My Journey as a Virtual Coach

I love virtual coaching.  To be honest, when I left my in-building coaching position to move to a fully virtual instructional coaching role, I had my doubts.  I loved connecting with teachers.  I loved being in classrooms.  I loved seeing teachers grow.  And to my surprise, I was able to do these things in a virtual space with 95%+ of the efficiency of working in person. 

I’ve been coaching virtually for nearly 10 years.  After my first virtual coaching partnership, I was so awestruck with just how much the teacher I partnered with grew.  Even now, I often feel like the changes teachers can make through the support of a coach borders on miraculous. 

My first virtual coaching partnership was during my last year of classroom teaching, so I met my coachee (a first-year science teacher hundreds of miles away) after school twice a week on Skype (I know!).  In between our sessions, he sent me a 20 - 30 minute recording of his class and him trying out the strategies we discussed in coaching.  Because we met virtually, I didn’t share that I was 8 months pregnant until our second to last meeting.  (It’s nice to have some spaces where your belly doesn’t walk into the room before you and announce just how pregnant you are.)  Through our 12-week partnership, my partner teacher saw over a 50% increase in the number of students regularly on task in his class and formed new habits with much more effective teaching strategies.  My first child was born just a week after we finished our last coaching session.  

At that point, I decided to step out of the classroom and move fully into the virtual coaching space so that I could work from home.  I continued coaching teachers virtually for five years before moving into leading a team of 50+ virtual coaches.  I trained and coached coaches, as well as designed coaching systems for a virtual space, including leading our response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  Now, in my consulting work, I coach leaders and coaches with a blend of in person and virtual coaching sessions. 

I know for in-person instructional coaches that virtual coaching can feel off-putting, but I hope that in my upcoming two-part series the tips and tools that I share will help you consider or even try ways to use virtual coaching to enhance your practice.  

• Part 1: Virtual observations & accountability 

• Part 2: Virtual coaching meetings

Check back next week for Part 1!