I’m in the agony of learning, a phase where it all feels achy, painful, and relentless. I’ve learned about myself – and hit brick wall after brick wall.
The Grand Canyon of What I Need to Learn
Category: Elena’s Blog
Coaching for Equity: A Sneak Peek
Coaching for Equity: Conversations that Change Practice will be in your hands in mid-September. Here are a few excerpts from the introduction which we hope will get you excited to read it!
Defining “Equity”: Every Child, Every Day
In December, the blogs on our site will focus on how we can build equitable schools. I’m deep into my first draft of Coaching for Equity, which will be in your hands in September 2020, and so this topic is on my mind now more than ever. Equity has become a word that’s far too
Rethinking Resistance: New Insights into an Ongoing Inquiry
by Elena Aguilar, Bright Morning President As a new coach, my number one question was, How can I coach a resistant teacher? I felt like most of the teachers I had to coach were resistant. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that this is the question I’m most often asked. In my workshops, within the
Things I Love: Cats, Kleon, Chai and More
by Elena Aguilar, Bright Morning President We’re starting a seasonal blog post about things we love! While we at Bright Morning live, breathe, talk and read all things related to education, transformation and justice, we also have interests beyond these topics. And we wanted to break up the intensity of what we write and offer,
No One Can Learn from You if You Think that They Suck
by Elena Aguilar, Bright Morning President Many years ago, when I was a novice coach overwhelmed by seemingly resistant teachers, my coach, Leslie Plettner, said the wisest and most memorable words a coach has ever spoken: “No one can learn from you if you think that they suck.” I was thunderstruck by the intensity of
How to Build Resilient Teams
by Elena Aguilar, Bright Morning President How do you bring a group of people together and, within a few days, get them to know and understand each other, recognize that their paths are intertwined, and care deeply for each other? The answer to this question is the answer to how we build resilient teams
How a Vacation Improves Your Coaching
by Elena Aguilar, Bright Morning President Are you looking to improve your coaching skills this summer? Do you have an imposing stack of professional texts teetering next to your bed? Do you have ambitions to purge and organize your office? Here’s my advice for how you might best improve your coaching (or teaching or leadership)
How to Know if Coaching Is Working
“I’ve probably invested 100 hours of coaching into her this year,” Alex said, “and I don’t think she’s made much improvement.” Alex looked exasperated. “Was that a waste? Should I keep coaching her? Can she improve?” Alex, a secondary math and science coach, was talking about his work with Sandy, a new teacher in his
The Key to Working With Adult Learners: Mind the Gap
How do we expand someone’s ability? Elena Aguilar shares a tool for analysis that can transform your thinking about how to help another person change, learn, or grow.