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Our intention with this video is to
provide you with an opportunity to see
the mentor coaching skills and
principles in action it's certainly been
jeie and my experience over our careers
as coaches that um in viewing coaches in
action it really helps to support uh
with the understand understanding of the
process and the structure and certainly
with the skills in this particular video
what we've decided is that we are both
going to be enroll and we've decided
that um in honor of confidentiality it
just felt certainly tidier for us in
terms of the process and so to that end
I'm going to be a Learning Partner which
is essentially a curriculum resource
teacher who works with teachers in
students in schools with a family of
schools the backstory that we've created
for me is that I work uh with a family
of schools in an urban school district
and that I have got a mentor coach that
I love I've been working with her for
six months and she has really been
important for me in terms of supporting
me around my own reflection around my
practice and in supporting me in my own
capacity building so Genie will be
enroll as my mentor
coach uh I'm arriving to this
conversation with an agenda that I have
identified in advance as always is the
process with a mentor coaching um
relationship and the mentor coaching
process it's the client agenda that or
the me the mentees agenda that drives
the process so we'll begin with my
agenda well welcome thank you it's good
Welcome
to see you it's been how long has it
been it's been a couple of weeks since
we've seen each other well we've done
pretty well so far we have appreciate
your
consistent it doesn't always happen this
way so I really appreciate your energy
around all this thank you I um so here
we are in May and um you know I've had a
busy year I've had a great year and I
was I just want to give you a little
background in terms of the agenda that
I'm bringing to the conversation I was
in conversation with one of the
principles at one of my schools you know
that principal that I'm friends with
she's just so lovely and um I was asking
her for some feedback because I don't
get much feedback in terms of my impact
what I'm able to do in the schools and
it was great and it was very supportive
and very encouraging and um she did say
to me that I moov pretty
fast maybe not surprised to you and so I
I dug a little bit there and asked her
so what do you mean I move a little fast
and she just said that you know um Kate
you've got a lot of energy and sometimes
your energy gets out in front of you I
was reading between the lines but I
think basically what she was doing is
asking me about slowing down you know
the terms of my work and so I've come up
with this idea based on what she and I
talk talked about that really slowing
down and me
being better to connect with some people
perhaps I'm thinking I need to think a
little bit about my listening so I'm
just hoping we can focus in on that for
this particular conversation that we're
having today so
specifically I heard slowing down and
listening exactly slowing down and
listening okay so for us given we have
20 minutes
um having said exactly what you've said
where do you want us to be paying
attention well I guess I don't know this
listening thing really stands out for me
because I I've thought about a little
bit but I think I need to think about it
a lot more and um somewhere along the
line somebody has said to me talk last
listen more and it feels like something
that might be helpful in this
conversation I think that's kind of what
I'm
what I would like to be up to so I'm
curious what intrigues you
about given your very context right now
talk less and listen more for you give
my context where I'm
working my number one job is to help get
in alongside the teacher and the
students of course in the classroom and
so for me to really be able to do that I
got to I've got to really understand
where they're coming from the reality of
of their context through their eyes
versus their context through my eyes or
some modification thereof so listening
in that right so what's new in this
because what I also know about you is oh
yeah that you can listen well um I I I'm
smiling as I say this I also know you
can move
fast and it feels like there's something
in here that's really intriguing so I'm
curious about what that is what's
compelling about this that's a good
question honestly yeah that I can slow
down oh so same more because it's tiring
what I do is tiring I work with a lot of
schools and a lot of people and I
sometimes have this expectation I guess
of myself like I've always been as you
know relatively new teacher in the game
I got a hustle and maybe it's not about
hustle maybe it's about slowing down a
little
Whats pivotal
bit you this is what you've chosen to
bring so I'm curious what's pivotal
about this
what's pivotal
is me being able to really
hear the way the teacher sees it and to
to really be in there to support them um
so it's about me and yeah that's what I
know so far nice work it's about you yes
it is that's that's what this process is
all about okay so by the end of our 15
minutes left where would you like us to
be well I'd really like some strategies
I really want some concrete strategies
that I can take with me back into the
classroom and around the town as I visit
my schools something that I keep front
center okay strategies yeah because I
think it's it's going to make me better
at what I do which as you know that's
important to me really
absolutely we see that okay so where
should we
begin well I guess
um just with the way it's going on right
now I mean is wouldn't that be the best
place to start just think of what I'm
what I am
doing it's up to you well you've said to
me in the past Kate we should start with
strength so I'm up to start with where
I'm not doing it but you know okay
strength so what strengths do you know
you have that you bring already to
this well my curiosity which has helped
me with this role and I think it could
probably well I know it can help me with
my with my listening you just something
never made that connection before before
actually my pulling my strengths right
over and to support me with my listening
so curiosity any other strengths coming
to
mind um energy so there's you know just
the energy and engagement that I have
that's always there for me which when I
typically when I think about listening
more I feel like it might work against
my listening and I think maybe there's a
way I could flip that around so that's
intriguing
yeah okay I don't know curiosity energy
flip anything else no I think that's
good that' be a good place to start
certainly
okay and there's just to say that you
know some of the teachers that I'm
working with I connect with like I've
shared some of those stories with you
where it's just like a house on fire we
we work well together and then there's
others I don't know it's a little harder
it's just harder
Listening
so house on fire harder mhm and there's
something about the listening piece that
is going to do something about the
harder
part yeah Rel in the relationship bucket
I think in the relationship so say a
little bit more about listening in
relationship it takes me back to what
the principal said to me which was um in
the end this is all about relationship
building when she and I were having our
quick debrief there for some feedback
and I mean that's true I do think at the
end of the day what my Works about is
being able to build relationships with
other teachers other practitioners and
with the students to help grow their
practice you know right now my focus is
is math and the numeracy stuff that
we're
doing and really it's the relationship
so the listening my relationships all of
that it's all tied together that's all I
wanted to say there right so when we
Curiosity
when you thought to start with strengths
curiosity and you said You' never really
linked curiosity with listening so I'm
curious about that part and also curious
about flipping your energy whatever that
means so
flipping just throwing that out there
yeah so the I like the idea of digging
down in the Curiosity idea because the
curiosity if I in thinking about that if
I arrive more
curious I'm going to be more curious I'm
going to talk less and listen more I'm I
can see that H happening right now as I
even consider it so that's help helpful
for me that could be a strategy right
there and you know that well well I'm
just starting to really ground that
thought that's a good idea P intend and
I are not repetition intended I'm
curious
about when when it's really working with
these other
teachers how your curiosity and
listening Link versus
how your curiosity and listening links
when it it isn't working as well yeah
that's a good question when it works
house on fire situation I'm curious and
it's like synergistic like I'm curious
and I'm talking about what I'm curious
about and there's there's a conversation
there's interaction versus when it's not
a house on fire I'm curious about how I
can fix this as quickly as possible and
I go into my fixer mode and what happens
to your listening
honestly yeah I get really judgmental I
make some really quick assessments of
what's happening and I just try to fix
and as a teacher I wouldn't like to be
on the receiving end of that when I
think about it actually so if we could
Listening Self
climb inside your listening self yeah
when judgment shows up what's going on
in terms of your capacity to hear or as
you said earlier see from their
perspective or their place when the
Judgment shows up it's like a
filter that flies up in front of my
listening and filters out anything that
I don't feel is important and I'm now
starting to listen
for certain things I
guess if that makes sense Y and what's
if you were going to name it
what what's in your way when judgment
shows up
judgment so I'm I'm putting people in
places into categories versus seeing the
whole picture and relating what I'm
seeing in that moment to other places
where I've been where I've seen similar
things and this is what I did and it
worked like see see what's going on I do
I see There's Something Happening Here
categories uh versus clear deck each is
its own unique place and really seeing
it for all it is the people you know the
students teach
school so it's you know I could Riff on
this for hours but I think that there's
just like a lot in here and I think for
me drilling down here for a second I
feel like if I could pick out what feels
most like you said before most pivotal
to help keep me centered as a listener
and really be able to listen
to would be
valuable so curiosity feels like a lens
Strategies
getting judgment out of the way that
Curiosity can support me bringing my
curiosity yeah so now let's do some more
exploring about what what else what
other choices do you have in terms of
strategies to help really pursue what
you've uncovered
here maybe just set some sort of in like
uh goals for myself when I'm going in
like maybe literally to gather up some
pie pieces in terms of specific things
that I want to be listening
for um so I'm smiling because sometimes
you said sometimes your listening for
was getting in the way you were it was
about judgment so what's the difference
in this listening for versus that other
one well as we've been talking I mean I
sort of think
about sometimes I'm aware of the energy
in the classrooms and um that can be
helpful with in terms of what I'm doing
to support the work you know students
and the teach fees other times I'm
really not aware of the energy in the
room um which can be very telling for me
and it helps me sort of get myself
oriented um as a partner with this
teacher so listening for energy for
instance just the things that I'm up to
step over when I'm not feeling like it's
really working that well and one of the
things I know about you is that energy
is really important yeah
exactly
so curiosity energy what else what what
are where are other places for you to
the other thing would be for me to um be
really up front with the teacher before
I go in and to take the time because
they always encourage us to take the
time
to
almost we set up a bit of a plan with
the teacher prior to me coming in in
terms of what I'm going to be up to so
that they feel relaxed and it feels a
little smoother the whole
process so maybe during that part during
the planning I could talk about me doing
a lot of listening so they're not
wondering why I'm so quiet and you know
just
to and formalize a little bit so making
it part of the plan so I'd have my
strategies I'd have my
plan all those pieces would be would be
helpful that's good
so imagining all that's happened y um
what would you like to be saying in a
month when you've taken this away and
really applied yourself like you've been
want to do after other conversations
we've had right well I'd like to be
saying that it's
um not as much
work not because what's happening well
there was just like a work happened
there um that it's it doesn't have to be
as hard as it is sometimes I think and
um I'd like to be saying that it feels
easier that um I even better
relationship ship with people that I've
maybe had trouble connecting with in
some of the some of the places and
um yeah I think that's primarily
it so to to have this really come in
Action
into play in your life what actions are
you wanting concretely to be planful
around here before you go back to make
all this
happen
H so what kind of a plan do I want to
set for myself well we we've poked
around in choices right
so what are you choosing and what plans
do you want to think through together in
order to be really prepared to step into
it well I think the planning actually is
pretty straight ahead but it's what it
represents that's really important to me
so um to be purposeful around the
listening to build it into my plan to
make it part of the plan not only for
myself but also what I'm sharing with
the teacher yeah that that's part of my
job is to come and listen and really
understand to be out loud and on purpose
about that
and the courageous thing would be to get
some feedback from the
teachers which I've done a little bit
and to do more of
that terms of how they feel I'm
doing um in supporting them and how
connected they feel like we are in terms
of what I'm bringing to their the
teaching their planning their assessment
so that's something that you're wanting
yeah that's the edgy part sort of the
accountability I guess that's what that
is and you like the edgy part yes and
no so courage what does that look like
for you courage I don't remember saying
courage you did oh did I you just said
courageous um what was that question
what does courage look like for you in
this cont
text um being more vulnerable around it
I guess by sharing my intention with the
teachers by putting a plan in place I
could even Circle back to that
particular principal and get her to
because she's a friend of mine so we
could she gave me some feedback
maybe so I'm intrigued we've talked
about vulnerability before
so look at the time isn't the time
almost St nice try so let's just spend a
little minute here so what does you
being more vulnerable with those in the
within with those
relationships really look like feel
like when when you soon as you asked
that question slowing down came to mind
because I think by slowing down I'm not
moving fast and there's there's a
protected thing about moving fast and
moving a little slower is definitely a
more vulnerable
thing what else what what's the gift
inside your
vulnerability oh
my that's a big question
um
opportunity you
know bigger
impact that's the gift
so anything further you want to think
through in terms of what connection do
you see yourself being up to between now
and when we meet next time when do we
see each other again like a couple of
weeks isn't it
yeah um okay what I'm going to be up to
so let me just say that I'll um could I
I'd like to put a little bit of a plan
together for myself in terms of a almost
like a template that'll help me with
this could I fire that off to you you
could just have a quick peek at it would
that be possible if I and what are you
wanting from me how about that I just
want you to see it receive it happily
receive it yeah yeah just to see it so
the plan what else um and um you know
what I'm going to commit to there's one
individual that I would like to one of
the teachers I work with that I think be
edgy for me to talk to them and about
what I'm up to and what I'm doing to
ramp things up a little bit now it is
May and you know the year's sort of
winding down but I know I'm working with
them again next year so it might be
interesting plant that seed okay so my
challenge to you in this
is how does courage show up in
there talking to her that individual
okay and what do you what strengths you
drawing on to support your courage and
your vulnerability and my curiosity and
my
energy and how will you know you're
being
vulnerable cuz I'll feel
it and where do you feel it in my heart
right
here anything else you're wanting in
terms of
clarity holding yourself account
able no I think that's good this has
been this has been huge because it
honestly it's been it's been percolating
for a while it's been but as soon as
that that principal gave me that
feedback I thought okay I got to deal
with this because this is the next
step and just having made that decision
is about your own vulnerability and my
experience of you so going
fast you could step over right exactly
thank you I really wanted to honor that
in you thanks so my last question is so
what do you want to honor in yourself
having navigated this together here
today well I my commitment to doing my
job well which is where this comes from
[Music]
and for talking into this
piece we see you talking in
thank you thanks
[Music]
Genie