Coaching

When I accepted the position of instructional coach, I had no idea what I was in for. It was new to our district, the one person who had been a coach left the district mid-summer, and I was offered the job -- without ever applying. After over 20 years in the classroom I welcomed a change, any change.

What I've realized is that I love working with students and I miss them. I used to teach at least 3 sections of freshmen or sophomores, so I knew most of the students walking past my door every morning. In my now third year of coaching, I know very few of them. When my son graduates, I'll know even fewer. However, I now have my weekends for myself much more often. My son would never want to go back to having me grade papers and do lesson planning every Sunday while the Packers were playing. (Let's face it, with the instant replays, the game does not take full attention , even from fans.) It's a trade-off that at times makes me sad, but with only three years before Daniel is off to college, I treasure that I can focus more energies on him.

I've also realized that adults can be more frustrating than students. Just like kids, adults will have late assignments, will be rude with their electronic devices, will ignore emails, and will stare blankly at you during staff in services. They can push my patience and leave me feeling as frustrated as sophomores who tell me abbook is bad when they never cracked the cover.

However, just like with kids, there are days when someone is appreciative of my efforts, when I get a compliment or see a positive change in a classroom. And just like with students, one of those moments can help me forget days, even weeks of frustration and keep me going back for more. And it's time to go back for another day.