the kids, you are walking in to model just one piece of the learning, and the classroom isn't set up to your own teaching style. We all have horror stories. Listen in to this episode to hear all about the horror that was my first modeling session...and learn from my mistakes! Modeling can be scary, but it's also is one of the best tools you can have as an instructional coach, especially if...
Feb 15, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Does envisioning a debriefing conversation cause you to break out in hives? Providing feedback to teachers can be stressful, especially when you are worried about the direction the conversation might go! Nicole S. Miller of Simply Coaching + Teaching joins me on the podcast today to talk about some tips and methods for having a reflective and constructive conversation with teachers. She shares her experience as a coach, along with a video tip you are going to love! Listen in to learn how to talk...
Feb 08, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Hey coaches! The coaching cycle is one of the most effective methods for supporting and growing teachers. This episode breaks down the process for you, one step at a time, so you can implement it right away! Join me in learning about why it's so important to plan together and assign roles, how you can set a goal that the teacher believes in, and what your debriefing conversation should look like! Get a free coaching cycle download in the show notes at the link below! -Chrissy Beltran Buzzing wit...
Feb 01, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 3
