Your work matters.

Too often, we make requests of others without truly understanding how realistic or feasible our request is. If I’m asking others to do or try something, our shared experience would be more powerful if I’m also doing the work. As the saying goes, “walk a mile in my shoes” it is when we haven’t that leaves room for judgment and assumptions.

For example, if I’m asking someone to plan using a curriculum in a given 45 minute planning block, I could practice planning for 45 minutes myself to understand how feasible my request is. I might attend a professional development alongside teachers and rather than simply guessing at what it looks like in practice, I could actually try it (even if I have to borrow some students!).

School leaders/coaches often don’t have a schedule that allows them to teach a class or group regularly (unless you follow a model like Opportunity Culture) and have to get creative so they stay connected to the teaching experience. Here are some suggestions:

• Work with a small group of students to try out what you’re learning from time to time. This might be once a week, once a month, etc. But doing it can allow you to keep your skills relevant. If you can do it more consistently, you’ll benefit the students as well. WIN WIN!
  • If you do this, VIDEOTAPE it. Not only will you be able to coach yourself and analyze what went well (or not) but you’ll have a video you can add to your professional library to share with teachers.
• Ask teachers to share their experiences from start to finish. Give them room to share real stories about how things are going. Use active listening strategies to gain better insights into the challenges of the classroom.
• Get into classrooms and take low-inference notes. This type of notetaking simply allows you to capture what’s happening in the classroom, rather than judging what’s occurring. Even better, capture video of real-time instruction (with permission) to have a true understanding of the experience. Take time to really consider how it went and invite the teacher to share how they prepared for what you saw.
• TRY IT. If you offer a professional development experience for your teachers, you can try it too. Are you inviting them to use a new process or tool? Apply it to YOUR work and share what you learn from trying it with them when you check in on their application of the learning experience. You might learn that what you’re asking isn’t feasible.

In this month’s newsletter, I’m sharing how I’ve worked on trying out some of what I’ve shared with you using videos and images (vulnerable moment alert!). Let’s dive in.

Sample 1

In March’s “Standards Aren’t Instruction” newsletter, I shared my reflections on how we might plan in a way that both teaches the standards AND develops proficient readers. This was to build upon my September “Are Standards Enough?” newsletter. And I’ve been working on putting this into practice.

When working with a fourth grade team, I was given the opportunity to offer some planning insight. I printed the passages, pulled out my document camera and began planning. You’ll see in the videos that I used a pencil to annotate. I worked on taking note where there were teaching points available for decoding and vocabulary work, background knowledge, language structures, and verbal reasoning. I leaned on the guiding questions I shared to help me:

1. Are there multisyllabic words in that passage to teach students how to decode? What morphemes can I teach in these words?
2. What grammar and sentence structures are used that can guide my fluency instruction in this passage? How much scaffolded fluency support will my readers need?
3. How can I pair this passage with others to create a text set? What background knowledge do my students need to engage with this passage?
4. What type of text is this? What text structures are used? Are there complex sentences I can deconstruct with my students in the passage or in the questions asked?
5. Where are the key moments in this text that contribute to deeper thinking about what the text means? How can I engage students in discussion about these key moments?

Below are three sample videos in which I applied this type of planning using a standards-aligned passage.

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Sample 2

I've also been working with upper grades teachers on understanding how they can teach students to break apart multisyllabic words that are challenging to decode. After attending the NCRA conference and learning from one of my colleagues, Kim Collins, I shared the video below. It is an example of how I was working on applying my learning AND pulling multisyllabic words from a passage.

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Sample 3

Last year in November, I shared the newsletter “Knowing Our Readers” which covered the Quadrant Model and described how we might better understand our students' needs as readers. I had the opportunity to apply this knowledge to a grade level working to share students across their classrooms. In this third grade example, I used the context of the curriculum being used (EL Education) as a model to apply our thinking allowing me to connect to resources already being used. View the full example here Centering the Passage - differentiating our support.pdf.

​​On the first slide, you’ll see the sample of how ALL Block is differentiated in the EL Education curriculum.

​​On the second slide you’ll see how I suggested we think about the groups of students that were grouped based on DIBELS scores (hence the color coding). I then brainstormed possible needs based on what I understood from teacher planning discussions to highlight how students might differ in the needed reading instruction, even if the grade level used the same grade level passage.

I also used the LETRS comprehension planning outline which is based on The Reading Comprehension Blueprint by Nancy Hennessy and in my state of North Carolina all teachers have completed LETRS training. (Want to learn more about The Reading Comprehension Blueprint? Join TRL-NC’s summer book study! Learn more here.)

On the third and fourth slides, you’ll see how I built on the comprehension blueprint to add spaces for notes and planning related to each of the guiding questions.

This supported teachers with thinking about how to differentiate their instruction for students while using the same text.

These are just some of the ways I “walk the talk” in my literacy work with schools and districts. I try to do the same with my instructional coaching work by using the approaches I teach. Doing so keeps me connected to how hard things can be and increases my ability to empathize with the folks I support. I may not be in the classroom anymore, but I strive to never forget the importance of that experience because developing empathy is crucial to the human experience as it allows us to connect with others, contributing to our shared mental health.

Leadership Moves:

1. Do the actions you request of others or learn about their experience.
2. Find ways to stay connected to the classroom experiences of the folks you support.
3. Exercise your empathy skills.

What does this mean for me?

Leaders have a lot on their plates so making time to walk the talk can prove difficult. But knowing that doing so builds empathy for the teachers and students we serve is worth it. In fact, it might be the very thing that sets you apart from other leaders in the field.
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Revolution Resources

​​Coaching System Assessment Download the PDF below ​LRC Coaching System Assessment PDF - Final.pdf​ Watch the February workshop about this resource! ​

Literacy System Assessment Download the PDF below ​LRC Literacy System Assessment PDF - Final.pdf​ Watch the webinar about this resource below! ​

Where have we been?

We had a great discussion during the Text Talk this month. We discussed this research brief using the 4As discussion protocol. I plan to host another one soon! Details are forthcoming.

I renewed my North Carolina educator license this year! North Carolina requires educators to submit Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in various subject areas depending on their certification area. My license includes: Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Reading Specialist and Administrator.

Let's Work Together

I'm thrilled to be working with some new districts and continue with current clients in the upcoming year! Having the opportunity to expand my reach and continue this work brings me so much joy.

I have the capacity to offer professional development opportunities or smaller scale ongoing work next year. If literacy or coaching is part of your strategic plan or goals, let’s work together to design strategic support for 2024-2025. Click here to sync our calendars for a conversation.

Expanded Services: One on one support for school leaders

This is a perfect time of year to work with Mojdeh for three months and go into the Fall with a clarity. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just hired, she brings experience and guidance that can help you feel prepared. With over a decade of school leadership experience and now Human Resources experience, Mojdeh brings a vast amount of knowledge to this role. She really knows how to "walk the talk."

Learn more about our services for leaders at this link. Mojdeh meets with each applicant for a "gain clarity" call that allows you the space to share your needs. Apply now to set up this call.

Where can we connect? Bold font shows events at which I'm presenting. 6/20 - Summer Virtual Symposium (TRL-NC) | Learn more here​ 7/9 - 7/10 - Get Engaged Coaching Con | Learn more here​ 10/8 - 10/10 The Reading League 9th Annual Conference | Learn more here​ ​ Check out my calendar